Cairns Convention Centre has embarked on a A$176 million (US$127 million) refurbishment and expansion project, which will add an extra 10,000m2 of meeting and exhibition space upon completion.
The project will be delivered in two stages. The first stage is a refurbishment of the existing Centre, including the Auditorium, Arena and existing meeting rooms. This is slated for completion in February 2021, with events beginning in March 2021.
Next, the expansion will only be completed in 2022. Features of the expanded area will include a flat floor plenary that can hold 410 theatre-style for seminars, and an exhibition space that can hold 30 booths. Also on this level will be three new meeting rooms that can hold around 120 delegates each, and when combined, can host 370 in theatre-style.
In addition, pre-function space The Trinity Room – complete with an outdoor terrace – will be ideal for gala dinners and cocktail parties. It can host up to 500 people.
Cairns Convention Centre will also be launching a new tagline “Passion is in our Nature” and new logo that incorporates the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforest.
The venue’s general manager, Janet Hamilton, said “With our enviable location near two World Heritage sites of the Wet Tropics Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, we wanted to highlight these amazing World Heritage-listed sites in our new Cairns Convention Centre logo.”
The new brand campaign will roll out across the next 18 months across a variety of platforms, highlighting the best of the region.
Tourism Minister Kate Jones said the Cairns Convention Centre expansion was one of the largest tourism infrastructure projects in Queensland.
“Tourism infrastructure will be crucial to our economic recovery. Once complete the expanded centre will bring around 20,000 extra visitors to the region and inject up to A$50 million into the local economy annually.”
