- Where is Darwin?
Located within Australia’s iconic Northern Territory, Darwin is the nation’s northernmost capital city with very close proximity to South East Asia.
Within just three to four hours flying time, delegates from across Australia and South East Asia can converge at Darwin’s central and convenient location.
International and domestic carriers fly direct from major Australian cities daily and there are also regular direct services from Denpasar, Singapore and Dili.
International delegates from the UK, Europe, Middle East and USA can also easily access Darwin directly via Singapore and Indonesia.
The Darwin International Airport is just 12 kilometres from the city centre and is well serviced by registered taxis and shuttle buses.
The Darwin Convention Centre is conveniently located within a short 5-minute drive or leisurely 15-minute walk from the city hotels via the elevated ‘Sky Bridge’ to the resort-like Darwin Waterfront Precinct.
- How has 2022 been for the Darwin Convention Centre since the lifting of Covid restrictions?
As Covid restrictions have lifted, the Darwin Convention Centre has experienced a steady resumption of both national and international business events at our venue. We’ve also seen increased interest from international associations considering Darwin as a host destination since Australia’s borders opened back in February.
As we all know, the pandemic forced event organisers to halt plans and made it nearly impossible to confirm future event dates amidst ongoing uncertainty. However, despite these challenges, I was incredibly proud of our team who remained flexible, providing constant and open communication to our clients so that we could ensure when the time was right, a successful face-to-face event could be held in Darwin. This year it has been an absolute pleasure to finally deliver on that promise for our clients and see the Centre buzzing with activity once again.
September was an exciting month for our team as we welcomed the return of international conferences to the Centre after more than two and a half years, marking a major milestone in our post-pandemic recovery. Over 600 delegates attended the International Foster Care Conference from 23-25 September, which was followed immediately by the 2022 Global Developing Emergency Medicine Conference at our venue.
- Has the convention centre had to adapt over the past couple of years and is there much difference in the way you now operate compared to 2019?
We are coming back with energy and confidence. There was obviously a slowdown in business during the pandemic, but we have used that time to sharpen our game in many ways.
With the assistance of our parent management company, ASM Global, we were quickly able to respond to the pandemic with the development of the Venue Shield program, which supported the re-opening of its more than 325 facilities worldwide. Venue Shield was deployed at the Darwin Convention Centre in alignment with approvals from local government officials and health care experts. With Venue Shield in place early in the pandemic, we were better equipped to adapt to the constantly changing government and health department regulations and remain open for events. Venue Shield set the standard for Covid-safe plans within the events industry and is still used at the Darwin Convention Centre today.
We also took advantage of the downtime in the early days of the pandemic to do a series of refurbishments. These included: a complete refurbishment of our Waterfront Rooms, new carpets throughout all the exhibition halls and auditorium, and a complete brand refresh that speaks to our destination’s ability to provide delegates ‘Space to Think’ when conferencing in Darwin.
- What is your favourite success story from your organisation from the past 2 years?
The Darwin Convention Centre has had plenty of reason to celebrate over the past two years. We have a very good reputation and continue to build on that, winning industry awards that elevate Darwin and the Centre’s position as a world-leading destination for business events.
In 2020, the Darwin Convention Centre was honoured to be ranked among the best convention centres in the world as a top ten finalist for the prestigious APEX Awards conducted by the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC), based entirely upon client ratings.
More recently, the Centre took home the coveted Northern Territory (NT) Brolga Award, later going on to represent the NT on the national stage, winning Gold at the prestigious Qantas Australian Tourism Awards for best Business Events Venue in Australia.
- Darwin Convention Centre will be at IMEX America – what is the main reason for being at this event and what are your expectations from exhibiting at the show?
We are incredibly passionate about what Darwin as a destination can offer business events. From year-round tropical weather and iconic Australian outback adventures to rich cultural experiences and technical offsite touring opportunities, Darwin is refreshingly unique as a business events destination. Trade Shows such as IMEX America have always served as an excellent opportunity for us to share that message, meet with clients, network with industry and create business leads for our venue.
- Tell us more about the importance of sustainability for the Darwin Convention Centre and how are you shaping your sustainability agenda.
The Darwin Convention Centre is committed to achieving the highest standards in sustainability and participates in leading environmentally sustainable programs that allow us to benchmark our progress. Recently the Centre became the latest AIPC member centre to achieve AIPC Quality Standards Certification with the successful completion of an audit that addressed ten key areas, including sustainable practices.
The Centre itself was built with sustainability in mind with careful consideration for its orientation, shape and integrative design to minimise overall energy consumption for the lifetime of the building. Building on this, a Building Management System was installed to monitor and control power usage along with preventative maintenance programs. This system includes an integrated digital-based lighting system for automated lighting, stepped dimming control and energy-efficient timers.
A dedicated “Green Team” meets monthly to discuss ongoing projects and ways that the Centre can actively improve its sustainable practices.
- Which aspects of the events industry do you think should be reinvented or reconsidered?
The recent years of living with Covid have demonstrated that many events can indeed continue to be staged, but in a Virtual or Hybrid format. However, extensive client research over this time has also revealed that there is no absolute substitute for the benefits of event delegates meeting in a face-to-face environment. While ongoing health precautions will continue to be of paramount importance, the most productive results are obtained when live meetings and networking can take place.
- How has the visitor profile changed or evolved in recent years?
Historically, many associations and event organisers chose iconic international capital cities as the destinations for their events, but where mature markets exist, those organisers are now seeking more exotic, regional destinations and Darwin fits those criteria perfectly. We are a tropical city with a world-class convention centre, surrounded by an array of indigenous cultural and adventure options unique to this part of the world.
- What’s the future for the centre looking like? Any big wins for the next few years?
As we look to the future, we remain optimistic about what lies ahead. We have three international events scheduled for 2023 and continue to secure international conferences well into the future.
Next year alone the Centre will host the 2023 World Aquaculture Conference; the Ninth Congress of the International Society for the Study of Iron in Biology and Medicine; and the 2023 World Community Development Conference.
- What one piece of advice would you give yourself back in early 2020, knowing what you now?
Fight hard to keep your staff employed and productive, because it could take years to replace their collective expertise and resume business at the highest levels to which we aspire.
