THE Victorian State Government announced today a proposed expansion of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) which will give the venue new retail space, additional car parks, hotel accommodation and multi-purpose convention and exhibition facilities.
MCEC has desired an expansion for a while now. In a 2013 interview with TTGmice, chief executive Peter King told the magazine that the venue had been running at 100 per cent capacity, making it a challenge to accommodate smaller meetings and exhibitions with a conference component.
In a media statement issued this morning, MCEC said nearly 20 per cent of new business opportunities are rejected due to the lack of available space.
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.”
Annells added: “The investment supports the ongoing work MCEC conducts with the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) to attract business events to Victoria which are worth around A$1.2 billion (US$1 billion) each year and generate 22,600 jobs.”
King said the expansion proposal is in response to the changing business events industry, customer expectations and worldwide competition, and believes that “the development will enhance the flexibility of the whole precinct and ensures MCEC continues to deliver world-class event experiences”.
Commenting on the expansion announcement, MCB CEO Karen Bolinger said: “MCB is currently working on a significant pipeline of opportunities for the next few years, therefore this investment by the Victorian State Government is very welcome news as it will enable both organisations to continue to deliver high-yield large-scale business events to the state for many years to come.”
MCEC hosted 1,030 events in the last 12 months, included high profile ones like the World Diabetes Congress, the World Congress of Cardiology and the 20th International AIDS Conference. The year’s events attracted near 1.5 million visitors and generated more than A$274 million for Victoria.
