Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) welcomes today’s announcement by Victorian State Government of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre’s (MCEC) proposed expansion.
Speaking about the announcement, MCB CEO Karen Bolinger said: “The proposed expansion of MCEC is exciting news. MCEC is one of MCB’s key strategic partners and plays host to many events that we secure. In the past calendar year alone, MCEC has hosted three major international association conferences secured by MCB – the 22nd World Diabetes Congress in December 2013; the World Congress of Cardiology in May 2014; and the 20th International Aids Conference 2014 in July 2014. These three conferences alone generated around $185 million in economic contribution to the state and, in the 2013/14 financial year, MCB secured 34 of these international association conferences for the state delivering more than 29,000 delegates with an economic impact of $145 million.
“MCB is currently working on a significant pipeline of opportunities for the next few years and therefore this investment by Victorian State Government is very welcome news as it will enable both organisations to continue to deliver high-yield large-scale business events to the state for many years to come.”
With a vision to make Victoria one of the world’s most successful conference destinations, MCB has international offices in Asia, Europe and the US. MCB is Australia’s only full service bureau and has recently enjoyed its most successful two years on record in terms of international association conferences held, with 85,000 delegates attending 70 conferences, bringing a $420 million economic windfall to the region.
