Nyaal Banyul brings business buzz to Geelong’s typically regional leisure appeal. Photo Credit: AdobeStock/Zorro Stock images
Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre welcomed more than 12,200 attendees across 15 events in its first month of operation, according to industry reports, as Victoria’s newest convention venue builds early momentum on the Geelong waterfront.
The A$449 million (US$321 million) venue, which opened in June with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles marking the occasion, hosted its first event, the Barwon Health Foundation Gala Ball, on 3 July. Its opening month also included the Business Managers Victoria Annual Leadership Conference, the Associations Forum National Conference and a career expo, alongside community celebrations open to local residents.
Headline booking secured
Since opening, the venue landed the high profile 2027 Australian Tourism Awards, a national awards programme recognising achievement across Australia’s tourism industry, secured through a joint bid by the Victorian Government, Visit Victoria, City of Greater Geelong, Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine, and the Victorian Convention and Event Trust (VCET), which operates Nyaal Banyul.
That booking builds on a fast-growing forward calendar: in March, the Victorian Government reported 56 events locked in through to 2028 across sectors including education, business and medicine, worth an estimated A$13 million (US$9.3 million) in delegate spend and representing more than 21,800 attendees, with numbers climbing steadily as opening day approached.
A two-venue state
VCET also operates the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), placing Nyaal Banyul and MCEC under a single operator. This gives Victoria a deliberate two-venue MICE strategy: a metropolitan flagship in Melbourne and a right-sized regional counterpart in Geelong, positioned to capture national conferences that might otherwise default to the capital.
That positioning aligns with Nyaal Banyul’s stated purpose: Regional Development Victoria describes the venue as designed to enable more international events, exhibitors and attendees, enhancing Geelong’s status as a genuine events leader in its own right.
For a regional economy that has traditionally relied on weekend and holiday leisure trade, a venue built specifically for midweek conferences represents a structural shift, bringing business travellers and their spending, into the city on nights that would otherwise sit quiet.