Australia's newest purpose-built convention, exhibition and meeting venue, the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre has been recognised as the best in the country after winning the 'Meetings & Business Tourism' title at last night's 2005 Australian Tour
Australia's newest purpose-built convention, exhibition and meeting venue, the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre has been recognised as the best in the country after winning the highly coveted 'Meetings & Business Tourism' title at last night's 2005 Australian Tourism Awards.
Announced at a gala ceremony on the Gold Coast, the Perth Centre beat a tough field of contenders representing the best in the business.
The national title follows the Perth Centre's success at the Western Australian Tourism Awards in November 2005.
According to Tourism Council WA CEO Ron Buckey such high-profile recognition of the Perth Centre, as Western Australia's primary driver for business tourism, is well deserved.
"This accolade acknowledges the Perth Centre's high quality approach across every facet of its operation, which ultimately delivers an impeccable end result for its clients, delegates and visitors," he said.
Among the other finalists were Intercontinental Hotels Group, Northern Territory; Quality Southbank Hotel & Convention Centre, Queensland; Novotel North Beach, New South Wales; Level 1 Adelaide Hilton Hotel, South Australia; Marylands Country House, Victoria; and The Old Wool Store Apartment Hotel, Tasmania.
Judging criteria for the Awards assessed the Perth Centre's product and facilities; business plans; marketing; customer service; professional development; risk management; environmental sustainability; cultural and social responsibility; and involvement in the tourism industry.
In the venue's first 18 months, more than 840,500 visitors attended around 687 events, including 40 exhibitions and trade shows. Some 239 conferences and meetings were attended by over 47,250 delegates.
The Perth Centre's opening week saw it play host to the State's largest ever public exhibition, 'WA on Show', where a staggering 200,000 people attended to take their first glimpse inside the new venue.
Other major exhibitions to date have included the Ideal Home Show, the Perth Motor Show, the WA Wine & Food Festival and the Perth International Boat Show, each attracting tens of thousands of visitors.
Major conventions on their way to Perth include the 4th Global Conference on Buddhism for 2,000 delegates; AAPG (American Association of Petroleum Geologists) International Conference and Exhibition for 1,200 delegates; Aged Care Association of Australia's 25th Annual Congress; and Australian Gastroenterology Week for 1,000 delegates in 2007.
Among the many forthcoming public exhibitions are the Ideal Home Show, Perth Motor Show, EveryWoman Expo & Vitality Expo, WA Wine & Food Festival, Perth International Boat Show, Craft & Quilt Fair, Hair & Beauty Salon XPO, and Australia's largest automotive lifestyle show, Auto Salon 2006.