SPLASH! Gold Coast expands with bigger venue

The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre is centrally located adjacent to Jupiters at Broadbeach

Australasia’s largest swimming pool and spa industry event is about to get even bigger, as the SPLASH! Pool & Spa Trade Show on the Gold Coast moves across the road to the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC).

SPLASH! on the Gold Coast has been held at Jupiters since 2006 when Interpoint Events took over its management from Carol and Kevin Benger.

It is one of Australia’s most successful trade shows and in 2010 it won the Best Australian Show (Trade or Consumer) at the Exhibition & Event Association of Australia (EEAA) Awards and is widely considered the best and largest pool and spa industry trade show in Australasia, as well as the largest dedicated pool and spa trade show in the region.

However, the popularity of the show has seen it bursting at the seams. “We expanded into one marquee in 2008 and added a second marquee in 2014, but demand for exhibition space continues to grow,” says Simon Cooper, managing director of Interpoint Events.

Cooper says the potential to expand at Jupiters has been exhausted, and while he has been considering this move for some time, the timing is right for 2016. The change of venue provides the exhibition with 30 per cent more exhibition space and also enables all exhibitors to be located in the one hall – something that a number of exhibitors had been asking for.

“As well as all being in the one hall, the exhibitors will have easier access and higher ceilings,” says Cooper. “For visitors, it will mean they can visit all the companies in one place and there will be dedicated meeting places built on the show floor for improved networking,” he says. “Also, the GCCEC is actually connected to Jupiters via a covered walkway, so it will still be extremely convenient for visitors and exhibitors staying at the casino.”

The $167 million GCCEC opened in 2004, immediately becoming Australia’s largest regional convention centre, capable of handling national and international conferences, exhibitions, concerts and sporting events.

The 2014 SPLASH! on the Gold Coast was the biggest pool and spa trade show ever held in Australia with more than 100 companies showcasing products and services and more than 2000 people attending. Additionally, there were a large number of linked events including the first ever World Aquatic Health Conference held outside the US and the first ever SPASA Australia Awards Gala.

The ninth Gold Coast SPLASH! show will be held on August 17 and 18, 2016 with an anticipated 120 exhibitors and 2500 visitors.

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