Darwin Convention Centre Makes Global Top Ten For Prestigious AIPC APEX Award
The Darwin Convention Centre has made an impressive leap into the top ten finalists list for the prestigious APEX Award competition which is conducted by the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC).
The AIPC global awards recognise the best convention centres in the world, based entirely upon client ratings, independently assessed by global market research company, Ipsos.
For the 2020 Award, 18 finalists from eleven countries around the world competed, with four centres from Australia included.
The 1200-seat Darwin Convention Centre has been ranked in the top 20 finalist group for four years running, with 2020 being the first year it has been included in the top ten list.
The Honourable Natasha Fyles MLA, Minister for Tourism and Hospitality in the Northern Territory Government, noted the excellent result.
“Moving up nine places to achieve a sixth-place global ranking in AIPC’s 2020 APEX Award is an outstanding achievement for the world-class, award-winning Darwin Convention Centre,” she said.
“This ranking strengthens the Centre’s professional reputation for service delivery and further positions the Darwin Convention Centre, and Darwin, as a globally competitive destination to attract and stage international business events.”
Peter Savoff, General Manager of the Darwin Convention Centre expressed his delight at the Centre’s positioning amongst the award finalists.
“As a convention centre in regional Australia, we believe we’re well and truly ‘punching above our weight’ in these rankings,” he said.
“Our boutique world-class venue is competing against many big capital city venues in these awards. To be ranked so highly not only delivers prestige and recognition but is also a source of pride and a boost for our team during these more recent challenging times for the business events sector world-wide.”
Peter Savoff indicated that the Centre’s own surveys also indicated a high degree of client satisfaction as well as a willingness to recommend the venue to others, with an overall rating of 95%.
Client comments and feed-back provide another indication of just how the Centre is meeting and exceeding client expectations.
The PULiiMA Indigenous Language and Technology Conference staged at the Darwin Convention Centre in 2019 provides an example. The Event Director, Daryn McKenny from the Miromaa Aboriginal Language and Technology Centre, spoke highly of the Centre.
“We were so impressed by both the city and the conference venue,” he said. “The liaison and technical support staff at the Darwin Convention Centre were exceptional. All aspects of the four-day event – the registration process, workshops, exhibition and the conference itself – ran very smoothly.”
With the Northern Territory offering quality infrastructure, a rich ancient cultural heritage, pristine landscapes and the uncrowded, wide-open spaces that a post-Covid world will be craving, the future continues to look bright for the Darwin Convention Centre.
The International Foster Carer Organisation Conference is expected in June 2022, whilst the World Conference on Ecological Restoration will come to Australia’s northernmost tropical city in 2023 and hopes to attract up to 1200 delegates. The Ninth Congress of the International Society for the Study of Iron in Biology and Medicine heads to Darwin in August 2023, with the 13th Quadrennial Congress of the World Federation of Neuroscience Nurses arriving in the Northern Territory in July 2025.
Media contact:
Rebecca Kenyon
Marketing Manager
Darwin Convention Centre
Email: rkenyon@darwinconvention.com.au; Tel: + 61 8 8923 9007
About the Darwin Convention Centre:
Located on the spectacular Darwin Harbour, the world class Darwin Convention Centre is an iconic landmark in the city of Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Set within the lush tropical setting of the Darwin Waterfront Precinct, the Centre spans 22,900 square metres. It offers a range of flexible event spaces including an Auditorium with tiered seating for 1,200 delegates, four column-free halls, three top-level Waterfront Rooms and four additional meeting rooms.
About the AIPC:
The International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC) is an industry association for professional convention and exhibition centre managers world-wide. It represents a global network of more than 185 leading centres in 60 countries around the world.