More than 100 corporate meeting planners, professional conference organisers, destination management companies and incentive agencies attended a series of lunches hosted by Tourism Tropical North Queensland, in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne last week, where they learned about the region’s renewed capabilities as an events destination.
This comes after the recent re-opening of Cairns Convention Centre which has undergone a $176 million expansion. The hope is that the already-robust business events industry, which supports one in five tourism jobs in Tropical North Queensland, will be further enhanced by these upgraded capabilities.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland general manager of partnerships and events, Rosie Douglas, said there was much excitement about the reopening of the Centre and that planners were keen to explore the new state-of-the-art spaces.
“The expansion adds 10,500 square metres of meeting space including a stunning rooftop banquet room and terrace, three new meeting rooms, an exhibition space and plenary room,” Douglas said.
“We are highlighting the region’s world-class tourism infrastructure which complements business events by offering delegates a choice of accommodation within walking distance of their event and more than 2,000 tours on their doorstep.”
Those attending the lunch events were gifted a tree on the Atherton Tablelands, which is essential to preserving the habitat of iconic tree kangaroos of the region.
“Importantly, Tropical North Queensland delivers sustainable events in a destination that values the environment, people and culture and invites visitors to do the same through initiatives such as the tree gifts we purchased through Reforest.
“Each business event delegate is worth almost three times that of a leisure visitor and they help to fill our destination’s shoulder season, often returning with their family as a leisure visitor to enjoy our diverse natural tourism experiences.
0308 BE Regional Showcase
With its stunning World Heritage areas providing the perfect backdrop for offsite events and gala dinners, Cairns and Tropical North Queensland are a quintessentially Australian events destination with so much to offer. In Cairns city, accommodation, meeting spaces, restaurants and the Reef Fleet Terminal are all within walking distance, while the airport is just a 10-minute drive away.
