The committee will work with both Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and the under-construction Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, which is set for a mid-2026 opening.
The newly announced panel members are Briar Harte, Nikhil Bora, Jess Price and Alex Stratikis who were appointed after an open expression of interest process.
Harte is an inclusive design specialist while Bora is an experience designer and co-founder of SignHow that created the first community-powered sign language dictionary.
“I’m looking forward to sharing my knowledge as a disability inclusion advocate and experience as a Mum with a disability,” said Harte.
“Too often I avoid events for fear of accessibility barriers, I look forward to helping make Melbourne events more and more accessible for families like ours.”
Price is the founder of Paradigm Makers, a consultancy which solves systemic workplace challenges and Strakikis is a tourism consultant and founder of the travel blog Autism Adventures Abroad.
“My goal is to help shift accessibility from something people have to ask for into something they can expect by design,” said Price.
VCET has been taking significant steps to make both MCEC and Nyaal Banyul as accessible as possible.
The operator launched an accessibility action plan in mid-2024, has trained its customer service team at MCEC through Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to recognise hidden disabilities and has achieved Limited Mobility Accessible Tourism Accreditation for MCEC. The Melbourne venue also opened a Changing Places facility this year.
Meanwhile Nyaal Banyul has been built taking Universal Design Principles into consideration to maximise its accessibility from its opening day. A Changing Places facility, high-contrast wayfinding, sensory rooms, augmented hearing assistance and fully accessible seating are all part of the offering at the Geelong convention centre.
VCET believes it is the first convention centre operator in Australia to appoint a permanent external accessibility advisory group.
“By actively engaging people with lived experience, we hope to ensure our facilities and services are truly inclusive and welcoming to all,” said MCEC’s chief executive, Natalie O’Brien AM.
“The Accessibility Advisory Committee members bring a wealth of knowledge, personal and professional experience to the table and I look forward to the progress we can make together.”
