MCI, the world’s largest global meeting and event management agency with 1,500 staff in 47 offices in 23 countries has merged with Tasmanian based Convention Wise in a move that over time will bring significant economic and employment benefit to Tasmania’s meetings and events industry.

Convention Wise (formerly known as Mures Conventions and situated in the Mures restaurant complex at Constitution Dock, Hobart) has been a part of the convention tradition in Tasmania for over twenty years.

Owner Phil Holmes AMM, AFMEA is well known as the former Tasmanian Chair of Meeting and Events Australia and for his long service as a national director of that peak industry body.

MCI has had a small office in Tasmania since 2009 to both assess the importance of this unique destination and to service some of its larger clients like The Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand and the upcoming National Family Law Conference to be held in Hobart in October 2012.

Merging with Convention Wise allows MCI to support much larger conferences in Tasmania and introduce premium MCI services including corporate special events, incentive travel and destination management.

MCI Australia managing director Ray Shaw AMM, AFMEA said “We now have the operations talent on the ground to deliver up to 1,000pax meetings to Tasmania—Phil Holmes and the crew now have the support of our 60 plus Australian team and the rest of MCI’s world talents and product practices”.

“Phil’s impressive meetings industry experience will be a good fit in his new role as a director and member of MCI’s Australian Management Team” he added.

Phil Holmes said that Tasmanians can be justifiably proud of Convention Wise’s impressive track record but the merger allows it to significantly expand Tasmania’s meetings potential and expose it to MCI’s global standards.

“Our current clients will benefit from MCI’s global strength and experience and Tasmania will gain greater opportunities from the international exposure associated with this global company” said Holmes.

MCI Group is based in Geneva, Switzerland and entered Australia in 2010 via a merger with Australia’s premier meeting and event management company Event Planners Australia. In 2011 they merged with corporate events specialist Avanti Events and have doubled both their staff and turnover despite global economic conditions. MCI has offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney and is looking for merger partners in both the remaining Capitals as well as acquisitions in existing cities.