Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Expansion Announced
October 28, 2014The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), Australia’s largest and busiest convention and exhibition center, received approval from the Victorian State Government for an expansion. The project expands the MCEC’s South Wharf precinct footprint to include new retail space, additional parking, hotel accommodations and multipurpose convention and exhibition facilities.
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust Chairman Bob Annells said, “The expansion business case has been in the pipeline with the Victorian State Government and stakeholders for some time, and we are grateful for their support. “The investment supports the ongoing work MCEC conducts with the Melbourne Convention Bureau to attract business events to Victoria, which are worth around $1.2 billion each year and generate 22,600 jobs.”
MCEC Chief Executive Peter King said the expansion proposal is in response to the changing business events industry, customer expectations and worldwide competition. “This highly anticipated announcement is huge news for the industry and Victoria and further strengthens our position as Australia’s No. 1 business events destination.
MCEC’s success has exceeded expectations following the Victorian State Government’s previous investment to build the new convention center, which opened in 2009. In the last 12 months MCEC recorded its most successful year in history, hosting 1,030 events with nearly 1.5 million visitors and generating more than $274 million for Victoria. The venue’s success is set to continue with record growth projected again this financial year.
MCEC is recognized globally for its excellence in event delivery and in the last 12 months hosted some of the world’s largest medical conferences including the World Diabetes Congress, World Congress of Cardiology and the 20th Internationals AIDS Conference.