Oh what a night! Sunshine Coast delivers an Australian Event Awards night to remember

The Events Centre Caloundra put on a spectacular show last night for the Australian Event Awards, considered the ‘Oscars’ of the Australian events industry.

Some 330 event specialists from around Australia attended the function, which included top class entertainment, high quality local Sunshine Coast cuisine and a surprise element that reflected this year’s Australian Event Awards theme of the ‘art of the unexpected’.

While the delegates might have expected the Sunshine Coast to deliver beautiful summer-like sunshine during the Awards & Symposium, awards night attendees did get a major surprise when a ‘hidden’ stage was revealed to host a series of glamorous acts.

Another unexpected treat was a closing performance by The Antipodean Rock Collective featuring Australia’s rock band pedigree, with members of Jet, Powderfinger, You Am I, and Spiderbait combining to bring the house down with a memorable set.

Amongst the industry professionals recognised in the Awards was the legendary Ignatius Jones (Vivid Sydney, Sydney Olympics, Mardi Gras etc), who won the life time achievement award.

A local winner, TAFE Queensland’s East Coast Division, took out the award for ’Best Education/Training Program’ for their Diploma of Event Management.

Visit Sunshine Coast CEO, Simon Latchford, who presented awards on the night for Best Tourism Event and Best Education or Training Program, said the Awards night at The Events Centre showcased the region’s expertise and innovation in events management.

“Delegates I spoke to said this was one of the best Awards events and symposiums they had attended,” said Mr Latchford.

“It is a huge credit to the team at The Events Centre and all the local suppliers and operators who contributed to making this a memorable event.

“This is undoubtedly one of the toughest audiences to impress because they’ve seen just about everything there is to see in the events space, but you can be certain that they will leave the Sunshine Coast knowing that we can deliver world-class events.

“The support by Sunshine Coast Council to target major events has already paid dividends in recent months, with the region hosting the Australian Society of Travel Writers, the Australian Cruise Conference and now the Australian Event Awards & Symposium, three of the most prestigious events in the travel and tourism calendar.

“Our Business Events team will be working with Sunshine Coast Council’s events team to pursue other major events and conferences, as they deliver substantial benefits in the short and longer terms to the Sunshine Coast, its businesses and its residents.

“The Events Centre delivered an outstanding event, but the best is yet to come, thanks to Sunshine Coast Council and the Federal Government combining to fund a $6 million upgrade of The Events Centre. The Sunshine Coast has so many natural attractions, but this investment will ensure that we can continue to excel in the highly competitive venue space as well as enhance Caloundra’s reputation as being one of the region’s premier cultural and performance precincts.”