Find out why Melbourne’s conference culture puts it out in front for delegate attendance.
Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state, is not only a vibrant and exciting city but Australia’s most populous. It boasts unique, heritage and purpose-built meeting venues, is renowned for its cultural diversity, and enjoys a reputation as Australia’s food and wine capital.
World-class infrastructure and an extensive public transport network bolster Melbourne’s reputation as a top destination for business events. A 90-minute ride from the central business district and delegates can start to explore picturesque vineyards, rugged coastal landscapes, ancient rainforests and encounter Australia’s unique wildlife. This landscape of natural wonders is ripe for incentive programmes and for compelling additions to any conference itinerary.
Melbourne is also a global capital for arts, culture and sport, hosting internationally renowned events like the Australian Open and Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. Coupled with its multicultural heritage, the city is a culinary hub and business visitors can use their downtime to explore its world-class dining scene. Delegates can experience Melbourne’s coffee culture and thriving food markets.
The business events sector of course plays a key role in the overall economic ‘landscape’ of the state of Victoria, having recovered fast post-Covid. As the highest yielding sector in the state’s visitor economy, business events not only fuel tourism benefits like attracting international and national visitors, bolstering hotel occupancy rates and driving venue bookings; they deliver real economic and social impact for Victoria.
Over the past decade alone, events secured by the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) have injected A$2.7bn into Victoria’s economy and the trajectory for business events, according to the bureau, remains robust. Melbourne’s hosting of a range of international conferences and events connects Victorian businesses to the world, supporting knowledge sharing, innovation and investment.
And the MCB FY23/24 Annual Results show a positive trend: Over the past financial year MCB secured 215 business events worth A$252m for Victoria and over 109,000 room nights. MCB chief executive Julia Swanson, said the past year had been “transformative” for Victoria’s business events sector, further establishing the state as a leader in fields of health, science and engineering.
Outlook for 2025
The New Year is also looking positive, with 62 confirmed events already on the 2025 event calendar, which are expected to generate 156,000 hotel room nights. With the MCB continuing to drive short-lead business, this volume will grow.
Notable highlights of association conferences secured by the MCB include the International College of Neuropsychopharmacology World Congress 2025, the IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering & Engineering Management 2025, the 9th International Symposium on Life-cycle Civil Engineering 2025 and the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit 2025. Swanson notes that when planners bring their conferences to Melbourne, they are tapping into the strengths of the city’s world-class knowledge and innovation hub.
There is also a strong sector diversity across the events taking place across 2025. Melbourne is Australia’s largest and fastest growing capital city, with a highly skilled workforce, and investment continues to be made in its key industry sectors. These range from the energy, resources and environment sector, biotechnology and pharmacology, manufacturing, engineering and transport, to social and cultural and education sectors; and economics, finance and ICT.
Melbourne is in the top 5% of the world’s most innovative cities in the 2022/23 Innovation Cities Global Index by 2thinknow.
Big incentives
The city’s diverse culture, vibrant arts and music scene, and world-class sporting events, make Melbourne a coveted incentive travel destination and the MCB’s strong local relationships with industry suppliers can help clients develop relevant MICE programmes and bespoke itineraries.
The pipeline for China continues to grow in particular and, in April, Melbourne will host the Amway China Leadership Seminar for what is expected to be the largest incentive group ever held in Australia. Up to 15,000 delegates are expected in the city over six waves as Amway celebrates its 30th anniversary. They will take over the Melbourne Showgrounds and Royal Exhibition Building for six weeks for an event that could generate 37,000 room nights over nine hotels, achieving close to A$100m in economic impact
MCB has always had a strong presence across the Asia Pacific region, with team members in China, Malaysia and India working with planners to create unique programmes, while back in the city the Team Melbourne approach brings together key partners from across the city’s medical, academic and research sectors, helping to secure major conferences, such as the medical congresses already listed above.
