Vote for Melbourne in the World Travel Awards

The Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) is calling on members of the public to vote for the city in the 2014 World Travel Awards in order to retain its title as Australasia's Leading Meetings and Conference Destination.

As the winner of the same category in the 2013 Awards, Melbourne has automatically qualified to be voted Australasia's premier business events destination for a second year.

MCB's Chief Executive Officer, Karen Bolinger, said Melbourne is currently experiencing its most successful two years on record in terms of the number of international association conferences held in the city, which is testament to its ability to cater to the business events market.

“Conference organisers choose Melbourne because it has Australia's highest concentration of conference facilities located in the city centre and it's the nation's knowledge capital, home to preeminent researchers and academics,” Ms Bolinger said.

“This enables conference organisers to create rich content and attract speakers from our rich pool of local intellects to ultimately drive delegate attendance.

“Melbourne will be the first city in the world to host three of the largest and most prestigious health-related conferences in the space of a year - the 22nd World Diabetes Congress held in December 2013, the World Congress of Cardiology in May 2014 and the 20th International AIDS Conference in July – which is proof of the city's exceptional ability to cater to the meetings and conference market.”

Ms Bolinger said the conference experience is made complete by the range of activities available in Melbourne for delegates to enjoy in their down-time.

“Around every corner there is something to discover in Melbourne. Exploring the city's labyrinth of laneways and arcades or enjoying one of the many major events on offer such as the Australian Open Tennis Championships in January and the Spring Racing Carnival in November is just the beginning.

“Vote for Melbourne in the World Travel Awards to enable the city to retain its status as Australasia's Leading Meetings and Conference Destination and ensure conference organisers continue to choose Melbourne,” said Ms Bolinger.

The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. To submit your vote for Melbourne in the category of Australasia's Leading Meetings and Conference Destination, please visit http://www.worldtravelawards.com/vote-for-melbourne-2014. Voting closes on 20 July, 2014.