The Sunshine Coast Convention Centre has officially opened at Novotel Twin Waters Resort, following a ribbon cutting ceremony on 28 May 2019.

The new centre integrates seamlessly with the resort’s existing conference room to offer 3300 square metres of event space and capacity for more than 2700 delegates.

The $10 million venue has been purpose-built by Shakespeare Property Group, which purchased the resort in September 2018 for $100 million.

At the ribbon cutting ceremony, Queensland Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said it will be a game changer for the region.

“This centre has enough capacity to house 200 trade stands at once,” she said.

“It will be instrumental in securing events the Sunshine Coast has never been able to host in the past,” she said.

“With the expansion of the Sunshine Coast airport and millions of dollars in new tourism infrastructure developments underway, the local tourism industry is booming.”

As part of the new centre, Novotel Twin Waters Resort will also upgrade its lobby and food and beverage facilities, with completion set for October 2019.

“This upgrade will not only benefit our guests to the resort, but will create opportunities for the local economy and the community through employment and superior facilities to be enjoyed by all.

“This next phase continues to be supportive of our broader vision to create fresh opportunities for the economic and cultural growth of the community and our partnership with Accor will ensure the delivery of this vision.”

Shakespeare Property Group have also set a goal to increase delegate numbers to the new convention centre by 30 per cent within two years.

Six event spaces are available within the new venue, including Minyama room with capacity for 1500 delegates theatre style or 1000 banquet style.