20 June 2024
TALKING CONFERENCING ON THE GOLD COAST
Global academics converge at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The annual International Communication Association (ICA) conference gathers the world’s most prolific communication scholars to share local knowledge, current research and international practice methods.
As they pave a road to the dynamic future of communication studies, each conference is given a unique theme. In 2024 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC), the theme of ‘Communication and Global Human Rights’ attracted 3,736 onsite attendees and more than 200 external participants from more than 70 countries including the United States, Japan and Germany. External participants required remote audio-visual (AV) access to deliver and engage in interactive sessions.
To meet the needs of the ICA and capitalise on the Gold Coast’s exceptional business event facilities, the 74th Annual ICA Conference was staged across two venues, The Star Gold Coast and GCCEC, Australia’s largest regional convention centre.
Initially contracted in 2016, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent border restrictions and lockdowns, the event’s long-awaited 2024 execution came with intense anticipation and high expectations.
RESOURCEFUL PLANNING AT ITS FINEST
GCCEC hosted more than half of the conference’s 800 sessions across five days while The Star Gold Coast provided social event spaces, additional catering resources and breakout rooms. The five-star hotel is located just a short stroll across a pedestrian bridge that connects to GCCEC, providing delegates with a short and seamless commute.
Executive Director for the 74th Annual ICA Conference, Laura Sawyer said that expert planning and implementation across the two venues ensured the event reached its full potential. “The ICA team is quite small and so it puts considerable strain on our team when we spread our conference across two venues,” Laura admits. “That said, we had no issue with this for our ICA 24 conference at GCCEC and the Star this year. Both venues were so self-sufficient that they needed very little interference from us once things got going, and everything ran smoothly over the entirety of the conference.”
The Star Gold Coast also provided luxurious and convenient accommodation to delegates during their visit to the city. The Star Grand provided 2,433 nights of accommodation while The Star Residences facilitated 441 nights.
Serving as the ultimate pairing, GCCEC and The Star Gold Coast, which houses an array of fine dining restaurants, a premier theatre, a spa and fitness centre, ensured the 74th Annual ICA Conference’s attendees were treated to an exceptionally rare business event experience. “Our attendees were happy, well fed, relaxed, and so well taken care of in every respect,” Laura says. “Our conference felt more like a vacation than a work trip.”
UNBEATABLE LOCATION AND FACILITIES
GCCEC’s remarkable location lies in the heart of the Gold Coast’s bustling Broadbeach, just 500 metres from one of Australia’s most famed stretches of sand and surf.
Just add globally acclaimed dining, luxury accommodation, a laidback lifestyle and diverse wellness experiences and it’s little wonder the ICA conference was such a success.
The ICA was also committed to securing a venue that was completely mobility-accessible, and organisers relished in many of GCCEC’s accessibility initiatives including the covered, wheelchair-accessible bridge that connects to The Star Gold Coast.
GCCEC’s accessible bathrooms, accessible driveway, flat-floor, wheelchair-accessible arena seating, 32 designated disability parking bays, wheelchair-accessible ramps, non-slip foyer carpeting, and multiple lifts fitted with braille, visual aids and vocal instructions, ensured a comfortable experience for all delegates.
STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY
In keeping with ICA’s key objective to outline promising directions for the future of communications studies at the 74th Annual ICA Conference, GCCEC’s stellar execution utilised 95 per cent of its AV equipment and 100 per cent of its talent pool.
Across five days, 1,800 presentations were delivered amid logistically challenging conditions, exceeding all expectations — particularly those of Laura.
“Since the pandemic, our AV program has become quite complex,” Laura says. “We have 27 concurrent sessions, eight of which are two-way hybrid panels with guests viewing and presenting from more than 80 different countries, so things tend to get messy. But not this year.”
GCCEC facilitated bespoke and versatile AV and IT solutions across 18 rooms and spaces including nine hybrid rooms. A dedicated AV technician was also provided to ensure smooth sessions across both venues and perform live trouble shooting. Seamless internet connectivity, a virtual green room for remote presenter preparation and centralised video record monitoring were also supplied.
“Our experience with the AV team at GCCEC was, bar none, the best experience we have ever had with an in-house audio-visual team,” Laura says. “The AV technicians worked patiently and cooperatively with a diverse group of presenters and moderators. Our conference success is due in a large part to the AV team’s amazingness.”
A LASTING IMPRESSION
GCCEC is a one-of-a-kind business epicentre, designed to facilitate a diverse range of conferences, meetings, exhibitions, gala dinners, concerts and sporting events.
Boasting a grand main arena, four exhibition halls, numerous meeting rooms and manicured outdoor spaces that embrace the Gold Coast’s beautiful climate and natural surroundings, the venue is renowned for making its mark through the delivery of business events that surprise and inspire.
“The GCCEC team were so top-notch that we found ourselves not running around, frazzled, like we normally are, but instead with free time on our hands, hanging out and laughing in our staff office, being brought coffees and drinks,” Laura says. “This is unheard of for our small team.”
Regularly attracting repeat clientele across varied industries due to the unforgettable, tailored and flawless execution it has built a world-leading reputation upon, GCCEC is looking forward to welcoming Laura, her peers and her guests to the Gold Coast again one day.
“We find ourselves wishing we could have our conference at the GCCEC every year,” Laura says.