500 eventprofs expected in person, in Melbourne, for July's MEA’s Evolve 2021

Australia’s conference for event professionals, Evolve, will take place in Melbourne, 1 July,  Melbourne supported by major partners, Melbourne Convention Bureau, Accor and EventsAIR. The conference theme this year is ‘Building Confidence through Best Practice’ and content has been developed, organisers said, from feedback taken from an industry survey conducted by MEA in December 2020. Now in its 37th year, the Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) industry association’s one-day event will be hosted at Sofitel Melbourne on Collins and include 18 plenary and concurrent sessions, including a welcome networking function the evening prior. Satellite venues will support in Sydney and Brisbane, along with a virtual hub through the OnAir 3D platform. To conclude, the annual MEA Awards Dinner will recognise excellence and exceptional achievement in the sector through an extraordinarily challenging year. “We want the world to know that Melbourne is open for business and the best place to host events. We are totally committed to bringing back the buzz to our city and supporting local jobs,” said City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp. MEA chair Nigel Collin said the association hoped to see in excess of 500 event professionals from across Australia and New Zealand attend in person in Melbourne. “People are eager to get back to what they do best, face to face events. The industry is looking for leadership and support through recovery with relevant and timely information. Evolve is here to deliver that through its programme.” MCB chief executive Julia Swanson said; “Actions speak louder than words. If we’re really serious about driving recovery of our sector, we need to lead by example, and reconnect and re-engage in-person at business events. With that front of mind, we look forward to seeing the events sector gather here in Melbourne at the live hub of Evolve 2021.” More information: evolve2021.com.au