One year after opening, BCEC on Grey Street, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre’s five level boutique expansion is celebrating a successful first year of operation.

Unique in concept, BCEC on Grey Street delivers a new dimension to the meetings industry and is the only convention centre in Australia with three stand-alone tiered auditoria.

Specifically designed to meet increased market demand for smaller and medium sized meetings, conference organisers have praised the iconic design and boutique nature of the venue citing its unique flexibility, functionality and ability to ‘own’ an entire convention level as significant factors in their decision making process.

In its first 12 months, the Grey Street venue hosted 73,000 delegates and guests at 470 events including 58 conventions, surpassing initial expectations, with a further 63 convention bookings for 2013.

With its expanded facilities, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre increased its total number of business events in the calendar year in 2012 by 28% over the previous year.

BCEC general manager, Bob O’Keeffe said the boutique venue had been a catalyst for growth for the Centre.

“2012 was a year of transformation for us with achievements of expansionary growth across the entire Centre’s operations, with BCEC on Grey Street addressing a very evident trend within the national and international meetings industry.”

“Many clients are seeking a more intimate and personal experience when it comes to planning conferences for numbers of 500 delegates or fewer which now account for 70% of the market. Interest and bookings have far exceeded original targets and continue to do so,” he said.

O’Keeffe said 2013 is set to be yet another defining year for BCEC, setting new growth and performance benchmarks.

“Growth in conventions has more than doubled in the past five years with the trend set to continue with increased investment and innovation in both research and infrastructure,” he said.

The international headline news for BCEC during last year was undoubtedly its selection as the official venue for the world’s highest profile event, the G20 Leaders Summit in 2014. The momentum and lead up to this event will have enormous impact placing the Centre, Brisbane and Australia at the very centre of international attention.