5 June 2020
The International Society for Eye Research (ISER) has chosen the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC), Australia as the location of the 2022 ISER Biennial Meeting.
The GCCEC International team worked closely with Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), Destination Gold Coast and Tourism Australia (TA) to secure the meeting to Australia’s popular business event destination. The win reconfirms the appeal of the Gold Coast for scientific, medical and research-based meetings.
Supported by TA’s Business Events Bid Fund Program and TEQ’s Business Events Acquisition and Leveraging Fund, the ISER scientific meeting will take place in September 2022, bringing millions of dollars in economic benefit to the region.
Australia’s Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said driving international business events to Australia would be crucial for the ongoing recovery of Australia’s tourism industry and the broader economy.
“This is a great win for the Gold Coast, securing events such as this will inject much needed revenue back into local economies and help provide a boost for businesses,” said Minister Birmingham.
“The long lead time involved in securing these large scale conferences means that now is the time to remind global event decision makers to continue to look to Australia as their choice destination in the years to come.”
Queensland Minister for State Development, Tourism and Innovation Kate Jones said business events were an important component of the state’s tourism strategy.
“Queensland’s tourism industry is enduring an incredibly difficult time at the moment and while our focus is on the here and now, we must also keep an eye on the future and continue to secure events that will support our economy,” Ms Jones said.
“The International Society for Eye Research Biennial Meeting in 2022 will see us welcome 1200 delegates to the Gold Coast, including 500 international attendees. These visitors will generate 3,800 visitor nights, worth $2.4 million to the state’s economy.”
GCCEC General Manager Adrienne Readings said that the centre works closely with industry leaders and influencers to secure valuable and meaningful events such as the ISER meeting.
“We were up against other iconic destinations in this bid and look forward to showcasing our offer to the Society. We’re also thrilled to bring the opportunity to our Queensland community of eye researchers to network, present and learn on a global platform,” Ms Readings said.
“The ISER meeting provides a unique opportunity for academics, researchers and students within the international industry to learn and collaborate with their peers and mentors. The Gold Coast will be the centre of focus for eye research and innovation in the lead up and during this meeting.”
Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista said the decision was a testament to the Gold Coast’s enviable appeal as a global conferencing and events destination.
“At a time of unprecedented challenges for the global business events sector, the Gold Coast continues to offer decision-makers certainty as a future host city for world-class international conferences, beyond COVID-19,” Ms Battista said.
“Conferences enrich our city through direct economic contribution to the business events and tourism industry, and we are delighted to have partnered with GCCEC and key stakeholders to achieve the outcome of this bid.”
ABOUT GCCEC
Opened in 2004, the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre is owned by Queensland Government and managed by The Star Entertainment Group. The Centre was recently awarded Gold at the 2019 Australian Tourism Awards and is the world’s first convention centre to achieve platinum certification through EarthCheck.
The GCCEC is a leading convention and conference venue with world-class facilities and services catering to both large scale conferences, such as the ISER meeting, and smaller events, with a number of event spaces and rooms of varying size, capacity and configuration. The Centre’s events team are on hand to provide both event organisers and delegates with a seamless experience set in the heart of the Gold Coast. We look forward to welcoming the ISER delegates in 2022.