The Cairns Convention Centre announced it is undergoing a $176 million refurbishment and expansion project. The major project will deliver an extra 107,000 square feet of meeting, banquet and exhibition space when completed.
The renewed convention center will be delivered in two stages. The first stage is a refurbishment of the existing Centre, including the auditorium, arena and existing meeting rooms. The refurbished Cairns Convention Centre will be complete in February 2021, with events beginning in March 2021. The expansion will also see new spaces available to event planners opening in early 2022.
Queensland tourism minister Kate Jones said the $176 million Cairns Convention Centre Expansion was one of the largest tourism infrastructure projects in the state, adding that the tourism infrastructure will be crucial to the economic recovery. Once complete, the expanded convention center is expected to bring around 20,000 extra visitors to the region and inject up to $50 million into the local economy annually.
The new expansion provides more flexibility for clients: The center can host a conference in the new expansion for 500 delegates or the entire center can comfortably host 2,500 delegates. The refurbished Arena can host events up to 5,000 capacity.
There will also be new exhibition space that will hold 30 exhibition booths. The new exhibition space will lead to a flat floor plenary that holds 410 people theatre-style and can be divided into two equal rooms. Also on this level are three new meeting rooms that can hold over 118 delegates each and can be combined to host 370 theatre style as one large space.
The Trinity Room is ideal for gala dinners and large cocktail functions. The room is able to host up to 500 people. The large pre-function space and the outdoor Trinity Terrace has views over the Trinity Inlet. The tropical outdoor area is well-suited for cocktail functions, lunches or unique events wanting to enjoy Cairns’ beautiful tropical weather.
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