Minister for Tourism and Major Events, George Souris, today announced that Rotary International has confirmed its 2014 Rotary International Convention event will remain in Australia’s global city, and will re-locate from Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (SCEC) to Sydney Olympic Park.
After winning the initial bid in 2006, Sydney was required to resubmit an extensive proposal showcasing Sydney Olympic Park as the host venue, due to the closure of SCEC for the Sydney International Convention and Exhibition Precinct (SICEEP) development.
The 2014 Rotary International Convention will be held in June and is expected to attract up to 18,000 delegates who will spend 72,000 delegate days in Sydney and deliver an economic impact of $60.5 million to the state.
“This is a great example of NSW’s flexibility and agility when it comes to hosting world-class events. Government and the private sector have rallied together to make sure that the promised Rotary 2014 event will be delivered seamlessly, despite the required venue change,” said Mr Souris.
“This is a spectacular result for our visitor economy, with the event delivering an estimated economic impact of $60.5 million. It is also a strong demonstration that Sydney is well and truly open for business – even during the SICEEP development period.”
Business Events Sydney’s (BESydney) CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith said, “We are thrilled to hear that the international Rotary delegation will still be coming to Sydney in 2014. Such a megaevent is an amazing opportunity to demonstrate the skill and adaptability of our industry,” comments Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO of BESydney.
“BESydney worked hand in hand with the NSW Government and Sydney Olympic Park Authority on venue options. We showcased the flexibility, diversity and passion that ‘Team Sydney’ had to offer the Rotary event in 2014. This has delivered a fantastic outcome for Sydney, NSW and Australia’s global reputation.”
Chair of the local organising committee, Barry Thompson commented, “There were certainly serious discussions in the wake of the SICEEP development announcement. But Sydney’s resubmission has proven to the Rotary International team that even without the planned venue, the harbour city will deliver an outstanding 2014 convention.”
“Rotary International was very impressed by the efforts of the NSW Government, BESydney, Sydney Olympic Park and other involved parties to accommodate our event.”
