Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) has secured 48 medical conferences which will take place within the next five years.
The 48 medical conferences are expected to attract 38,000 delegates to the city, an injection of A$225 million (US$149 million) to Victoria’s local economy, and legacy opportunities for investment, collaboration and medical breakthroughs into the future.
Melbourne has one of the largest and most innovative life science sectors in the world, with 40 per cent of Australia’s funding for medical research based in Melbourne, the highest proportion of people employed in the life sciences sector in Victoria, and the highest number of biotherapeutic companies in Australia.
Moreover, the commercial medical technologies and pharmaceuticals sector in Victoria generates more than A$12.7 billion in revenue, and the state’s life science sector is worth more than A$35 billion.
“When you host your conference in Melbourne you are tapping into the strengths of our city’s world-class knowledge and innovation hub,” said MCB’s chief executive Julia Swanson.
The upcoming Spine Intervention Society’s quadrennial SpineWeek in May is one of the 48 medical conferences coming to Melbourne and is expected to attract 2,250 delegates from across the globe and deliver around A$14.7 million to the local economy.
Similarly, The International Congress of Genetics in July is expected to attract 3,000 delegates, and deliver over A$26.6 million to the local economy, when it’s held in Melbourne this July. It’s a big win for the local accommodation sector too, with over 19,000 room nights expected to be filled across just these two events alone.
The importance of events such as these is about more than a one-off boost to the local economy, explained Swanson. “Medical conferences provide opportunities for investment, collaboration and knowledge-sharing, which can lead to significant breakthroughs in medical research and advancements in the healthcare sector.”
The Victorian Government continues to invest in major infrastructure such as the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct, an important life science cluster and one of only five of its calibre in the world; as well as the state-of-the-art, A$206 million Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery – Australia’s first collaborative, hospital-based biomedical engineering research centre set for completion in late 2024.
