In its final year, the Gold Coast Congress achieved attendance levels not seen since 2020, still the congress’ biggest year on record.
It was a fitting and fantastic finale, according to Congress Manager from the Queensland Bridge Association (QBA), Kim Ellaway. Kim and her team of over 80 volunteer staff were forced to cap entry numbers for some events, including the highly popular novice and restricted events.
“Past congress convenor Therese Tully introduced restricted, novice and intermediate events, and they have been extremely successful,” says Kim.
“Therese always believed in giving chocolates to the rookies and providing them with breaks between matches. Eight days is a lot of bridge and it showed. You could see the tiredness in people’s faces towards the end of the week.”
Smaller venue outside of GC likely
According to Kim, the 2025 congress was the last time people will experience it at the Convention Centre.
The Centre has been the only venue on the Gold Coast large enough to accommodate the congress. Last year, the QBA learned the venue would no longer be available at the time of year the congress is run.
Kim and her team canvassed the Carrara Sports Centre as a potential alternative. A survey of players found little interest, as there are no hotels in the area and players would have to travel 30 mins one way to get there.
When asked about Brisbane options, Kim is lukewarm on the idea of moving the congress to the city. She says surveys in the past have shown limited appetite, but she remains open to the idea.
“We are looking for an alternative for 2027, but it is very likely it won’t be the Gold Coast,” Kim says.
“Whatever the GC congress does in the future, it will have to be much smaller,” Kim says.
The ABF is currently exploring other options with the Convention Centre. Kim says the ABF will be surveying people soon for input and feedback. Keep an eye out for that.
Farewell to over 60 years of history
The congress has been held at the Gold Coast since 1962. Back then, it was at the Chevron Hotel before it closed for renovations in the 1989 and the Congress moved to the ANA Hotel.
As the congress continued to expand in size and reputation in Australia and internationally, the QBA sought more space and added the Gold Coast International Hotel to the venue list. Open teams would play across both hotels in the qualifying rounds before coming together at the ANA Hotel for the finals.
But the setup would only work for so long. In 2006, the QBA found themselves looking for more space in response to growing player demand. An emotional decision was made move to the Gold Coast Convention Centre.
Events for novices, intermediates and rookies were added between 2008-13, and events for 0-50 MPs and 0-500 MPs joined the events list a few years later.
New Gold Point event
Where one window closes, another opens. The Central West Festival, which launched in 2024, is a new and exciting National Gold Point event. Held over the back of the Great Dividing Range in Orange in April, it is a very different experience from the sandy beaches of the Gold Coast, but by all reports a very enjoyable one.
CWF 2025 is already booked out, but players can join a waiting list here (look for Jenny King’s contact details above the program table).
