Melbourne’s business events reputation has grown considerably in the past five years. Aside from hosting the annual AIME trade show each February, the city has landed a range of big conferences and incentives that has given it a solid pipeline of events to 2014 and beyond. The most recent of these big wins is the Amway India Leadership Seminar in 2012, which was announced in early March. This event will bring 4,000 visitors to the city and will be the biggest Indian group ever to visit Australia.
Creative skills
The city has also developed a solid reputation for creativity and a can-do attitude towards event planning. Karen Soo, CEO of Meeting and Exhibition Planners from Malaysia, put the city’s incentive planners to the test early last year when her European incentive was cancelled two weeks before delivery date due to the effects of the Iceland volcano ash cloud that covered parts of Europe.
“Two weeks is an impossible time to plan an event, yet I had to arrange an incentive for 53 high-end incentive winners who were very serious achievers in their field,” says Soo. “I chose Melbourne based on past experiences. I found the suppliers I contacted to be highly responsive with great communication, imperative considering the time frame.
“They turned my negative into a positive, using the confusion of the incentive winners – who had been preparing to visit Europe – to build them a ‘surprise’ programme that had them guessing every step of the way as to what was coming next. I knew what the organisers were arranging for the group and I was confident with their plan, but the delegates had no idea and were surprised the whole way. Where else can you normally do that and rely on the people delivering the event?”
New infrastructure
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre is the key element of the city’s MICE strength. While the centre’s sustainability credentials are a key strength (it touts itself as the world’s only ‘6 Star Green Star’ environmentally rated convention centre, it is the new hi-tech infrastructure that is equally important. The new convention facility has 52 meeting rooms, banquet hall, and a 5,550 sqm plenary hall that can be divided into three. Its largest meeting area seats 2,300 people. “Melbourne has made a huge investment in new infrastructure to attract Asian business events groups,” says Sandra Chipchase, CEO of Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCVB).
Accommodation has been another huge growth area in the city. “Conference planners are always happily surprised by Melbourne’s range of accommodation, there are so many properties to choose from across a range of budgets,” says Chipchase. The most talked about new property in the city is the Crown Metropol, which opened last April with 658 guestrooms. It is Australia’s largest hotel and the US$300 million project is part of the Crown Complex, which it is joined to by a skybridge. MCEC is also just across the road. Refurbished properties include Citadines, Grand Hyatt and Sofitel.
Asian connection
Asia is Melbourne’s primary source market for business events and the city is doing a lot to accommodate the needs of these international groups. “We have been handling groups from all over Asia for many years and so we understand what is required from a food and beverage perspective,” says Chipchase. “We are experienced in dealing with Asian groups and different cultures, we are excellent value for money based on the quality of product delivered and there are so many exciting places these groups need to know about.”