Melbourne to Host International AIDS Conference

Melbourne has secured the right to host the prestigious International AIDS Conference in 2014, the largest medical conference ever to be held in Australia.

Announcing the win, Victorian Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher said the International AIDS Conference was one of the most significant and esteemed conferences in the world, and was a major victory for Melbourne.

“This six-day event, which will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in July 2014, will generate $80 million for the Victorian economy and is expected to attract more than 14,000 of the world’s leading scientists, health care providers and political, community and business leaders,” she said. “Winning this conference for Melbourne is testament to Australia’s deserved reputation as an international leader in HIV/AIDS research and clinical care.”

Melbourne is home to 139 biotech companies, as well as some of the world’s leading medical research centres including the Monash University, the Alfred Hospital and Burnet Institute, which specialises in infectious diseases including the HIV virus.

“Holding a conference of this calibre in Melbourne will further assist medical researchers to deliver groundbreaking technologies in the fight against AIDS, with the aim to ultimately find a cure and an effective vaccine,” Asher said.

The win adds to a string of prestigious health-related events recently secured for Victoria, including the 23rd World Cancer Congress and the World Congress of Cardiology.