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Big year for Melbourne meetings
The Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) has achieved a 32% increase in economic contribution from secured business events in the 2013/2014 financial year from the previous year.
Chief executive Karen Bolinger said economic contribution reached an impressive $246 million from the 175 business events secured by MCB in the same year that saw Melbourne host three of the world’s largest and most prestigious health-related conferences won by MCB in previous years.
Bolinger said the organisation’s performance for the 2013-2014 financial year was a remarkable achievement for MCB in what was a challenging yet rewarding year when competition to secure business events was stronger than ever.
"Melbourne’s IQ strengths enabled us to secure four major international association conferences – the World Congress on Public Health, the World Congress on Intensive and Critical Care Medicine, World Engineers’ Convention and XIII International Congress of Dermatology – which will collectively contribute over $48 million to the Victorian economy from 2017 to 2021.
"By hosting the 22nd World Diabetes Congress in December and the World Congress of Cardiology and International Congress of World Federation of Hemophilia in May, an estimated $100 million was injected into the state’s economy from the 20,000 delegates in attendance."
Bolinger said that in addition to the international association market, international incentives had also been strong in the last financial year.
"2013/2014 saw MCB secure and host over 1000 delegates from Shin Kong Life Insurance Company in Taiwan, which was the first time in 10 years the company had decided to reward such a large incentive delegation outside of Asia."
Other major highlights for the 2013/2014 financial year included partnering with Tourism Australia to host Dreamtime in Melbourne for the first time in December; engaging Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb, as the official ambassador for Business Events Week in February; and launching of MCB’s new website in May.
Ian Jarrett
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