$1 Billion Makeover: Sydney Entertainment Centre To Be Knocked Down

The Sydney Entertainment Centre will be demolished and the Convention and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour closed for up to three years as the precinct undergoes a $1 billion makeover.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell today announced the development of an integrated exhibition and entertainment precinct in the city's CBD.

The fully integrated convention centre will increase the size of the existing precinct by two-thirds to 20 hectares and will include the largest exhibition space in Australia at 40,000 square metres.

"The project will mean a complete facelift for Darling Harbour - as well as the world-class facilities," Mr O'Farrell said today.

Up to 3500 jobs are expected to be created during the construction.

The 30-year-old Sydney Entertainment Centre is to be demolished while the exhibition and convention facilities will be closed from late 2013 to late 2016.

The project is aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the major events industry in the state, particularly in terms of the Asia-Pacific.

"They will bring NSW an economic benefit of more than $1 billion over five years," Mr O'Farrell said.

"NSW has already lost $150 million in economic benefit over the four years to 2010-11 because the current facilities have not been able to accommodate 169 conventions and 12 exhibitions," Mr O'Farrell said.

The new facilities will include the biggest meeting room space in Australia at 6000sq m and the biggest Australian convention hall capacity.

There will be a red-carpet premium entertainment facility with a capacity of at least 8000 people, suitable for international entertainment events and 'mega' conferences.

"The NSW government is creating a vibrant world-class convention, exhibition and entertainment precinct at Darling Harbour that will keep Sydney centre stage as Australia's global city," Mr O'Farrell said.

Infrastructure NSW (INSW) will lead the delivery of the new facilities as part of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) tailored for the project.

During the three-year construction period, Sydney's major events industry will remain open for business, Mr O'Farrell said.

Sydney Olympic Park, Moore Park, the Australian Technology Park at Eveleigh and various Sydney hotels will play an expanded role in hosting events during the construction period.

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Sydney's Event Showcase 2012

When:	15 Aug 12 - 16 Aug 12 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Where:	Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre Darling Drive, Darling Harbour NSW 2000 New South Wales AUSTRALIA
Cost	Free
Phone	02 9556 7983
Email	dkriel@etf.com.au
Website:	http://sydney.rsvpevent.com.au

 Description:
Sydney's Event Showcase 2012 The Solution of your Ideas + Inspiration for events

Sydney’s Event Showcase is Australia’s premier event industry exhibition. High profile, collaborative, creative and comprehensive, this is the single most essential calendar event for over 220 exhibitors and 5,500 decision makers from the corporate events world.

Firmly established as the networking opportunity for events professionals, 2012 sees the team celebrating its 8th year in Sydney as the ultimate showcase for products and service providers in the business.

The 2-day, annually hosted show provides the fantastic opportunity for buyers and sellers to gather, to experience and to be inspired by the impressive showcase that presents the very best the industry has to offer.

The show will open its doors at 10am - 5pm, Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th August.
Our visitors organise a range of events from intimate business lunches to large-scale awards ceremonies and festivals. RSVP is your opportunity to feature your brand as part of this extraordinary event.

Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre takes traffic management online

In a first for the Australian events industry, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre has designed an online traffic management system for its exhibition hall loading docks.
The move is part of the Centre’s ongoing program to boost operational efficiency and recognises the high level of demand put on the Centre’s six exhibition halls, which are the busiest in the country.

The new system enables a central traffic controller to log all truck arrivals online, and advise waiting drivers by SMS when it is their turn to move to the loading dock to offload or collect exhibition material.

The system also allows exhibition organisers to easily review the flow of traffic during their event, while freight companies can access the system to assess waiting times for their vehicles.

Chief Executive Ton van Amerongen said the Centre’s security team had studied venue traffic management methods worldwide before partnering with a company to tailor-make its own system, which breaks new ground.

“No other venue in Australia has an online management system and whilst some international venues use them, we discovered that none of them offered the detail we need so we decided to create our own,” Mr van Amerongen said.

“The new system is premised on the need for efficiency and safety on the loading docks. Not only does it reduce the waiting time for trucks, it keeps all the key players in the loop during the crucial days spent setting up and dismantling an exhibition.”

Mr van Amerongen said the program also provided post-event reports which could be used by organisers to assist planning for future events.

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Jewellers Optimistic as 2012 Fairs Approach

Anticipation is growing for the jewellery industry as the 2012 trade fair season approaches.

The ‘jewellery trade fair season’ begins next month with Victoria hosting the Melbourne Jewellery Fair March 4-5 at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens, while the Brisbane Jewellery Fair takes place March 25-26 at the Brisbane Exhibition Centre in Southbank.

For the second consecutive year Australia will stage three jewellery fairs, with Sydney hosting the main event in September.

Director for wholesaler Ellani Collections, Paul Hicks, told Jeweller last year’s Melbourne fair was well supported and set in a positive atmosphere.

“I expect Melbourne to be even better for me this year,” Hicks said. “After a great Sydney fair and Christmas I’ve acquired a lot of new accounts and Melbourne has left me constantly busy.”

Hicks stressed the importance of having a third fair, saying it’s a great opportunity for retailers around the country to build relationships with suppliers and vice-versa.

“Australia and New Zealand is so spread out that it’s almost impossible to see everyone so the Melbourne and Brisbane fairs are great for everyone to come together,” Hicks added. “Retailing can be a tough gig at the moment so for them to see the wholesalers and form a view of where their business should head is beneficial.”

