Brisbane event scripts success in COVID world

Article posted by Coliseum, September 8^th, 2020

Image: ASM Global

One of the first venues in Australia to reopen since all hell broke loose with the COVID-19 scourge striking the world is the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC). It has held its first events since reopening earlier this month.

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre is a convention centre in Brisbane, Australia, and is managed by the US-based venue and event management company ASM Global.

The Centre played host to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) Queensland State of the State Lunch recently with the Queensland Premier and Minister for Trade, Annastacia Palaszczuk, gracing the event as the keynote speaker.

Commenting on what was one of the first major events for Brisbane since the pandemic struck the world, Premier Palaszczuk said, “We got the Convention Centre open and that is not happening in other places.”

The event attendance was pegged at 260 attendees and was held in the Centre’s redecorated Plaza Ballroom, sticking to social distancing rules. There was an interactive live stream of the event to a virtual audience of 1,500.

Since reopening, feedback from organizers and guests has been extremely encouraging centered on the positive event experience in a well-managed environment, with the CEDA team telling the audience, “There is nowhere we would rather be than at BCEC and no one else we would have trusted for this event.”

BCEC has 140 event bookings through to the end of the year with a number of conferences and exhibitions on the agenda as well as local events including school formals, university graduations and corporate meetings and is working closely with clients to successfully deliver these events following in toto the COVID Safe guidelines.

These include new event protocols to safeguard the health and well-being of clients, guests and the Centre’s staff, as well as the presence of special COVID Controllers and Ambassadors on site. The BCEC Safe Event Guideline has been formulated in harmony with the Government and health authorities and covers all aspects of the Centre’s operation, which is embodied in the Queensland Health approved Site Specific COVID Safe Plan.

The Centre’s Guideline is integrated with VenueShield, an environmental hygiene protocol developed by BCEC’s parent group, ASM Global, and rolled out at 325 venues worldwide. VenueShield provides foolproof hygiene measures and exceeds current regulations.

BCEC General Manager, Bob O’Keeffe AM, said the reopening of the Centre represented an important step forward in the recovery of the industry in Australia – “Business Events have been the Centre’s area of expertise, knowledge and experience for more than 25 years and our committed team of event planning, technical and creative professionals are excited to be back at work ensuring events succeed and reach their full potential with the opportunity to develop and grow in future years.”

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