Conference & Meetings World Supplements Australia Supplement | Page 10

Melbourne

A leading global player
Planners benefit from Melbourne’s credentials in hosting leading meetings

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amed
Australasia’s
leading meetings
and conference
destination at the World
Travel Awards in 2014,
and the world’s most
liveable city, Melbourne
is renowned globally
as a conference and
incentive destination
that tangibly delivers
for planners and for
delegates.
“Planners want to know
that their host destination
can offer more than
world-class infrastructure
and easy access,”
says Karen Bolinger,
CEO of the Melbourne
Convention Bureau.
“They want their
conference to deliver
well beyond the event
itself. This is a space that
Melbourne is making its
own by creating social
legacies in a range of
forms depending on
the specifics of each
event – and thus creating
compelling reasons
for planners to choose
Melbourne.”
The city’s burgeoning
business events
industry is anchored

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by the world-class
Melbourne Convention
and Exhibition Centre
(MCEC), which has an
exemplary record of
hosting more than 1,000
major international and
domestic conferences
annually.
The esteemed 2014
World Cancer Congress,
attended by 2,700
delegates from more
than 100 countries, is
just one example of a
major event that recently
turned to MCEC to make
use of its 66,333 square
metres of event space,
exhibition bays stretching
almost half a kilometre,
52 meeting rooms and
the Plenary centrepiece.
The Victorian
government has also
pledged $210m for
expansion, ensuring
MCEC remains one
of Australia’s largest
convention and
exhibition spaces, and
an increasingly important
partner of the global
business events industry.
With 5,500 hotel rooms
within five minutes’
walk of MCEC – and
almost 30,000 in greater

CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD

Melbourne – delegates
can focus on business
then step outside their
conference to discover
what makes Melbourne
tick.
“Melbourne is home to
some of the world’s most
innovative scientists and
researchers, creative and
fearless artists, chefs and
entrepreneurs. They share
a passion for their city.
And what makes
Melbourne such a
special place to live and
work, also makes it a
special place to meet,”
says Ms Bolinger.
Melbourne is creative,
edgy, multicultural and
sophisticated. Its unique
laneway culture is home
to exceptional coffee,
quirky bars serving
signature concoctions,
and every option for
dining from haute cuisine
to vegan and beyond.
The city is connected,
compact and walkable,
and its iconic trams can
get you around easily.
And the appeal
doesn't stop at the
city limits, with further
breathtaking experiences
in surrounding Victoria.

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Melbourne and
surrounds offer
a variety of
experiences