Questions remain over SCEC alternative

Event organisers want more detail and an acceleration of plans now that Glebe Island has been chosen to accommodate events displaced by the three year closure of the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC). 

The interim site will provide 15,000 square metres of fully serviced capacity along with an adjacent 10,000 square metres extension space while the new Sydney International Convention, Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct is built.

“Identifying Glebe Island Expo is an important milestone, but even more important now is getting the finer details and speeding up the process as this decision is months overdue,” EEAA general manager Joyce DiMascio said.

This is just the beginning of restoring confidence for exhibitions in Sydney between 2014 and 2016, with event companies such as Diversified Exhibitions not yet able to plan for 2014 events.

“The devil is in the detail, we still do not know who will be running the site, how much space will be available and the configuration of that space,” Diversified Exhibitions CEO Matt Pearce said.

The interim facility will be put to tender by Transfield subsidiary APP with the proponent to be recommended by December 2012 and the operator to be announced by March 2013.

“We are into 2013 before we can give any firm assurances to exhibitors,” Pearce said.

The timeframe creates uncertainty for event planners.

“We need to make up for lost ground and sort out the infrastructure that is required to make this site work,” Reed Exhibitions CEO Debbie Evans said.

Business Events Sydney will manage bookings for Glebe Island until the operators are appointed next year.

“Glebe Island Expo is part of the Sydney-wide interim solution that will enable Sydney to remain a vibrant hub for business events,” BE Sydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith said.