This week at the Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME) – which is owned by Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) – the convention centre and the bureau held a joint event to mark 60 years of MCB and three decades of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).
The event was attended by a variety of VIPS and stakeholders, including Victoria’s current tourism minister, Steve Dimopoulos, and former Victorian premier and current chair of the Victorian Convention and Event Trust, John Brumby AO, alongside former leaders of MCEC, Peter King, and Lee Harry, who is now the CEO of Tourism Victoria.
In terms of major milestones last century for Melbourne Convention Bureau, following its opening in 1966, Melbourne Meeting Mart was launched in 1983 to promote Melbourne as a conference destination and has gone on to become AIME. In 1991, Melbourne was named as one of the top 20 cities globally for international conferences and in 1996, Melbourne Exhibition Centre opened.
Since the turn of the century, Melbourne Convention Bureau has played a role in securing more than 4,000 events for the city, which have drawn 1.6 million delegates to Melbourne and injected nearly $7 billion into the economy.
With MCB’s help, Melbourne has broken new ground for Australia on the meetings and events front, hosting the likes of World Diabetes Congress in 2013, with more than 10,000 delegates, making it the largest medical conference that had ever been held in Australia at that time. The World AIDS Conference, held in Melbourne the following year, was even larger, with more than 11,500 delegates.
In 2025, Melbourne also hosted the largest ever inbound incentive for Australia, the Amway China 30th Anniversary Leadership Seminar, with 16,000 delegates.
“Over the past decade, Melbourne Convention Bureau has achieved remarkable growth and impact,” said MCB’s chief executive, Julia Swanson.
“We’ve secured world-class events, strengthened Melbourne’s reputation as a leading global destination for business events and delivered significant economic and knowledge legacies for Victoria.
“These achievements reflect the dedication of our team, the support of our partners and the vibrant innovation that defines Melbourne.”
Following the opening of Melbourne Exhibition Centre on February 14, 1996, the venue was expanded through the early 2000s, with the Melbourne Convention Centre opening in 2009 and a further expansion making its debut in 2018, transforming MCEC into the largest convention centre in Australia at 70,000m2.
In its first three decades, MCEC has provided a space and a platform for more than 20,000 events, generating millions of dollars’ worth of spend in the city and nurturing the local and global knowledge economy.
“Over the past 30 years, this venue has welcomed some of the world’s most preeminent forward thinkers, while at the same time showcasing Melbourne’s incredible culture,” said MCEC’s CEO, Natalie O’Brien AM.
“MCEC is woven into the fabric of Victoria and has evolved to become a core part of Melbourne’s identity.”