Duraflex Group director, Phil Edwards, said Thomas Sabo and Spinning Jewelry are launching new ranges at the Melbourne and Brisbane fairs.

“We’re using both fairs to launch two different products and hope to attain good feedback and high attendance rates,” Edwards told Jeweller. “We will have representatives from Thomas Sabo visiting Melbourne and overseas reps will be coming to Brisbane as well.”

Edwards intends to use both fairs as a solid testing ground for future years, with the supplier paying close attention to attendance and retailers’ feedback.

Royal Exhibition Centre in Melbourne's Carlton Gardens

“It’s unusual having two fairs so close together but this year’s fairs will be a testing ground for our new range of products,” Edwards said. “It will be a good chance to monitor retailers’ feedback and keep track of attendance levels.”

Registration

Fair organiser, Expertise Events advises that visitors to the 2011 fairs will have received a new Buyer Identification card making registration simple. Visitors with a blue photo card need only to mark the dates and present the card upon entry to the Melbourne and/or Brisbane fairs for immediate access.

Visitors still holding a past gold buyer card will be required to update their registration and new visitors or those updating their record can download a registration form from the Jewellery Fair website.

Expertise Events managing director, Gary Fitz-Roy said, “With three fairs along Australia’s east coast, the JAA Jewellery Fairs are an ideal chance for jewellery retailers to top-up their stocks and get in-tune with the latest trends after Christmas.”

Both the Melbourne and Brisbane trade fairs will each present over 90 exhibitors offering finished jewellery, retail services, watches and jeweller’s supplies.

Busy 2012 for Sydney

Business Event Sydney (BESydney) reports it has secured conferences, congresses and incentive programs that will see over 211,200 delegate days spent in Australia’s harbour city in 2012.

Worth an estimated A$191 million to the New South Wales economy, the events range from small incentive groups to mid-size congresses and international mega events.

“The 2012 calendar year is going to be a bumper year for the business events industry in Sydney and the economic and social legacies of these events will be substantial,” said Lyn Lewis-Smith, BESydney’s acting chief executive.

The events are spread throughout the year, although March will be a stand-out month with eight international events scheduled.

In total, 9,500 delegates will spend more than 39,700 delegate days in Sydney in March. These events include the 3,200-delegate-strong USANA Asia Pacific Convention, the XVI International Symposium on Atherosclerosis that is expected to attract 1,500 delegates and a 1,500-delegate Tupperware Indonesia incentive group.

Conferences Sydney: Sydney Big Player in Business Event Market

Sydney will see over 211,200 delegate days spent in the harbour city in 2012, as Business Event Sydney (BESydney) secures an estimated $191 million worth of conferences, congress and incentive programs.

Ranging from small incentive groups and mid-sized congress to international mega events, BESydney is bracing for a bumper year for the business events industry in Sydney.

The strong pipeline of business shows Sydney remains a big player in the global business events market, with BESydney Acting Chief Executive Officer Lyn Lewis-Smith saying the economic and social legacies of these events will be substantial.

“Some of these bids were secured by Business Events Sydney over five years ago! Seeing all the cogs in motion – all our Ambassadors, stakeholders, strategic partners and government supporters – working together to make these events a success is going to be fantastic, and an opportunity to profile why the Sydney event experience is like no other,” Ms Lewis-Smith said.
March is a popular month with a total of 9,500 delegates spending over 39,700 delegate days in Sydney attending BESydney secured events.

Some events include the XVI International Symposium on Atherosclerosis, USANA Asia Pacific Convention and Tupperware Indonesia Manager’s Incentive Trip.

(Source: etravelblackboard.com)

Sydney Big Player in Business Event Market

Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre Wins National Environmental Award

Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre wins national environmental award For the fourth year running, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre has won the Best Green Initiative category at the national Exhibition and Events Association of Australasia’s Annual Awards.
Announced at a gala dinner in Sydney last night, the award recognises the ongoing emphasis that the venue places on its environmental practices as well as its role as an industry leader on sustainability issues.

Centre Chief Executive Ton van Amerongen said he was extremely proud of the achievement, which reflected the passion and enthusiasm of the Centre’s team.

“The fact that the Centre has won this award every year since it was first launched in 2008 recognises the commitment of our team,” Mr van Amerongen said.

“They are focussed on creating a more sustainable events industry and are always looking for new ways to improve our environmental performance.”

The award comes at the end of a year which has seen the Centre win more than 10 major industry accolades, including C&IT’s Worldwide Convention Centre Team of the Year , Australasia’s Leading Meetings and Conference Centre in the 2011 World Travel Awards and Best Meeting Venue for 500 delegates or more in the Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) National Awards.

The Centre’s submission for the national EEAA awards highlighted its continued improvements in its environmental measures, overseen by its own Ecowise team, as well as work this year to create a long-term strategic plan for the venue which identifies new waste management targets for the period 2011 to 2015.

In the past year, the Centre’s green initiatives have earnt it a number of industry awards. It has also been recognised as a Green Globe (Silver) Benchmarked Convention Centre, a Bronze Partner of the NSW Government’s Sustainability Advantage program and received the Earthcheck Silver Certification and ISO 14001:2004 Standard for Environmental Management Systems.