YOUNG tech-savvy travellers will boycott the Gold Coast if internet speed and connectivity is not improved urgently, according to experts attending an internet conference.

The Internet Conference, which is in its 10th year, attracted more than 800 delegates from across the globe to Broadbeach this week.

The conference has been held on the Coast for six years, but delegates from the US and Sydney revealed internet speed was an issue when they visit the city.

media_camera Internet experts say Gold Coast must rollout NBN urgently.

TheGold Coast Bulletin has been pushing for a faster rollout of the National Broadband Network as part of our Fair Go Campaign.

Speedmaster chief executive Jason Kencevski – who works in the US and Sydney – said he was forced to change his presentation for the conference due to connectivity issues.

“I had to take videos out of my presentation, which isn’t ideal, but they were just too much for the internet connection,” he said. “It is OK for social media, but if you try to do anything else it crashes.

“If you want to sell something, you have to tailor it to the market and the Gold Coast isn’t doing this.

media_camera Internet experts say Gold Coast must rollout NBN urgently.

“Young travellers want fast, efficient internet and will stop travelling to a place if they’re not getting it.”

Data analyst Britney Muller from Denver in the US compared the internet connection on the Gold Coast to holidaying in a log cabin in the woods.

“My partner and I have a cabin, far from the city and the internet speed I get on the Coast reminds me of when I am there,” she said. “It is terrible here. I had to keep restarting my presentation this week and it was very frustrating.”

Local online business director, Sarah Timmerman of Beginning Boutique, said the issue had become so serious she was being forced to pay for expensive fibre optics.

“The lag in the rollout of the NBN is a massive issue for us, it’s so bad we are paying $850 a month to get fibre-optic connections, which is a huge expense,” she said.

media_camera NBN is a must for the Gold Coast’s success says experts.

Gold Coast Bulletin investigations have revealed people in Chile and Uruguay have access to faster internet than Gold Coasters.

The average speed of internet on the Coast is 6Mbps, well behind the Australian average of 8.2.

The NBN rollout has begun on the Coast, but there will still be areas not upgraded when the Commonwealth Games is hosted. Gold Coast federal ­politicians say they are “hopeful” the NBN will be available in and around the major venues by 2018.

The Internet Conference will wrap up tomorrow but will be back at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in May 2017.