Australia’s No.1
Melbourne secured the title of Australia’s number one city for delegate attendance in 2023, which was 40% higher than the next Australian city, according to the latest ICCA rankings. The report also ranked Melbourne as the number two destination for association meetings in the Asia Pacific region. The ICCA global ranking of 15th also puts Melbourne ahead of major cities such as Boston, Seoul, Bangkok, Istanbul and Tokyo.
Melbourne isn’t resting on its laurels and is continually pushing to reinvent itself. Some of the key venues and facilities contributing to that success include:
PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport recently completed a significant refurbishment, enhancing its conference and event offerings. Now with 16 newly renovated spaces, the venue is located just steps from Melbourne Airport’s terminals and is a smart choice for businesses looking to host meetings without the stress of travel logistics.
Sitting in the city’s east end, Melbourne Place boasts 191 rooms and suites bound together by urban luxury accommodation, exemplary dining experiences and boutique retailers.
Recently opened Lanson Place on the edge of the CBD is surrounded by tranquil green spaces and offers a Melbourne retreat with a range of hotel rooms and apartments. It is a beautiful base from which to experience the city’s top restaurants, theatres, sporting events and commercial centre.
1 Hotel is a brand where sustainability is front of mind, from its design to the facilities provided. Housed in the Seafarers development on the Yarra River, the 277-room hotel sits in the heart of Melbourne’s convention district. It boasts multiple dining venues, waterfront views and is set to open mid 2025.
The CBD’s and Southbank’s walkability is a winning feature. This compact city is easy to navigate and delegates can take advantage of a tram network which has free hop-on-hop-off routes.
The Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne are home to amazing plant collections such as camellias, rainforest flora, succulents and cacti. In addition to the diverse flora on display, visitors can also enjoy a range of activities – from punting on the lake to climbing Guilfoyle’s volcano and experiencing the serenity of the Fern Gully. The Aboriginal Heritage Walk is a great way to learn about Aboriginal plant uses, customs and ongoing connection to Country.Food & drink for delegates
Melbourne’s incredible culinary scene is exploding with new offerings including Chris Lucas’s Maison Batârd, a French inspired four-storey venue where a late-night supper club features a stage in the basement, two restaurant levels and a rooftop terrace.
Award-winning Melbourne chef Mischa Tropp known for his venue residencies and collaborative pop-ups, has launched a new Restaurant and Sports bar ‘Kolkata Cricket Club’ in partnership with Crown. Located within the Crown precinct, the venue’s inspiration comes from the old school Bengali cricket clubs and members bars in India.
Mornington Peninsula’s famed brewery, St Andrews Beach Brewery, has landed in Melbourne Park. Surrounded by iconic sporting venues, the new brewpub seats 350 punters with 30 taps pouring all the favourites alongside a casual pub-style menu. It’s the great spot to head before that big event.
Circl, a new restaurant in Punch Lane houses a 6,000-bottle cellar highlighting emerging, local and international wines.
TarraWarra Museum of Art, located in the picturesque Yarra Valley in Victoria, opens its doors to its new building, the Eva and Marc Besen Centre, from 4 March 2025. The Centre will be a dedicated place of learning and creative inspiration, with flexible event spaces.
More background information and advice and inspiration for planning corporate incentive programmes can be found on the MCB website.
Sustainability initiatives
The MCB’s Sustainability Strategy aims to encourage key stakeholders to make changes to limit their environmental impact as well as ensure their events are sustainable. Many international associations, of course, want to host events in line with recognised standards, so MCB has developed tools and resources designed to improve the sustainability, inclusivity and accessibility of event operations.
An interactive Melbourne eGuide showcases the city’s sustainable suppliers, products, and experiences, and through the Social Outcomes Strategy, MCB encourages event owners to incorporate specialised legacy concepts focused on delivering wider social and economic outcomes when hosting their events in Melbourne.
MCB also launched the First Peoples Engagement Guide – a resource designed to assist planners in creating culturally enriching business events and fostering positive social
