Adelaide Convention Centre.docx

Adelaide Convention Centre

Background State Government commitment

The State Government announced its commitment to the redevelopment of the Adelaide Convention Centre in 2010, allocating $397 million to the project. The redevelopment will re-establish Adelaide as one of the premier conference destinations, ensuring its continued competitiveness in national and international markets and contributing significantly to South Australia’s economic and tourism growth. The project is also a crucial part of the State Government’s vision for a revitalised Riverbank Entertainment Precinct, complementing other substantial infrastructure investment such as Adelaide Oval, and the new Footbridge over the River Torrens and as well as the new Royal Adelaide Hospital. The Adelaide Convention Centre, built in 1987 and extended in 2001, was Australia’s first purpose built convention facility. It was the catalyst for a new industry nationally that today is worth $17 billion per year for Australia (per National Business Events Study November 2004), with South Australia’s share $1.7 billion (ACTA 2007). The Adelaide Convention Centre has been an economic success story for South Australia. 

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The Centre is a multi-award winning venue with an internationally renowned reputation. It hosts over 28,000 visiting international and national delegates per annum, equating to more than 100,000 bed nights.

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Over the last two decades, the Centre has generated around $960 million in direct economic benefits to the State from delegate spend and associated tourism. It consistently self funds its operations and provides significant annual return to government. With the 2001 extension it has also become a major part of the city’s “postcard image”.

Whilst the Centre has been operating successfully in a highly competitive global convention and exhibition industry, this market is changing rapidly, with clients demanding larger, multi-purpose spaces with the latest in facility quality and service. The redevelopment will ensure the continued competitiveness of the Convention Centre and is estimated to generate an estimated $4.3 billion in tourism and related economic activity during the next two decades.

Project Objectives and Scope The State Government’s commitment to the redevelopment of the ACC and its environs in 2010 recognised the vital importance of the centre and the Riverbank Entertainment Precinct to the State’s economic and tourism growth. The redevelopment is cost effective and will provide the State Government with a return on investment in more than simple economic terms. Specifically it will: 

enable the ACC to continue to grow its business and compete effectively nationally and internationally in the convention and exhibition market;

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further enhance Adelaide's national and international brand - the ‘post card’ image for the City and South Australia; reinforce the role of ACC as a major catalyst of economic and tourism activity for the State; and assist in unlocking the full potential of the city’s Riverbank Entertainment Precinct, complementing other significant Stage Government investment in this vital area.

The project is being delivered over a six year timeframe to mid-2017 and across two stages to minimise disruption and loss of revenue to the Centre’s ongoing operations. The first stage expands the existing facility to the West above the railway lines and linking the new structure to the Montefiore Road Bridge. The second stage replaces the existing plenary building, first constructed in the 1980s, with a new state of the art, multi-purpose facility. The design responds to a detailed functional brief to deliver maximum flexibility and adaptability. The redeveloped Adelaide Convention Centre will be a fully integrated facility, incorporating 3 distinct and individually iconic buildings, which internally flow to allow 1 single event or 3 separate events concurrently. Key features of the expanded Adelaide Convention Centre will include: 

three distinct and individually iconic buildings which also flow seamlessly internally to host one single major event or three separate events concurrently

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a striking shape, roof structures and façade inspired by the South Australian landscape, particularly the layers, striations and colours of the cliffs, rock formations and escarpments of the Flinders Ranges; in Stage One, an additional 4,300 square metres of multipurpose convention floor space, associated prefunction spaces, multiple meeting spaces and 1000seat ballroom built on a “bridge-like” structure over the railway tracks up to Montefiore Bridge; in Stage Two, replacement of the existing plenary building with a more functional, highly flexible, multipurpose facility including capacity for up to 3,500 seats or 3000 square metres of flat floor spacee; a new urban boulevard (Montefiore Bridge) linking North Terrace to the Riverbank Promenade, incorporating delegate entry and vehicle drop off revitalised and expanded public spaces in and around the Centre and surrounding buildings, and new pedestrian linkages to the River.

View the latest video fly through for Adelaide Convention Centre Redevelopment, August 2013. The project is being delivered by a multi-disciplinary consortium including Woods Bagot (architects), Lend Lease (construction), Aurecon (structural and rail engineering), Bestec (mechanical and electrical engineering) and Thinc Projects (project management).