Melbourne to Host Eight Major Congresses

 Louise Asher

Victoria’s Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher has announced that Melbourne has won the right to hold eight major congresses, worth an estimated $23.5 million to the state economy.

The one national and seven international business events are expected to attract approximately 7,150 delegates from across the globe over five years. They include the International Conference on Care and Housing for the Ageing (IAHSA) 2013; IEEE International Conference on Power Electronics (ICPE) – ECCE ASIA 2013; Inaugural Broadband World Congress 2013; The MHS 2013 (The Mental Health Services Conference); International Symposium on Information Theory and its Applications – ISITA 2014; International Congress on Noise Control Engineering (INTERNOISE) 2014; Congress of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Coloproctology 2015, and AFMC International Medicinal Chemistry Symposium (AIMECS) 2017.

The wins follow on from last year’s announcement that Melbourne will host the prestigious International AIDS Conference in 2014, the largest medical conference ever to be held in Australia.

“These events highlight that major national and international businesses and associations continue to choose Melbourne for their events, bringing new visitors to the state with each meeting and presenting us with an invaluable opportunity to showcase the city and regional Victoria,” Asher said.

“They also provide an opportunity for experts from around the world to come together to share their research and to network in an Australian setting. The events also draw international recognition of the research and findings of the many Australians, and in particular Victorians, working in a variety of fields.”

Karen Bolinger

According to Karen Bolinger, chief executive officer of the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB), the wins were an outstanding way to end 2011.

“All of these wins relate directly to the excellent standard of Melbourne’s conferencing facilities and also demonstrate the appeal of our city to major associations,” she said.

“Melbourne has developed a reputation as a world-class business events destination as a result of the city’s accessibility and state-of-the-art infrastructure, in particular the award-winning Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre where these events are scheduled to be held.”