Cairns Convention Center to Open $176 Million Expansion

Cairns Convention Centre is opening its highly anticipated AUD$176 million expansion next month. With this transformative development, the Centre solidifies its position as a premier business events destination for both corporate and association conferences, delivering sustainable, world-class events with a lasting impact.

The expansion project encompasses a significant number of enhancements. Among the additions are a rooftop banquet area, three state-of-the-art meeting rooms and an exhibition and plenary lecture space, providing a total of 10,500 square meters of new floor space. This significant expansion enables the Centre to accommodate multiple or larger events, with conferences and exhibitions for up to 2,500 guests possible across the entire venue.

“Coupled with the latest audio-visual technology, the additional space offers conference organisers a wealth of flexibility and industry leading infrastructure for their events,” comments Janet Hamilton, general manager at Cairns Convention Centre. “The new interior features significant new exhibition space, a plenary space capable of hosting 400 people and three new meeting rooms.”

The new Trinity Level is a key part of the expansion, offering guests breath taking natural views of two world heritage sites – the Wet Tropics Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. The Trinity Room, an ideal setting for gala dinners and large cocktail functions, can accommodate up to 500 people; whilst the outdoor Trinity Terrace offers panoramic views of the Trinity Inlet, providing a unique backdrop for cocktail functions, lunches, and other events seeking to embrace Cairns’ tropical climate.

Janet Hamilton continues: “With face-to-face events more popular than ever, we have proactively equipped the venue with cutting-edge audio-visual equipment. This technology meets the needs of not just the many live events we host but also their hybrid and digital requirements. This ensures that every delegate, whether here in person or on the other side of the world, has an incredible event experience.”

hybrid meetings and online collaborations continues to grow, we have proactively equipped the venue with cutting-edge audio-visual equipment to meet the needs of all clients.”

The Centre’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship remains unwavering. The expansion project incorporates numerous eco-conscious features such as high-performance glazing on the building, which increases energy efficiency by up to 30 percent. 1,200 sun blades and biophilic design living greenery over the façade reduce heat gain from the sun.

“Smart building management systems monitor and control power usage daily. All the lighting is high-efficiency LED with automated dimming control and motion sensors, we have solar-boosted hot water generation and energy efficient fans and equipment. We are installing electric vehicle charging stations and priority is given to Energy Star ratings when buying new appliances,” concludes Janet Hamilton.