The Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCVB) has overcome strong competition from Sydney and Singapore to secure the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Asia Pacific Annual Conference and Exhibition for Melbourne.

 
Host venue: MCEC

MCVB CEO Sandra Chipchase said the win marked the first time the event would be held in Australia.

The conference, to be held at the Melbourne Convention Centre in 2011, is expected to attract 2,000 delegates to Melbourne, generating an economic impact of more than $8 million for the Victorian State economy.

“In addition to the tourism and financial benefits generated by conferences and meetings, securing important Business Events such as the four-day HIMSS Asia Pacific Conference helps to reinforce Melbourne and Victoria’s position as a leader in the fields of medicine and health,” Chipchase said

“The conference will be attended by scientists, physicians, nurses, senior managers, healthcare administrators, IT professionals, academics and researchers associated with the fields of healthcare and technology management.

“Given that almost half of convention delegates visiting Melbourne stay on after their event to explore Victoria, we also look forward to the benefits this will drive for our regional communities,” Chipchase said.

There are now 63 international Business Events confirmed for the Melbourne Convention Centre, which opened in June 2009.

“More than half of our international wins have been related to medicine and health due to the promotion of Melbourne’s expertise and leading infrastructure in these areas, as well as the involvement in the bidding process of our Club Melbourne Ambassadors, who are award-winning leaders in their fields,” Chipchase said.

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre CEO Leigh Harry said: “We are delighted that the Melbourne Convention Centre has been chosen as the venue for the HIMSS Asia Pacific Annual Conference and Exhibition in 2011.

“Conferences such as this provide Melbourne with an invaluable opportunity to meet and share knowledge with international experts in their fields, in this instance; healthcare and technology,” Harry said. “We look forward to welcoming all delegates to Melbourne.”

The HIMSS is a network of more than 20,000 like-minded professionals and more than 350 member companies and organisations.

HIMSS Asia and Middle East Vice President, Steven Yeo, said the aim of the annual conference was to present symposia and plenary sessions designed for the future development of healthcare IT systems and technologies.

“HIMSS Asia Pacific is working in the region to lead change in the healthcare information and management systems field through knowledge sharing, collaboration, innovation and community affiliations.”

Past HIMSS Asia Pacific Annual Conference and Exhibitions have been held in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Singapore, with China and Korea set to host two events in 2010, due to extra demand.