The Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre is a privately owned
convention centre located in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
, Western Australia.
Description
![PerthConventionExhibitionCentre2 gobeirne](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/PerthConventionExhibitionCentre2_gobeirne.jpg)
The centre has a floor space of and can cater for 5,000 delegates.
[ It contains state-of-the-art technical facilities, six exhibition pavilions, a 2,500 seat tiered theatre, banquet/ballrooms and 23 meeting rooms.
]
History
Premier Richard Court
Richard Fairfax Court (born 27 September 1947) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He served as Premier of Western Australia from 1993 to 2001 and as Australian Ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2020. A member of the Liberal Party, ...
, announced in November 2000 that a contract had been signed with Multiplex
Multiplex may refer to:
* Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make
* Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain
* Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company
* Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which measu ...
after five months of negotiations. Construction was to commence in June 2001 with a late 2003 completion date.
Built by Multiplex at a cost of A$225 million it was officially opened in August 2004 by Premier Geoff Gallop. Its construction was extremely controversial, owing to an overblown budget and an unprepossessing external appearance. It has been described as a "Soviet-era mausoleum" and a "giant grey cockroach", as well as a white elephant
A white elephant is a possession that its owner cannot dispose of, and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. In modern usage, it is a metaphor used to describe an object, construction project, sch ...
whose financial viability has been questionable. However, it made it possible for Perth to host the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
The 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, commonly known as CHOGM 2011, was the 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government, Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. Held in P ...
(CHOGM), with heads of state and official delegates of more than 50 member countries.
The Wyllie Group have a 35-year lease on the centre until 2039. It is managed by the Spotless Group
Spotless Group SAS was a pan-European manufacturer of insect control and laundry products, based in Paris, France. In 2015, it became part of Germany's Henkel group.
Operations
Spotless Group was established by AXA Private Equity (renamed A ...
, who will be spending $50 million over the 22 years, ensuring Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre remains a major destination for national and international events and provides economic value for Perth and Western Australia.
In 2016 the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre attracted more than 900,000 visitors, including 98,000 national and international delegates.
Location
The centre is between Mounts Bay Road
Mounts Bay Road is a major road in Perth, Western Australia, extending southwest from the central business district along the north bank of the Swan River, at the base of Kings Park.
Route description
Mounts Bay Road runs between William Str ...
and the Mitchell Freeway
The Mitchell Freeway is a freeway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking central Perth with the city of Joondalup. It is the northern section of State Route 2, which continues south as Kwinana Freeway and Forrest ...
off-ramp, with the Elizabeth Quay
Elizabeth Quay is a mixed-use development project in the Perth central business district. Focusing on an area located on the north shore of Perth Water near the landmark Swan Bells, the precinct being developed by the project was named in hono ...
development adjacent to the east of the complex.
Operations
It is the only purpose-built convention centre in Western Australia and can cater for functions of up to 5,000 delegates. The project was aimed at attracting major conventions to Perth, with the state's tourism and hospitality industries in mind.
The centre has two public lifts, one travelling from the underground car park, through level one, concluding at level two; the other from level two to level three.
Events
* Sexpo
*Kingdomcity
Kingdomcity is a non-denominational, multi-site Christian church in multiple locations around the world. Originally based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before it expanded to Perth in Western Australia, Kingdomcity now also has locations in Africa, ...
*Channel Seven Perth Telethon
The Channel Seven Perth Telethon, regionally known simply as Telethon, is an annual telethon established in 1968 by philanthropist Sir James Cruthers and Brian Treasure, and produced by TVW, a Seven Network-owned television station in Perth, We ...
(2005 to 2019)
*Madman Anime Festival
Anime Festival (formerly Madman Anime Festival or MadFest) was an annual Australian anime and Japanese culture convention held in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Sydney. The convention was organised by Madman Anime. The convention was inaugur ...
* Oz Comic Con
*Perth Home Show
*Perth Motor Show
*Skills West Expo
* Supanova Pop Culture Expo (since 2014)
* Wai-Con
*Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2011
The 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, commonly known as CHOGM 2011, was the 22nd Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. Held in Perth, Western Australia, between 28 and 30 October 2011 and hosted by the Pr ...
References
External links
*
{{Cinemas in Western Australia
Buildings and structures in Perth, Western Australia
Landmarks in Perth, Western Australia
Convention centres in Australia
Buildings and structures completed in 2004
2004 establishments in Australia
Event venues established in 2004
Music venues in Perth, Western Australia
Economy of Perth, Western Australia