Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher today announced that eight major congresses have been won for Melbourne, worth an estimated $23.5 million to the Victorian economy. 

The one national and seven international business events are expected to attract approximately 7,150 delegates from across the globe over five years and include: 

• International Conference on Care and Housing for the Ageing (IAHSA) 2013;
• IEEE International Conference on Power Electronics (ICPE) – ECCE ASIA 2013;
• Inaugural Broadband World Congress 2013;
• The MHS 2013 (The Mental Health Services Conference);
• International Symposium on Information Theory and its Applications – ISITA 2014;
• International Congress on Noise Control Engineering (INTERNOISE) 2014;
• Congress of the Asia-Pacific Federation of Coloproctology 2015; and
• AFMC International Medicinal Chemistry Symposium (AIMECS) 2017. 

Ms Asher said the wins followed the recent announcement that Melbourne will host the prestigious International AIDS Conference in 2014, the largest medical conference ever to be held in Australia. 

“These events highlight that major national and international businesses and associations continue to choose Melbourne for their events, bringing new visitors to the state with each meeting and presenting us with an invaluable opportunity to showcase the city and regional Victoria,” Ms Asher said. 

“They also provide an opportunity for experts from around the world to come together to share their research and to network in an Australian setting. The events also draw international recognition of the research and findings of the many Australians, and in particular Victorians, working in a variety of fields. 

“Victoria has so many areas of speciality – from science and technology to health and medicine – which is why the state continues to attract such a high calibre of events. 

“I congratulate the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau for securing these business events for Victoria and for all their hard work throughout 2011.” 

Ms Karen Bolinger, Chief Executive Officer of the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau

(MCVB) said the wins were an outstanding way to end the year. 

“All of these wins relate directly to the excellent standard of Melbourne’s conferencing facilities and also demonstrate the appeal of our city to major associations,” Ms Bolinger said. 

“Melbourne has developed a reputation as a world-class business events destination as a result of the city’s accessibility and state-of-the-art infrastructure, in particular the award-winning Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre where these events are scheduled to be held. 

“I would like to thank the Victorian Coalition Government and our industry partners for their assistance and support in winning these events, and of course throughout the entire year.” 

Acting Chief Executive of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Leighton Wood said they look forward to welcoming the delegates for each of these conferences to the Centre over the next five years.