The bureau secured 197 events for Melbourne and Victoria over coming years, which are anticipated to bring 100,500 visitors to Melbourne and generate more than 196,000 room nights. The event wins are worth an estimated $354 million to Victoria.
The year’s results represent a 74 per cent increase in economic impact compared to that generated by wins the previous year, however, Melbourne spent a good portion of the 2021-2022 financial year in lockdown and the global pandemic caused significant uncertainty for the events industry during that time.
“Melbourne’s business events sector has not just rebounded; it is thriving, having transitioned into recovery faster than anticipated,” said MCB’s chief executive Julia Swanson.
“We are now back on par with pre-covid levels, with further growth underway.
“This success is a testament to the collective effort and unwavering support from the Victorian Government, Visit Victoria, City of Melbourne, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, MCB Partners, and industry collaborators, emphasising the effectiveness of our ‘Team Melbourne’ approach in securing international business.”
Key wins during 22-23 included securing the World Chambers Congress 2025, the inaugural APAC Offshore Wind and Green Hydrogen Summit 2023, which has already been delivered, and the Amway China Leadership Seminar 2025, which will bring over 10,000 incentive delegates from China to Melbourne and be one of the largest incentive events the city has ever hosted. The Amway win was amongst 58 corporate and incentive wins for MCB, worth $77 million to the local economy.
In terms of events hosted during last financial year, Melbourne hosted 187 events, including mega conference, the Rotary International Convention in May this year. Events delivered injected $385 million into Melbourne and Victoria. In its annual report, MCB also indicated that all incentive groups visiting Melbourne also travelled to regional Victoria, expanding the geographical benefit each group.
