Melbourne’s MCEC expansion plans approved

News this week: Earlier this week, the Victoria state government in Australia announced funds of between US$149 million to US$165 million have been approved for the expansion of the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC).

Stage two of MCEC’s expansion is expected to add thousands of square metres of new exhibition space and additional multi-purpose space. The MCEC reported a record three years, which welcomed 1.5 million visitors annually. The venue expansion is expected to attract an additional 74,000 international visitors annually. A timeline for the project will be announced at a later date.

Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) chief executive Joyce DiMascio said, “EEAA has been campaigning for a number of years for this expansion, most recently in our submission to the Victorian Visitor Economy Review, and we warmly welcome today’s announcement.” DiMascio also cautioned, “If there is one lesson governments should take from the closure of the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre it is that disruption due to construction must be managed with the highest regard for its flow on effects to the industry.

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Construction on schedule for Sydney’s ICC venue

News this week: The acting premier of New South Wales and Minister for Trade and Investment, Troy Grant, has announced construction of the new exhibition, convention and entertainment facilities at Sydney’s Darling Harbour is on schedule for its planned opening in December 2016.

The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) has welcomed the news and claims the site has been completely transformed over the past 12 months which now shows evidence of the new structures rising since demolition began. According to Sydney’s CVB, Business Events Sydney (BESydney), 19 major international business events have already been secured for the new International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney).

Joyce DiMascio, chief executive of EEAA, commented, “With a redevelopment of this scale it’s good to know that construction by Lend Lease is progressing well and according to the timetable shared with industry. EEAA members are major users of the exhibition and convention centre precinct and so it’s very pleasing to know that at this stage we can look forward to an on-time return to the site.”

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Construction of Sydney’s new exhibition centre begins

News this week: Construction of the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney at Darling Harbour has officially started. The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) joined New South Wales’ Premier, Mike Baird, and Deputy Premier, Andrew Stoner, at the construction site for a ground-breaking ceremony earlier this week.

The EEAA was pleased to hear that the project was on-time and that the preparation of the site for commencement of construction was on target. According to Mike Baird, the overall redevelopment project of Darling Harbour Live project will provide 3,700 jobs during construction and a further 4,000 jobs on completion.

Construction of ICC Sydney is expected to take two years, and displaced events have been relocated to other venues including the Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island, Sydney Showground and Sydney Olympic Park.

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EEAA announces near completion of Glebe Island venue

News this week: According to the Exhibition and Events Association of Australasia (EEAA), the interim 25,000 m² venue, Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island, is now near completion and will be ready for the mid-February start of the 2014 exhibition season as scheduled.

The new facility is located at Sydney Harbour adjacent to the Anzac Bridge. A “commissioning” event at the site was recently held by the venue’s operator AEG Ogden. EEAA praised the completion of construction over a tight six-month schedule and highlighted the positive feedback received from its members on the quality of the facilities.

Joyce DiMascio, chief executive of EEAA, said, “The completion of this project in just six months has been a major collaboration between the NSW Government, Infrastructure NSW, Lend Lease, AEG Ogden and our industry. This has been a big team effort and the EEAA would like to thank NSW Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner for backing this project and ensuring that our Members have a place to do business in 2014, 2015 and 2016 while the permanent facilities at Darling Harbour are being built.”

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Sydney faces tight schedule for interim venue

News this week: Last week, Infrastructure NSW (INSW) announced it has terminated negotiations with the winning bidder to build temporary exhibition facilities at Sydney’s Glebe Island. This week INSW stressed it will provide temporary exhibition facilities at Glebe Island on schedule in time for the 2014 exhibition season.

The Exhibition & Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) revealed it has met with INSW three times since the announcement and is concerned about losing six months to an already tight construction schedule for an interim venue. The EEAA stressed the government must ensure the timely delivery of a semi-permanent facility of at least 25,000 m² and provide additional funding when necessary to meet the proposed timelines.

The International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) is set to replace the existing Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) at Darling Harbour as part of the new Sydney International Convention, Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct. ICC Sydney will become Australia’s largest MICE venue capable of holding four concurrent events of over 12,000 delegates along with exhibition capacity of 40,000 m². It is scheduled to open in December 2016.

This post is excerpted from BSG's weekly e-newsletter which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website to find out more about this service. You can also follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates.

INSW terminates negotiations with Sydney Harbour Expo

News this week: In a letter sent to the Exhibition & Event Association of Australasia (EEAA), the management agency of Sydney’s Darling Harbour redevelopment, Infrastructure NSW (INSW), announced it has terminated negotiations with Sydney Harbour Expo @ Glebe Expo (SHE) for the creation of temporary exhibition facilities at Glebe Island.

According to Sydney International Convention, Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct (SICEEP) Project Director, Tim Parker, INSW terminated negotiations because a satisfactory arrangement could not be reached despite lengthy discussions. However, Parker stressed that temporary exhibition facilities will be available for the 2014 exhibition season.

INSW has reportedly begun negotiations with GL Events, another company that submitted a bid to build at Glebe Island. The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) will be closed in late 2013 for the construction of SICEEP, which is scheduled to open in 2016.

This post is excerpted from BSG's weekly e-newsletter which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website to find out more about this service. You can also follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates.

Melbourne again misses out on expansion funds

Melbourne, 8^th May: In a repeat of last year’s developments, the 2013 state budget of Victoria in Australia has once again excluded funds for the expansion of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). Despite efforts from the Exhibition and Events Association of Australasia (EEAA) to persuade the government otherwise, the state outlined the need to manage financial constraints caused by a weaker national economy and international economic uncertainty.

According to the EEAA, over 50% of the new shows planned in Australia for 2013 are set for Melbourne. A next phase expansion was anticipated to take place within a few years after the opening of MCEC in 2009. The redevelopment of the Sydney International Convention, Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct (SICEEP) in New South Wales is scheduled to open in December 2016.

Joyce DiMascio, general manager of EEAA, said, “While the Victorian Government has a history of support for the events sector, it risks compromising the growth of the Victorian industry and its flow-on economic benefits to the State. Many events organised by EEAA members are venue-bound. The size and availability of space has reached capacity and Melbourne risks turning away new business and larger exhibitions.”

This post is excerpted from BSG's weekly e-newsletter which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website to find out more about this service. You can also follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates.