New images of Hobart’s proposed Macquarie Point Stadium have been released, revealing a 1,500-person meeting room and function spaces within the stadium’s Western stand.
The latest images have drawn praise from Business Events Tasmania (BET), the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania (TICT) and the Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA), who say the stadium will provide opportunities to attract larger events, conferences and exhibitions that will benefit the state’s visitor economy.
BET CEO Marnie Craig said Hobart’s current conferencing capacity is 1,100, while the proposed stadium would increase this to 1,500.
“We are very pleased that the proposed fully enclosed venue, the concourse, field and corporate areas provide opportunities for a range of larger events and exhibitions,” she said.
“This will allow us to bid on an additional estimated 110 conferences with 140,000 delegates worth $332 million in direct expenditure.”
TICT CEO Amy Hills said business events were critical to supporting the visitor economy all year round, but particularly during the winter and shoulder seasons.
“Being able to target events that we currently can’t cater for will give us increased market opportunity which is becoming more important as consumers are making hard decisions about their discretionary spending,” she said.
THA vice president Paul Jubb said the stadium would be a catalyst for growth in the hospitality industry.
“The influx of tourists, sports fans and concert goers will provide a significant boost to our hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues,” he said.
“We need developments like the stadium to give confidence to our sector for jobs and additional investment.”
The $715m Macquarie Point Stadium development currently has bipartisan support from the Tasmanian Liberal and Labor parties, with the State Government set to invest $375 million in the project.
