Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) is a convention centre in Brisbane, Australia. It is located in South Brisbane and occupies most of the block formed by Grey Street, Melbourne Street, Merivale Street, and Glenelg Street. The centre is owned by South Bank Corporation and managed by ASM Global.[2]
History
Exhibition Halls, 2012Boulevard Auditorium, 2012
Designed by COX Architecture, the BCEC was constructed by Leighton Contractors,[3] beginning in March 1993 with the demolition of World Expo Park.[4] Prior to Expo, the site was home to the South Brisbane Interstate Station. The building cost $170 million (equivalent to $333 million in 2022), and was mostly funded by the Queensland Government's sale of a casino license, with the remainder funded directly by the government.[4] The centre was completed in May 1995, and opened on 6 June that same year.[2]
Brisbane hosted the 2014 G20 summit. The BCEC hosted the event including the International Media Centre. It was the largest media operation in the country's history with capacity for more than 2,500 journalists.[5]
On 1 June 2021, around 150 protesters converged on the centre to protest the Land Forces convention.[6] Fake blood was spread over the stairs and pavement outside the centre. Seven arrests were made.[6]
During the COVID-19 pandemic the centre was used as mass vaccination hub.[7] It was the largest hub set up in Queensland.
Expansion
The design of an expansion to BCEC on Grey Street was approved in 2007.[4]Laing O'Rourke was appointed as the project's builder in June 2009 after a delay caused by budget issues, and construction began in 2010.[4][8] The project was completed in early 2012,[8] and opened on 25 January.[4] It cost $140 million and was funded by the Queensland Government.[4] The five-level expansion has 25,000 m2 of floorspace and includes two auditoria for 400 and 600 with accompanying foyer space, speakers’ facilities, and private boardrooms. The expansion saw the commission of an integrated artwork sited within the foyers and along Grey Street titled 'Pamphlet' 2012 by artist Bruce Reynolds, curated by Jacqueline Armitstead of Armitstead ART Consulting, and funded by Art + Place, Queensland Government's public art fund.
Design
A speaker delivers a keynote address at the Australian Libraries Information Association conference, 2013
The building is 450 m (1,480 ft) in length, 120 m (390 ft) wide, and 24 m (79 ft) high.[9] The complex roof design is based on five hyperbolic paraboloids.[9] The building is stabilised by concrete shear walls and clad in steel. A car park is located on the ground floor.
The Convention Centre was also the home to the Brisbane-based netball side the Queensland Firebirds from 2008 to 2017. The Firebirds were a foundation club of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy (CBT) in 1997 and played at the 2,700 seat Chandler Arena. When the CBT was retired in 2007 and the ANZ Championship took its place the Firebirds moved to the new championship and also moved into the larger Convention Centre, becoming the venue's second major tenant alongside the Bullets. The team moved home games to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre after the 2017 season.
Awards
The Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre was recognized as the World's Best Convention Centre by the International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC) from 2016 to 2018.[13][14]
