Destination Spotlight – Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne is the place where creativity and innovation come together to deliver great events, exciting places to explore and cutting-edge advancements that are globally acclaimed.

It’s vibrant. It’s sophisticated. It’s distinguished. It’s progressive and so very unexpected. This welcoming city offers a multitude of ever-changing and exclusive experiences to accommodate every business event and delegate.            

Crowned ‘Oceania’s Leading Meetings and Conference Destination’ at 2021 World Travel Awards, for the eighth year running, Melbourne offers international associations and professional conference organizers the highest concentration of conference facilities in Australia, including the iconic Melbourne Convention and Exhibitions Centre – one of the largest event spaces in the southern hemisphere.

This world-class business events destination has an enviable city-wide collaborative reputation supported by an innovative and sustainable event supply chain, quality accommodation and WOW experiences unique to Melbourne.

Its infrastructure paves the way for highly successful business events and corporate incentive groups. The compact city is easy to navigate and invites delegates to discover its creative culture, expressed in its food, fashion, events, arts and music scene. Or for those wanting to explore further afield, the unique natural beauty of regional Victoria is just a short trip away.

Melbourne continues to be a major drawcard for many international associations. Currently, 123 international and national business events are confirmed from now till 2028 worth more than $803 million and expected to attract close to 134,000 delegates filling over 385,000 room nights across the city.

For the many international associations that have chosen Melbourne for their conference, it’s often said access to the city’s world-leading research institutes and connections to academics, enables powerful knowledge sharing at their event and significantly contributed to breakthrough legacies that help shape the future of their industry.

This is supported by Victoria’s lead agency for acquiring and delivering business events, the Melbourne Convention Bureau’s (MCB) Knowledge Partnership Program.  Among its collaborators are the Doherty Institute, AusBiotech, the Burnet Institute, Bio21 Institute, Swinburne University, RMIT and Melbourne Connect.

So right now, as travel is starting up across the region, it’s the best time to start planning your event in this captivating city where greatest minds meet.

Victoria has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world, with over 90 per cent of its eligible community fully vaccinated. The city is operating as a vaccinated economy which allows business events of all types, from conferences to trade exhibitions to take place.

Health and safety remain paramount and with mandatory vaccinations for attendance at events, a level of comfort to venues, event organisers and delegates is ensured. Every venue has its own COVID-safe plan which provides clarity to planners. The guidelines are clear, and it’s easy to do business.

Melbourne’s hotel boom continues with world class accommodation open for new bookings in 2022 and beyond providing exciting new options for professional conference organisers and associations, looking to host their next conference in Melbourne. From the Oakwood Premier Melbourne – the first Oakwood Premier hotel in Australia, the Hyatt Centric by Hyatt boasting spectacular views across Melbourne’s Yarra River and with the hotly anticipated Ritz-Carlton – destined to be an attraction in its own right as the tallest hotel in Australia when it opens in 2022.

Opening in 2022, the hotly anticipated The Ritz-Carlton will take centre stage in the city skyline – pegged to be one of the tallest hotel in Australia. Featuring 257 luxury guest rooms and suites with quality finishes, guests will enjoy state-of-the-art bathrooms, breathtaking views, luxurious amenities including day spa, restaurants and bars, concierge services, function rooms, business centre, 500-seat grand ballroom, and outdoor garden terrace.

Event planners will delight in the classic and sophisticated meeting and event spaces total 2,781sqm, and include The Ritz-Carlton Grand Ballroom, inspired by the Great Hall of the National Gallery of Victoria, complete with expansive pre-function space, 7m high ceilings and impressive floor to ceiling feature-window.  

This is one hotel that will certainly be a showstopper. Upon arrival guests will enter the hotel lobby via the porte-cochere and take a direct elevator straight to the hotel’s sky check-in on level 80, where breathtaking panoramic views across Melbourne’s CBD and beyond can be enjoyed.

CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park is Melbourne’s newest events space. Located in the heart of the city’s bustling sporting and entertainment precinct, also home of the Australian Open Tennis Grand Slam Tournament, CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park has been designed with conference and events in mind.

Designed to offer a complete conference centre within one venue, expect logistics to be easy and space to be state-of-the-art with quality finishes throughout. Its 2,000 sqm pillarless ballroom will offer spectacular views of the Melbourne city skyline through its expansive windows and outdoor terraces. Once completed, this will be the perfect venue to host cocktail parties for up to 3,000 guests, a dinner for up to 1,400 guests or a boardroom event for as little as 10 guests. With 15 breakout rooms, including an auditorium that will seat 250 guests, CENTREPIECE exudes flexibility. Built with ultimate flexibility, this impressive three-story venue has capabilities to host events small and large, including intimate dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, gala awards evenings, tradeshows and more.

Immerse your next event in Australia’s new Digital Art Gallery only in Melbourne. THE LUME Melbourne located at Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre, is a multi-sensory experience and epic adventure into art and digital projections on an unrivalled scale. Unlike traditional events, additional styling and entertainment aren’t required within as your event becomes one with the immersive art that takes over all the senses, and projections which reach four storeys tall. An event at THE LUME Melbourne will remain an unforgettable experience for all your guests.  THE LUME Melbourne offers a range of exclusive event packages including thoughtfully curated menus, sound, and tech support to help you create an unforgettable multi-sensory event experience.

This is a really exciting offering, perfect for incentive groups and the varied spaces both indoor and outdoor across site cater to a variety of business events.