SPEAKING at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting, chairman of the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB), Chris Barlow, announced that MCVB had achieved record-breaking results in the 2010-11 financial year. MCVB secured 245 business events last year, an increase of 37 per cent from 2009-10. “These events are expected to deliver 92,236 delegates to Melbourne in the coming years and generate in excess of $354 million for the state economy,” Barlow said.
“These figures represent an increase of 28 per cent and 32 per cent from 2009-10 respectively, which is an outstanding achievement.
“One of MCVB’s most significant wins in the 2010-11 financial year was the World Congress of Cardiology, which is one of the largest and most prestigious medical conferences in the world.
“The four-day Congress will be held in Melbourne in 2014 attracting more than 9,000 cardiologists and other health care professionals, generating an economic impact in excess of $36 million.
“MCVB also secured one of its largest incentive groups since the Incentive and Corporate Travel department was established in 2006 with the Amway India Leadership Seminar, which will see over 4,400 delegates coming to Melbourne in 2012. It is expected to generate more than $23 million for the state economy.”
Other key achievements for MCVB in the 2010-11 financial year were as follows:
• An increase of 72 per cent in the number of new leads generated
• An increase of 135 per cent in the number of incentive and corporate sales business events secured
• An increase of 43 per cent in economic impact achieved through business facilitated by MCVB’s Melbourne Meetings + Events Service
• An increase of 25 per cent in the number of events serviced by the Convention Servicing department
• An increase of 10 per cent in the number of attendees to the Asia-Pacific Incentives& Meetings Expo (AIME).