Melbourne ’ s events calendar , an advent of a busy 2023
Melbourne Convention Bureau chief executive Julia Swanson says events are firmly back on and the city has moved into recovery much faster than expected .
he city of Melbourne hosted a thriving annual calendar of major events over 2022 , kicked off by the first international tradeshow in Australia – the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event ( AIME ) – since international borders reopened . “ From there we moved from zero to 100 , with the return of international association events including the International Conference on Emergency Medicine ( ICEM ), World Congress on Hair Research , and IATA Slot Conference ,” says Melbourne Convention Bureau ( MCB ) chief executive Julia Swanson , adding that a personal favourite was seeing the highly anticipated 2022 World Barista Championships ( WBC ) and World Brewers Cup ( WBrC ) as part of the Melbourne International Coffee Expo 2022 ( MICE ).
events manager at Prime Creative , organisers of the Coffee Expo , shares his view of Melbourne as an event destination : “ Melbourne is known to have the best coffee culture in the world . At the 2022 Melbourne International Coffee Expo ( MICE ), we welcomed close to 100 national champions and competitors participating in the World Coffee Championships ( WCC ). It is a testament to all the talented baristas that call Melbourne home .
“ With the world ’ s largest tram network , Melbourne enables delegates to get to and from our expo with ease . The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre ( MCEC ), located in the heart of the city , is an unrivalled event space – pillarless exhibition halls , easyto-access utilities and genuine customer service staff who are always looking for a solution . three years of postponements and cancellation , the above-mentioned WBC , WBrC and MICE 2022 attracted a record 15,056 delegates across the four days including 1,500 internationals from 71 countries . The attendance was the highest of any MICE expo .
Sporting highlights Melbourne is a huge draw for major sporting events , including the Australian Open Tennis Championships , the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix ( which attracted a record crowd of 419,114 over four days ), and the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington which attracted 244,000 fans in 2022 .
MICE – the Coffee Expo version of the acronym – brought in the baristas to MCEC
Organiser ’ s view So , MICE doesn ’ t just mean Meetings Incentives Conferences and Exhibitions : Simon Coburn , general
“ Leading up to MICE 2022 , Covid lockdowns and travel restrictions in Victoria presented a great number of challenges . Timely and clear communication from the MCB enabled us to plan our event with confidence . Their team provided support navigating the constantly changing restrictions and assisted us in negotiations with various government departments to help us deliver the best possible experience for our exhibitors and attendees .
“ As the largest dedicated coffee event in the southern hemisphere , MICE returns to celebrate its 10th birthday at MCEC , 17-19 August 2023 .” For the first time since 2013 and after
Julia Swanson , MCB chief executive
Outlook for 2023 Melbourne is looking forward to welcoming 60 major events in 2023 , including 11 large association events across the year and the MCB ’ s business development pipeline has