CONVENTIONS MUST GROW

IF ever there was a case for the cliche ‘build it and they will come’ it is the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Or to tweak the well-worn phrase slightly in this instance, it would be expand it and they will come.

It is a vital piece of city tourism infrastructure which will only result in upside when it is enlarged. And it should be a matter of when not if.

Convention centre visitors are the kind of visitors this city is targeting. They are a high-yielding bunch generally here with the company credit card to use and costs that are tax deductible.

It is unbelievable with the growth this city has undergone in both population and visitor numbers since the convention centre was first launched 15 years ago that it has not had an upgrade.

Thanks must go to then-Premier Peter Beattie for backing it but now it is up to the politicians of the day to get the expansion moving.

Tourism bosses along with local body and state politicians are in agreement that a convention centre expansion so it does not miss out on even bigger conferences than it hosts now is a positive move.

The bill will be no small change of course with $80 million being a recent projection.

Some intriguing discussions are on the horizon here too as the spirited debate continues around the merits or otherwise of developing a Global Tourism Hub and associated second casino licence on the Gold Coast.

The State Government has talked about this as an option for growing the city’s conference-hosting ability.

But the Star Entertainment Group-run convention centre at Broadbeach is tailormade for being the Gold Coast’s primary conferencing venue.

It is right on the tram line, in the heart of the Broadbeach dining and accommodation precinct and incredibly close to the accommodation towers of Surfers Paradise and Main Beach.

The city airport is growing apace and in the middle of its own enlargement plus addition of its first onsite hotel, with the public light rail system eventually heading its way.

It has long been a desire of the city’s leaders to have the convention centre expanded but it is a proposal that has lost momentum. It’s time has now come.