New Hunter Valley Conference & Events Centre to Feature Recycled Pylons from Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre

The new $4 million Hunter Valley Conference & Events Centre – the biggest convention centre in NSW north of Sydney – will open later this year with pylons recycled from the demolished Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Property developer Jerry Schwartz will use four of the SCEC pylons in the construction now underway of the Hunter Valley Conference & Events Centre (HVCEC) at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley resort in Lovedale in the Hunter Valley wine region.

Cut from 20m to 14m, the pylons will be placed at each corner of the new centre, which will offer the region a combined 2012 square metres of pre-function, meeting, exhibition and convention space. The HVCEV will comprise three conference rooms ranging from 380sqm - 400sqm that can be used as one ballroom for up to 1000 people or a mix of rooms with flexible acoustic folding walls. 

“The SCEC played such an enormous role in the development of Sydney’s and NSW’s tourism sector, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to the State’s economy, so I thought we should preserve at least a part of the heritage and use it to build the new venue in the Hunter,” said Dr Jerry Schwartz, Director of the Schwartz Family Company.

“While our Hunter Valley venue won’t be as large as SCEC, it will be a sizeable venue and will add a new dimension to the Hunter’s tourism infrastructure. We will commemorate the pylons’ heritage with a plaque and a story telling of their origin. It will add real substance to the new building, while also highlighting the value and benefit of recycling.”

The Hunter Valley wine region is one of three areas being marketed as conference destinations by the new ‘Altogether Perfect’ promotional campaign. The $270,000 campaign also embraces Port Stephens and Newcastle. The campaign received funding through the Regional Visitor Economy Fund (RVEF) which is managed and administered by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. 

Altogether Perfect:

The ‘Altogether Perfect’ campaign is the name for the collaborative marketing efforts undertaken by regional partners in the Hunter Region to attract and secure business events tourism. Backed by Newcastle Convention Bureau, Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association and Destination Port Stephens and supported by dynamic industry operators, the joint marketing group attends trade fairs and sales missions and host visits to the region by key conference organisers and media to build the appeal of the Hunter region as THE number one business tourism destination.