Regional focus |
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have long been part of the agriculture industry in Tropical North Queensland , while new exotic crops include cacao and vanilla . Food processing is also innovating with banana flour the newest food product in a region producing smoked meats , charcuterie and spirits .
Tourism management and training is also an area of expertise , while Cairns has a thriving marine precinct , including three shipyards as well as a naval base and defence contractors . There is also a tourism reef fleet , commercial fishing and shipping and many superyachts and cruise ships .
The region has abundant renewable energy resources such as solar , wind and biomass and there are over 100 businesses operating in the renewable energy sector .
Aviation is an emerging sector for the region and international and national companies with service centres in Cairns include Hawker Pacific , a Bombardier service centre and UK-owned Cobham Aviation Services .
Cairns Aviation Skills Centre and CQUniversity Aviation Campus are both located at Cairns Airport , delivering vocational and Bachelor qualifications .
Tropical health and life sciences Tropical North Queensland offers expertise in tropical forest science , biopharmaceuticals , tropical health , tropical foods and natural resource management . James Cook University , home of the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine , the Australian Tropical Forest Institute and the Australian Tropical Herbarium , conducts research encompassing public health and into tropical infectious diseases and biosecurity .
Benefits Cairns & Great Barrier Reef conference delegates are eligible for value-adds and discounts on a range of products and services including restaurants , retail and tours and the Delegate Advantage Programme is a delegate boosting initiative which has 50 local businesses
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involved .
Rosie Douglas believes international events will need to be hybrid , even when face-to-face returns and explains that the Business Events Council of Australia ( BECA ) has been lobbying government for support packages as we emerge from the pandemic . The first stage is recovery and packages are designed to stimulate growth by providing financial support to events to ensure they go ahead . This will be followed by the rebound phase designed to take advantage of new market opportunities and includes access to market research , subvention funding , visa simplification , and marketing rebates to industry for international marketing activities .
Convention Centre renewal The Cairns Convention Centre has made good use of the pandemic downtime by investing $ 176m in upgrading and refurbishment to be able to welcome back meetings for up to 5,000 guests in style and in theatre style . The project will be complete in 2022 and deliver an extra 10,000sqm of meeting , banquet and exhibition space .
At the Cairns convention precinct venues , hotels and local attractions are all within walking distance .
The Centre has launched a new brand , with its logo incorporating both the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest .
The Centre management shared its future priorities with CMW , listing first the promotion of the new-look venue on the back of the major refurbishment and expansion . The venue will re-open in the first quarter of 2021 although the expansion phase will not complete until mid 2022 .
“ The new expansion will mean the Centre will be able to host individual conferences for 500 delegates , while the entire Centre can comfortably host 2,500 delegates . The refurbished Arena will host events for up to 5,000 capacity ,” says general manager Janet Hamilton . Her Business Development team has been
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Above : Underwater swimmer : Tourism Tropical North Queensland
Right : Janet Hamilton
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conducting meetings with clients virtually , using a new Virtual Tours and 3D floor plan to walk clients through the spaces .
The Centre ’ s new brand , ‘ Passion in our Nature ’ and new logo represent the region ’ s two world-heritage listed sites .
New videos about passionate people and ambassadors for Cairns have been rolled out including Andy Ridley ( CEO of Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef ), Professor Caryn West , Dean of Research , Singapore and Professor of Nursing at James Cook University , and Norris Carter , CEO of Cairns Airport .
The team is also working on new delegate boosting material across a range of mediums designed to assist clients in promoting their conferences and to entice delegates to attend .
“ When the Centre opens back up again in 2021 , we will also be able to cater for our clients ’ requirements in regards to hybrid events ,” Hamilton adds .
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