Bar, restaurant, cafe operators short-listed for convention centre
Plenary Group put a call out earlier this year through Gartland and CBRE for hospitality providers, especially those based in the region, to becoming part of the $450m Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre.
Plenary chief investment officer Paul Crowe said the group was in the process of short-listing operators and refining the retail offering.
'We've been really happy with the response we got from the market, a particularly strong response from local operators,' Mr Crowe said.
'We're working through those responses to shortlist and fine tune and make sure we come out with a really exciting retail offering that supports the precinct.
'We got a good range of offerings, a good spread covering everything from cafes to a fine dining restaurant to a bar-type offering and make sure that they complement what the hotel does.'
Crowne Plaza Geelong will operate an in-house Italian restaurant and bar and a sky bar cocktail lounge on level 10.
Nyaal Banyul will feature two large exhibition halls, a 1000-seat theatre and flexible conference and event spaces.
'The size of the venues are targeting larger events and events that bring people in to the region,' Mr Crowe said.
'What the precinct needs to do, and in particular the hotel and working in partnership with the convention centre operator, is to make sure we get the activation to bring the other events, the smaller events into the hotel or into the smaller rooms in the convention centre, to make sure it's active all year round.'
The precinct forecourt will feature a big screen and a mix of dining ands retail options.
The tenancies up for grabs encompass 700sq m of floorspace plus outdoor seating, for operations that include a fine dining restaurant and week-round, all-day cafe and potential for a gastropub, coffee bar, general store and convenience retail outlet.
'We're really looking at how we draw people in to the precinct, make it exciting when there are visitors for events,' Mr Crowe said.
'We're anchoring one end of the waterfront with this precinct, so we want to make it a beacon for people to come towards, or start at in how they explore the waterfront.'
Plenary expects to reveal the retail operators in the next two to three months, but there's a lot of detail to go through with the proponents, including fit-out requirements, Mr Crowe said.
The convention centre is expected to open in mid 2026.
Meanwhile a separate $130m commercial tower planned for the site remains on the drawing board.
Mr Crowe said securing tenants for that project would define the timeline for the tower, which is a direct investment by Plenary.
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