28 March 2017
Leading communication experts from across the globe will descend on the Gold Coast in May 2020 to attend the 70th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference. The conference is expected to attract over 2000 international delegates with the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC) set to welcome the delegation.
ICA is an academic association for scholars interested in the study, teaching and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication. The organisation was established more than 50 years ago as a small association of U.S. researchers and is now an international association with more than 4500 members in 80 countries.
Gold Coast Business Events, in partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland, coordinated a collaborative bid which had strong support from South East Queensland universities and was championed by business events Ambassador, Professor Terry Flew.
Anna Case, Director of Gold Coast Business Events said securing this event was a real coup for the Gold Coast and demonstrated the strong capabilities of the destination to host major international conferences.
“The organisation had clearly defined criteria for host cities and aspects such as easy and affordable accessibility, world-class meeting facilities and reasonably priced accommodation were all critical in the decision. The host city also had to demonstrate the availability of a strong support team on the ground and our thriving local academic community were instrumental in demonstrating the spirit of cooperation between universities,” according to Ms Case.
TEQ Chief Executive, Leanne Coddington, said the ICA conference would showcase Queensland to an influential international audience.
“This is a significant business event on TEQ’s calendar which will bring thousands of delegates and profile Queensland amongst communications leaders from across the globe,” Ms Coddington said.
“Business events are an important part of our tourism economy and growing this portfolio is an integral component of TEQ’s long term events strategy.”
As the regions premier events venue, the GCCEC was instrumental in providing support to the collaborative bid. The size of the conference, the world-class facilities and the location of the venue added to the appeal of the destination.
GCCEC General Manager, Adrienne Readings said the Centre is pertinent to the continued growth of Australia’s largest regional city.
“We continue to work in conjunction with industry partnerships to increase the profile of Australia’s Gold Coast in the lucrative business events market. This is in line with our venue objective to attract more large scale national and international conferences,” added Ms Readings.