AUSTRALIA - Expansion to the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) should only be carried out alongside the construction of other local venue space, says the Exhibition and Event Association of Australia.
The SCEC’s expansion could bring more international-level exhibitions and conferences, potentially squeezing out local events.
“Currently, SCEC is not large enough for some major domestic and trade exhibitions such as The International Boat Show and Good Food and Wine which is constricting their growth,” said EEAA president Matthew Pearce. “So increasing the available space at Darling Harbour is good news for our sector.
“But to enable Sydney to cater for the ensuing growth in larger international business events that expanded venue space will create, and the increased demand for venue availability at Darling Harbour, Sydney Showground at Homebush must be developed at the same time so that the domestic exhibition market does not suffer from a continuing shortage of purpose-built exhibition space.”
A pre-feasibility study released by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (IPA) identified the SCEC as the best location for an expanded conference and exhibition centre, a key priority for the NSW Government if Sydney is to maintain its position as the events capital of Australia, and continue to reap the benefits that business events bring to the local economy.
