Voted the world’s most liveable city again in 2011, Melbourne is also renowned as the leading destination in Australia for major international sporting and cultural events, interesting cafés, bars and nightlife, impressive theatre, world-class dining, stand-out shopping, and incredible regional experiences within 90 minutes of the city, making Melbourne the perfect destination to combine both business and pleasure.
Business and research capital
Fortune magazine recently named Melbourne as one of the 15 best new cities to do business – the only Australian city on the list and one of only five cities in the Asia-Pacific region to be included. As an elite centre for business, Melbourne is the headquarters for some of the world’s largest corporations, and prides itself on being a world leader in science and medicine with 139 biotech companies, 13 major medical research institutes, seven teaching hospitals and nine universities.
The State of Victoria is Australia’s most diverse economy, with strengths across financial services, information technology, life sciences, resource management and advanced manufacturing, and in 2010 was ranked as the most business-friendly state in Australia by the Business Events Council of Australia.
Accessible
Melbourne’s accessibility is a major drawcard for global business, with Melbourne International Airport open 24 hours, curfew free and operating over 580 international flights and 3,200 domestic flights per week.
The city boasts an extensive public transport network of trams, trains and buses, designed to easily accommodate large groups and ensure that the transportation needs of delegates and visitors is both efficient and easy. Melbourne is also an exceptional city for walking and its low cost bike-share scheme makes it even more convenient to get around.
Outstanding venues
Melbourne is a premier destination to hold a business event, boasting Australia’s highest concentration of convention facilities located in a central business district. Now in its third year of operation, the award-winning Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) is the world’s first and only ‘Six Star Green Star’ environmentally rated convention centre and offers the largest range of meeting options under one roof, including a 5,500+ seat plenary hall, 52 meeting rooms, a grand banquet room, and a magnificent entry level foyer for up to 8,400 guests. The Centre has won a number of prestigious awards for a range of successes, from architecture to catering, and has set an environmental benchmark for the industry, becoming the only convention and exhibition venue in Australia with both Green Globe and Waste Wise accreditation.
Attracting major international business events to Melbourne
The city’s state-of-the-art infrastructure, accessibility and advances in science, medicine and technology, have seen Melbourne recognised globally as one of the world’s leading business destinations, with the city set to host a number of prestigious international meetings over the next few years, including the World Chinese Economic Forum 2012, The World Congress of Cardiology 2014, The 23rd World Cancer Congress 2014, as well as Amway India, bringing a group of 4,000 incentive delegates to the city in 2012.
Offering world-class accommodation
With more than 16,250 rooms in the city centre alone, Melbourne’s wide range of accommodation options caters to all requirements – from luxury five-star hotels to more budget-conscious options, many of which are within walking distance to the Convention Centre and major city attractions.
For easy access to the MCEC, delegates can choose to stay at the Hilton Melbourne South Wharf, which adjoins the Centre, or one of three hotels located in the Crown Entertainment Complex, located on Southbank, just minutes away by foot; Crown Towers, Crown Promenade and Crown Metropol.
Creating memorable experiences
From award-winning vineyards to world-celebrated golf courses and surf beaches to luxurious day spas, few places can offer the diversity of Melbourne and regional Victoria. Stroll through the intriguing laneways which meander through the city, enjoy one of over 3,000 cafés, restaurants and bars or take a trip down the Great Ocean Road and breathe in the sea air.
Melbourne is undoubtedly Australia’s sporting capital boasting five major events each year, including the Australian Football League Grand Final, the Spring Racing Carnival featuring ‘The Race that Stops a Nation’ the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Open Tennis Championships, the Boxing Day Cricket Test and the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix. The city also comes alive with a vast array of annual festivals and shows such as the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show and The Melbourne International Arts Festival.
Sample just a few of Melbourne’s unforgettable experiences and you will see why Australians and the rest of the world fall in love with Melbourne and Victoria:
• Savour international cuisine and the freshest regional produce at the Queen Victoria Market
• Enjoy aerial views of scenic Melbourne or the famous Twelve Apostles by helicopter
• Ride Puffing Billy, Australia’s oldest surviving steam railway
• Relax in style with a stay at Lake House in Daylesford, Victoria’s spa country
• Dine in the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant
• Meet the local wildlife; from little penguins on Phillip Island, to kangaroos and koalas at Healesville Sanctuary
• Indulge in world-class wines on the Mornington Peninsula
• Cheer with the crowd at an Aussie Rules Football game or a cricket match at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Working with MCVB
The Melbourne Convention +Visitors Bureau (MCVB) works to attract national and international conferences, incentive groups and meetings to Melbourne and regional Victoria.
The organisation is a partnership between the Victorian State Government, the City of Melbourne and private enterprise, offering an award-winning team with specialist skills in marketing and communications, sales, bid development, government partnerships, incentive travel programmes and corporate services.
MCVB provides free and comprehensive support for meeting and event planners, from the initial bidding stage for the event through to delivering and driving delegate numbers and has built a network of strong relationships with Federal, State and Local Government bodies, strategic industry partners and more than 270 MCVB members to provide an unrivalled service for conference and incentive organisers.
MCVB also provides international event hosts with a high level of knowledge and expertise in planning and compiling bid documents and support packages to win business events, tailoring its services to assist in every aspect of bidding, planning, marketing and delegate boosting to ensure the event is seamless and integrated.
MCVB staff can also provide extensive support to clients to ensure a successful business event, assisting with: location of suitable venues and accommodation within Melbourne or regional Victoria that meet specified criteria; provision of site inspection support; marketing tools such as visitor guides, maps and promotional material; and customised implementation of MCVB’s free Business Events Marketing e-kit, including a Smartphone app, Tablet app, Melbourne widget, online delegate boosting tool and electronic direct mail template.
For more information, contact;
Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau
Head Office
Tel: +613 9693 3333
Email: mcvb@mcvb.com.au
