By Gwen O’Toole

Construction is set to begin next week on the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, adding five new levels of boutique meeting and event spaces.

The $130 million project, expected to open in 2011, will increase the Centre’s facilities by 50 per cent.

 
Artist impression of the new five-level extension at
the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The newly expanded five-star environmentally rated Centre will be the only convention centre in Australia with three stand-alone tiered plenary halls able to accommodate from 400 to 8000, with a total of 42 separate meetings and event spaces. The expansion is expected to deliver an addition 250 events to the city each year.

“The new development will strengthen the Centre’s position in a fiercely competitive global market and will reinforce Brisbane’s growing international profile and appeal as a leading destination for business events,” said general manager Robert O’Keeffe.

O’Keeffe added that the expansion is coming at a time when the venue is holding 277 future bookings for conventions, including 90 for international conventions, the highest level of convention bookings held since the Centre opened in 1995.

For more information on the expansion and current event facilities available at the Centre, click here.