The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre will mark 21 years in the business events industry this year with a full schedule of major international and national meetings and exhibitions. The venue has held the title of Australia’s busiest meetings venue since it first opened in 1988 and 2009 will be no exception.

Major international events on the Centre’s calendar include the World Congress of Pathology meeting in March and the prestigious World Federation of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, which will be held in August.

Meanwhile, national association meetings include the Royal Australasian College of Physicians’ Week and the Australian Physiotherapy Association week.

The Centre is also heading into another busy year for exhibitions, with large shows such as the IT event CeBit 2009, the Reed Gift Fairs and the Sydney International Boat Show returning to the popular Darling Harbour venue. In addition, the Centre will be home to a large number of corporate events and gala dinners, with the total number of events to be held at the venue in 2009 exceeding 500. The first major event on the calendar for the year was the high profile NSW Australia Day Lunch for 1500 - the largest corporate luncheon in Australia - which was held on January 23.

Centre Chief Executive Ton van Amerongen said he was very proud that the venue had so many meetings scheduled in such a landmark year. “The Centre has been a key player in the Australian events industry since it first opened its doors in May 1988 and this year is no different,” Mr van Amerongen said. “Not only will we welcome a range of new meetings to the Centre this year, we also continue to attract a very high level of repeat business which is very pleasing. “In an increasingly competitive environment, our strong bookings reflect our ongoing commitment to delivering a world class product.”