COVER STORY
Nine years in the making, the expansion of the
Adelaide Convention Centre has transformed
Adelaide’s skyline with two new buildings,
boosting the venue’s footprint to 20,000sqm
of multi-purpose space. The final stage of the
redevelopment, the new East Building, opened
in August with a spectacular launch that
showcased the City’s creativity, innovation, and
of course, incredible produce.
“We’re a centre transformed,” says Simon
Burgess, who has held the position of director
of convention and exhibition sales at the Centre
for the past five years. He takes over the reins
as general manager of the venue in January
following the departure of Alec Gilbert, who led
A centre transformed
Australia’s first convention
centre has been reborn as
the nation’s newest, with the
completion of the Adelaide
Convention Centre’s two-phase
$397 million redevelopment.
For more information:
www.adelaidecc.com.au
the team for the past 12 years and through its
incredible transformation.
“This year has been a milestone year for us.
Not only did we celebrate 30 years in business
with the completion of our redevelopment,
but we played host to the city’s largest
ever business event, the 68 th International
Astronautical Congress (IAC). The success of
IAC proves that Adelaide now has the capacity
and expertise to host large-scale events.”
The world’s largest annual gathering of space
professionals, IAC rocketed Adelaide into the
large events stratosphere. With 4470 delegates
from 71 nations, joined by 700 students, 300
volunteers and several thousand members of
8 Convention & Incentive Marketing, Issue 6, 2017 www.cimmagazine.com
the public, it was not only one of the largest
events in IAC history, but the largest business
event ever hosted in Adelaide.
“IAC was a fitting event for our expanded
centre and a clear illustration of the ‘Team
Adelaide’ approach,” says Burgess. “The whole
of Adelaide was immersed in the event, with a
number of space-themed programs within the
city for public engagement.”
IAC was strategically timed to coincide with
the completion of the Centre’s redevelopment,
and took place just weeks after the official
opening. With an extensive program
comprising eight plenary sessions, three
highlight lectures, two breaking news and 200
technical sessions, it was a great illustration
of the Centre’s highly flexible floor plan, using
every square metre of the venue in various
different configurations.
“It’s a new breed of convention centre in terms
of innovation and flexibility,” adds Burgess. “Our
East Building represents the first time rotating
drums, hinged seating and operable walls have
been brought together in one venue, making
it one of the world’s most flexible convention
centres. The Plenary can be subdivided into
more than 15 different configurations.”
Adelaide’s changing landscape, including its
rejuvenated Riverbank Precinct, a series of new
growth industries and a pipeline of additional
hotels and development, has injected a fresh
energy into the city and seen it emerge as a
leading destination for business events. If you
haven’t recently paid the South Australian
capital a visit, it’s time.