Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher has announced that Melbourne will host the Western Pacific Congress on Chemotherapy and Infectious Diseases to be held in 2016.Ms Asher said the event is expected to attract around 1,000 delegates and deliver an economic benefit of more than $5 million for Victoria.
“Regional communities will benefit from the event with almost half of the delegates anticipated to participate in pre and post event tours taking in some of Victoria’s iconic attractions,” Ms Asher said.
“Winning these major business events reinforces Melbourne’s position as a premier international business events destination, especially in the fields of medicine and health.
“Major business events deliver significant economic and employment benefits directly to our tourism and business events industry, as well as to the broader state economy.
“The Congress will also enable Victoria to showcase the work and research that is undertaken here in infectious disease control, raising the international profile of Victoria’s microbiology and biotechnology sectors.
“The Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau has worked with the Australian Society for Antimicrobials and professional conference organiser ICMS Pty Ltd since 2004 to secure this congress for Melbourne in 2016,” Ms Asher said.
Sandra Chipchase, CEO of the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB), said the congress was only held biennially and added to a string of health-related business events won recently for Victoria.
“The Western Pacific Congress on Chemotherapy and Infectious Diseases will attract physicians, clinical microbiologists, pharmacists, veterinarians and laboratory scientists from the USA, France, Belgium, Denmark, Singapore, Japan, Australia and New Zealand,” Ms Chipchase said.
“This recent medical business event win follows the announcement of other forthcoming prestigious events won by Melbourne including the International Congress of Immunology 2016 and the 32nd Congress of the Societe Internationale d’Urologie 2015.
“I would like to thank our strategic partners such as Qantas Airways for their support,” Ms Chipchase said.
Leigh Harry, Chief Executive of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) which will host the congress, said the MCEC is delighted to be hosting the Western Pacific Congress on Chemotherapy and Infectious Diseases in 2016.
“The Congress will provide Victorians with an invaluable opportunity to meet and share knowledge with global experts in their fields,” said Mr Harry.
The congress is held by the International Society of Chemotherapy in association with the Western Pacific Society of Chemotherapy.
