The Cairns Convention Centre is a convention and entertainment centre in Cairns City, Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The venue was selected the World's Best Congress Centre in 2004 and 2014.Convention Centre World’s Best Cairns Post 4 July 2014 page 1
Description
The centre has a floor space of on a site in the Cairns CBD, 10 minutes from Cairns Airport. The centre has an auditorium with 2,300 seats, an arena with 5,000 seats, a new plenary that can fit 410, banquet space for 400, 23 meeting rooms and state-of-the art audio visual facilities.Greenbuild.com.au, http://www.greenbuild.com.au/case-studies/cairns-convention-centre , "Tropical eco building and living", retrieved 17 December 2015
History The Cairns Convention Centre is owned by the Government of Queensland and has been managed and marketed by AEG Ogden since 1994. Stage one of the building opened on 26 June 1996 and a multi-purpose 5,300-seat hall was added in 1999 by Abigroup.Hudson, Alan (2007). "Growing up with Cairns", , page 142Cairns Convention Centre Stage 2 Abigroup The centre is undergoing another expansion in 2020, adding more meeting space and a third level. It was Australia's first regional convention centre and the country's first environmentally designed public building, and in its opening year it won the inaugural international EIBTM's most environmentally conscious congress centre.Centre turns 15 Cairns Post 27 July 2011
It became home to the Cairns Taipans in 1999, the team's first year in the NBL. The centre undertook a $12 million refurbishment in 2005 and a $6.3 million upgrade in 2011.Pyne, Rob. http://www.robpyne.com.au/2011/07/13/cairns-convention-centre-6-3-million-upgrade/ , "Convention Centre: $6.30 Million Upgrade!", retrieved 17 December 2015 The current expansion is budgeted to cost $176 million and will be completed in 2022.
Sport Since the team's inaugural season in 1999, the Cairns Convention Centre has been the home venue for the Cairns Taipans, who play in the National Basketball League. During Taipans home games, the centre is referred to as "The Snakepit".Cairns Taipans, http://www.taipans.com/game-night/venue/ , "Venue Cairns Convention Centre", retrieved 17 December 2015
The Convention Centre hosted preliminary rounds of the men's basketball competition at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which was held on the Gold Coast.
Recent events In 2014, the centre hosted the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting.Top marks given for G20 Finance Minister meeting in Cairns Cairns Post 22 September 2014Brisbane G20 summit security tweaks after Cairns finance ministers’ meeting The Courier-Mail 22 September 2014 and the Australian Tourism Exchange conference, the first time it was held in a regional destination.Australian Tourism Exchange puts Far North Queensland on tourist menu Cairns Post 7 May 2014Australian Tourism Exchange in Cairns Cairns Post 13 May 2014 Also in 2014, it held the World Buiatrics Congress, the 6th International Symposium on Fish Nutrition and Feeding, the Association of Financial Advisers Conference and Congress of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects.Cairns Convention Centre pours $91m into economy Cairns Post 24 December 2014
In 2015, it hosted the Professional Bull Riding Cairns Invitational, adding 300 tonnes of sand to the floor of Hall Two, the 25th Meeting of the International Society for Neurochemistry, World Congress on Larynx Cancer, Australasian Hydrographic Symposium, Prostate Cancer World Congress, Toyota Dealer Meeting and Hilux Launch and James Cook University Graduation Ceremonies.Scientists bring mega brainpower to Cairns for Neurochemistry conference Cairns Post 25 August 2015Cairns Convention Centre converted into rodeo arena for bull riding event Cairns Post 2 July 2015
It has been selected to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games basketball heats.Australian Government, http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2015/11/5/cairns-joins-commonwealth-games-team, "Cairns joins Commonwealth Games team", 5 November 2015, retrieved 17 December 2015
Awards The Centre received the 2014 and 2004 International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC) APEX Award for World's Best Congress Centre.Cairns Convention Centre wins award ABC Far North 14 July 2008 It was inducted into the Queensland Tourism Awards Hall of Fame after winning gold in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Business Event Venues category and received the Chairman's Award for Excellence in the Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) Industry Excellence Awards.Queensland Industry Tourism Council, http://www.queenslandtourismawards.com.au/results/hall-of-fame, "Hall of Fame 2015, Business Events Venue Cairns Convention Centre", retrieved 17 December 2015Tourism Tropical North Queensland, http://www.ttnq.org.au/ttnq-awards-excellence-in-tourism/ , TTNQ awards excellence in tourism, 7 November 2015, retrieved 17 December 2015 In 2011, it achieved Gold Certification in the AIPC Quality Standards Program.
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