In an exciting first for the region, the Sunshine Coast has secured the rights to host the Queensland Tourism Awards at the new Novotel Twin Waters Resort Convention Centre in 2019.
Visit Sunshine Coast says the move to host the state’s major tourism awards locally is in recognition of the Sunshine Coast’s industry leadership, growth and increasingly global profile.
Following its $100 million purchase of the Novotel Twin Waters Resort last September, The Shakespeare Property Group committed to building a new, purpose-built convention centre for the Sunshine Coast.
The $8 million Convention Centre is aimed at being the Coast’s pre-eminent event venue when it opens to local, interstate and international visitors in April 2019.
Shakespeare Property Group is spending $10 million in upgrades to the resort over the
next couple of years.
The new centre, located within Novotel Twin Water Resort, will offer a choice of four meeting and event spaces across 1,600sqm. It will cater for 2,000 delegates theatre-style, or 1,000 banquet-style.
Mayor Mark Jamieson said the new centre would boost the local tourism sector.
“The Sunshine Coast receives approximately 10 million tourists each year, has 30,000 plus businesses and is one of the fastest growing economies in Australia and we need our infrastructure to keep up,” Mayor Jamieson said.
“With our focus on attracting major conferences and events to the region, this investment is timely and will be a welcome boost to the wider economy, creating new jobs, and supporting others connected to the hotel and convention industry supply-chain.”