Expo Venue in Coffs Harbour
Touring the east coast and need an expo venue in Coffs Harbour that’s more than just a hall? Coffs Harbour Showground gives you real scale: the 15,000-square-metre Main Arena and Village Green for outdoor exhibitions and vehicle displays, plus the Exhibition Hall and Norm Jordan Pavilion for indoor trade shows. Sitting on the Pacific Highway roughly halfway between Sydney and Brisbane, close to the airport, it’s a natural stopover on your circuit.
Outdoor Expo Space: Main Arena and Village Green
The Main Arena is our largest outdoor expo ground. It’s a 15,000-square-metre grassed oval measuring 140 metres, with grandstand seating for over 1,000 people. It already hosts Car Shows, Big Boys Toys, the Outdoor Living & Caravan Expo and Music Festivals. Vehicles and large displays drive straight onto the ground rather than being unloaded off-site.
- Main Arena: 15,000 square metres with grandstand seating for 1,000-plus. Includes floodlights, toilets and onsite parking.
- Village Green: 7,700 square metres, a 110 by 70 metre rectangular ground with its own lighting, toilets and parking.
The Village Green works as a standalone outdoor expo ground for a smaller show, or as extra space alongside the Main Arena when one ground isn’t enough.
Indoor Expo Space: Exhibition Hall and Norm Jordan Pavilion
For trade shows that need to be under cover, the Exhibition Hall and Norm Jordan Pavilion cover everything from a small exhibition to a large-scale expo. Both spaces sit alongside the outdoor grounds, so an indoor trade show and an outdoor vehicle display can run as one combined event.
The 1,000-square-metre Exhibition Hall has open timber floors and an oversized servery, and it’s set up to take stalls both indoors and spilling out onto the grounds. It’s the space behind trade expos and larger exhibitions. The 504-square-metre Norm Jordan Pavilion is climate-controlled and available as a full or half hire. It suits smaller and medium indoor shows, including wedding and baby shows, wellness events, and craft exhibitions like quilting and needlework.
What Touring Organisers Need to Know
Regional venues are usually vague on the details that actually matter to a touring organiser: exhibitor capacity, power, vehicle access, and how bump-in and bump-out actually work. We work through all of it with you at enquiry stage, before you commit to a date.
That includes confirming stallholder numbers against your chosen space, the power your stalls or equipment need, and vehicle access for load-in. It also covers bump-in and bump-out timing, including earlier access for multi-day expos where your event needs it. Because we handle council liaison on your behalf where an event needs approval, one enquiry covers both the venue booking and the paperwork. Indoor and outdoor spaces can also be booked together, so a trade show inside and a vehicle display outside run as a single event on the same site.
A Stopover on the Sydney-Brisbane Touring Circuit
Coffs Harbour sits on the Pacific Highway, roughly 530 kilometres north of Sydney and 350 to 440 kilometres south of Brisbane. That makes it a genuine halfway stop for a show working the east coast. The Showground itself is a five-minute walk from the town centre and around four kilometres from Coffs Harbour Airport. Several motels, including the Chelsea Motor Inn and CBD Motor Inn, are within walking distance for exhibitors staying overnight during bump-in.
As the largest regional centre on the Mid North Coast, Coffs Harbour also carries the accommodation, hospitality and logistics base that a multi-day touring expo relies on. It’s already hosted touring events like the Outdoor Living & Caravan Expo, so the Showground is set up for organisers passing through rather than a one-off local booking.
Find the Right Event Type
Planning something broader than a trade expo, like a public festival or a large community event? Our event venue page covers that angle. Running stalls or a market alongside your expo? Our market venue page is the better fit for that side of the event. For the full range of spaces and event types across the Showground, see our functions and event types overview.
Enquire About Your Expo
If your expo needs outdoor scale, indoor space, or both under one roof, quick enquire online. Include your dates, stall numbers and space requirements and we’ll confirm availability. You can also call our team on (02) 6652 8401 to talk through logistics before you commit. Reach us anytime through our contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on stall size, layout and which space you choose, since the open Main Arena and a room like the Norm Jordan Pavilion suit very different exhibitor counts. Tell us your stall numbers and average booth size at enquiry stage and we’ll confirm what fits comfortably.
Power needs vary widely between a single display stall and heavier exhibition equipment. We confirm the exact arrangements for your event during the enquiry rather than publishing one generic spec. Let us know what your stallholders and any machinery need and we’ll work it into your booking.
Onsite parking is included at every expo space, from the Main Arena and Village Green through to the Exhibition Hall and Norm Jordan Pavilion. Tell us your expected exhibitor and visitor numbers at enquiry stage and we’ll confirm what’s available for your event.
For multi-day expos, earlier bump-in access can be arranged as part of your booking rather than squeezing setup into the morning of day one. Let us know your build schedule when you enquire and we’ll confirm what timing works for your space.
Yes, and it’s one of the main reasons touring organisers choose this venue over a single-room competitor. Pairing the Exhibition Hall or Norm Jordan Pavilion with the Main Arena or Village Green is standard, with indoor stalls running alongside an outdoor vehicle display.
Outdoor
Up to 1100
