AUSTRALASIA – The annual Australian Event Awards, held recently at Doltone House, Hyde Park in Sydney saw the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre pick up the ‘Best Venue’ award.
The accolade follows the centre’s recent celebration of its 25th anniversary and comes as the venue prepares for its December closure to allow for the redevelopment of the Darling Harbour meeting precinct in response to growing demand.
“Over the past year, we have had the unprecedented task of managing peak business levels while preparing for the closure of a successful business,” said Chief Executive of the centre, Ton van Amerongen. “It’s been an extraordinary time, but my team has continued to excel throughout, and I cannot praise them enough for their efforts.”
In its award submission, the centre highlighted its commitment to continuous improvement. Over the past year the centre has enhanced its focus on risk and safety, with a campaign to drive the principles of a safe work environment, and continued to demonstrate its commitment to the environment with significant reductions in the usage of electricity, water and paper. Other initiatives have included the introduction of new website features and new online ordering facilities for exhibitors.
Other winners included:
- Best Tourism Event – Vivid Sydney 2013; Destination NSW
- Doltone House Best Corporate Event – AGL 175th Gala Celebration; This Space and Events Companies
- Best Achievement in Sustainability – The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust for their work on Harbourlights – New Year’s Eve
- Best Event State or Territory – New South Wales
- Best Product or Service – Global Traffic Management System by Global IT.
“In the list of winners for 2013 we are thrilled to see so many different types of events being rewarded,” said Chair of Judges, Sandy Hollway. “It is nothing short of a vital national imperative to shift towards clever, sustainable, international service industries. And the smartest, quickest, most cost-effective way to do that is to build on existing strengths. The events industry is one of those strengths.”
Image: Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre team collects its Australian Event award. Photo credit: EventPix.
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