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PCEC 'should seek new business, not just switch existing clients'
The West Australian Government has been blamed for failing to support the state’s ailing MICE industry as the hotel industry battles for small events, fighting competition from the financially-troubled Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre (PCEC).

The Australian Hotels Association (AHA) warned the government almost two years ago that the hotel industry was deeply concerned that the PCEC was winning existing WA events and functions instead of trying to secure new interstate and international business.

“The PCEC was built to give Perth a venue suitable for hosting large-scale, national and international conferences, meetings and events,” said Bradley Woods executive director Australian Hotels Association, WA chapter. “The AHA has repeatedly asked the government to put in place safeguards to ensure the PCEC focuses its activities on new international and national business. We also requested increased spending on marketing WA internationally as a MICE destination.

“The last thing we want to see is the PCEC focusing on events like local weddings, birthday parties and business lunches. That is not what the centre was built for,” said Woods.

But he claimed the government had “turned a blind eye” to the situation.
“Nothing has changed,” he said. The government had the opportunity in the recent State Budget to put some money into MICE marketing, but failed to do so. Now the problem will continue to worsen.”

Woods said the government had failed to adhere to the warning from industry submissions that if it did not put in place a destinational MICE marketing campaign in the first 12-18 months of the opening of the PCEC it would not secure large scale international and interstate business and would have to “poach” local small functions.

“This is exactly what has happened,” said Woods.
“While the WA government has chosen to ignore support for MICE marketing, every other state government has given their financial backing. Is the new WA premier’s legacy to sit back and watch the PCEC fail and become a white elephant? This is a test of his leadership.”

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