Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) contributed over $383 million to the Victorian economy over the last financial year, hosting 349 events and welcoming 1.6 million visitors, including the welcome return of international delegates.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos last month tabled MCEC’s annual report for the 2021/22 financial year, demonstrating a growing demand for the return of events.
“Meetings, conferences and exhibitions attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to Victoria each year, increasing accommodation bookings and delivering a buzz of activity in our restaurants, bars, shops and tourism attractions,” Minister Dimopoulos said.
“Melbourne is a premium business events destination and it’s great to see planners and key decision makers continue to choose Victoria for their business events, supporting businesses and jobs right across the state.”
MCEC’s event numbers, delegate attendance and economic impact for the year continued to trend up after the venue reopened to events in earnest in late 2021, which MCEC chief executive Peter King said that as a business, MCEC didn’t sit still but doubled down.
“We’re now starting to see the demand for meetings and events bounce back much stronger than initially anticipated, which means we can continue to play a key role in Victoria’s economic growth,” King said.
“We can be confident these results are a sign of things to come, as we maintain momentum toward our future return to the record-breaking revenue and impact we had in the year prior to COVID-19.”
Highlights during the financial year included the national NAIDOC Awards, Oz Comic Con, Melbourne Art Fair and the Good Friday Appeal’s annual Kids Day Out, which attracted more than 80,000 visitors and helped raise a record $22 million for the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Early 2022 also saw the return of the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME), marking the first international tradeshow hosted in Melbourne following the reopening of international borders.
During the year, MCEC continued its sustainability efforts, launching a new five-year strategy and a commitment to achieve net zero carbon emission by 2030, as well as donating more than 6,000kg of food through charity partner, OzHarvest.
The year reinforced the industry leadership status of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust, who manage MCEC, with the announcement they will expand and operate the future Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre, opening in 2026.
