The new Melbourne Convention Centre, taking shape on the banks of the Yarra River, has already won Victorians 23 major opportunities to showcase Victoria’s strengths in research and innovation to the world.

Minister for Innovation, Gavin Jennings said the conventions booked for the new centre will create international exposure for Victoria’s strengths including the biotechnology industry and the new Australian Synchrotron.

“The Brumby Government’s investment in the convention centre is paying dividends because these conferences highlight Victorian research and initiatives. For example, the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium now secured for 2013 will highlight efforts to tackle climate change,” Mr Jennings said.

“The 23 conventions now secured for the new centre will bring 50,000 delegates to Melbourne and inject $327 million into the Victorian economy.

”The international delegates to these conventions help our economy when they eat at our restaurants and visit our cultural and tourism attractions.”

The new Melbourne Convention Centre is due to open for business in 2009. It will have a 5000-seat plenary hall, 32 meeting rooms and a ground floor cocktail space capable of accommodating 8400 people. It is the first convention centre in Australia to be awarded a 6-Star Green Star environmental rating.

The Brumby Government has committed $370 million toward construction of the new Melbourne Convention Centre, part of a development that will create a lively maritime precinct on the banks of the Yarra River.

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust and the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB) are responsible for winning business events for the new centre.

 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre chief executive Leigh Harry says it’s an exciting development for Melbourne.

“This significant tourism infrastructure investment is part of the Victorian Government’s agenda to grow the $1.2 billion business events sector and will pave the way for Victoria to further compete in the business events market, one of our fastest growing tourism sectors.”

The latest international conventions confirmed for the new Melbourne Convention Centre are:

2009

·         The Darwin Conference - 1000 delegates

·         Synchrotron Radiation Instrumentation (SRI09) - 800 delegates

·         International Conference on Coexistence between GM and non-GM based

·         Agricultural Food Chains (GMCC 2009) - 400 delegates

2010

·         Inaugural World Thinking Conference – 2500 delegates

2011

·         Congress of the Asia Pacific Hepato Pancreas Biliary Association (A-PHPBA 2011) - 500 delegates

2013

• IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS 2013) – 1000 delegates