Gold Coast Convention Centre: 20 years since Broadbeach development approved

The Gold Coast Convention Centre could have been built on a redevelopment of Southport’s Sundale Shopping Centre. But a bidding war saw the project torpedoed.

THE wrangling over the proposed $100 million upgrade of the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre hit new heights this week.

The State Government finally released its long-awaited report into a proposed second casino on the Gold Coast.

It has agreed to, at least initially, deal exclusively with Star Entertainment Group which has promised to upgrade and expand the convention centre.

The 1999 Convention centre concept put forward by Jupiters.

The casino giant has been given 10 days to “put up or shut up”.

It comes almost 20 years to the day after Jupiters successfully won the tender to build the convention centre.

The Gold Coast had been set to get a convention centre built at Coomera as part of its plans to host Expo 2002.

But after the bid for the event fell apart the city was left looking for a new option.

Plans for Expo 2002 at Coomera.

Mayor Gary Baildon was highly critical of the lack of conference infrastructure the city had despite being the nation’s second-largest conference destination.

The State Government announced in early 1999 that tenders would go out for private sector bidders to put forward proposals for a complex.

It was expected at the time to cost $60-100 million, with the successful consortium named in mid-1999 before a 2001 opening.

A Concept Design of a Convention Centre at the Sundale site at Southport.

In March 1999 the four finalists of more than 100 expressions of interest were named - Gold Coast 2001 Consortium, Jupiters, Leslie Corporation and Sundale Pty Ltd.

● The Gold Coast 2001 consortium proposed a centre at Surfers Paradise. The group includes the Macquarie Bank, Dreamworld operator Omni Leisure, Delaware North (Australia) and architects Woods Bagot/Skidmore Owings Merrill.

● Jupiters Ltd proposed a centre near its casino at Broadbeach.

● Gold Coast International Convention and Exhibition Centre Pty Ltd, including Leslie Corporation, Concrete Constructions, Spotless Services, Spectacor Management Group and Cox Rayner Architects. The company’s plan was built around a 42ha site at Mermaid Waters.

● Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre Pty Ltd, which wanted a centre to be part of a redevelopment of Southport’s Sundale Shopping Centre. The company included Sundale Pty Ltd, Baulderstone Hornibrook, Ogden International Facilities Corporation and KPMG.

By July 1999 the Government eliminated all but Jupiters and Gold Coast International Convention and Exhibition Centre Pty Ltd, which were the two finalists.

The new Gold Coast Convention Centre on opening night. Picture: David Clark

The following month Jupiters upped its bid, vowing to extend its Broadbeach casino and hotel complex by 7000sq m if its bid was successful.

This was further bolstered by the Property Council of Australia throwing its weight behind Jupiters.

Jupiters was finally announced as the winner of the bid at the tail end of November 1999, securing a deal with the State Government.

It won the bid after promising a dazzling $150 million reinvention of the casino complex.

Premier Peter Beattie singing the contract with indigenous elders in 2001.

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The Queensland Government confirmed it would fund the $145 million development of the new centre, while Jupiters would use additional debt to pay for the remodelling of its then-14-year-old Broadbeach complex.

Jupiters entered into a long-term management agreement and would receive a fee for operating the State Government-owned centre based on operating surpluses, with a deferral of such fee if any operating losses were incurred.

Premier Peter Beattie touring the Gold Coast Convention Centre site with General Manager Peter Trathen

An opening was scheduled for early 2002.

But the project hit snags - Jupiters slashed $66 million from the project in mid-2000 and announced a scaled-down project, on the back of shareholder concerns about overspending on the project, while it took a significant period of time to get approval from the Gold Coast City Council.

The convention centre finally opened to the public with a gala event on June 30, 2004.