VTIC and Melbourne Convention Centre partner to drive future for Victorian tourism and events

The Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) have announced a new industry partnership to support the tourism and business events sector, and its role in attracting national and international visitors to Victoria.

Both advocates for Victoria’s tourism and events industry, the initiative will see VTIC (Victoria’s peak tourism industry body) and MCEC collaborate on leadership and development opportunities for the sector.

Announcing the partnership, VTIC Chief Executive, Felicia Mariani stated “MCEC is a key player in the delivery of conferences and events and has a crucial role to play in attracting visitors to Victoria. We are pleased to partner with MCEC and look forward to working together to support the return and growth of events and tourism in our state.”

Natalie O’Brien, MCEC’s recently appointed Chief Executive, believes the partnership with VTIC offers a great platform to share knowledge, experience and a strategic approach to supporting tourism and events.

O’Brien explained “business events make a huge contribution to the Australian tourism sector, sometimes overlooked. Nationally, business events contribute around $36 billion to Australia’s economy. Pre-pandemic, MCEC alone contributed more than $1 billion to the Victorian economy, and we’re well on our way to that same level of impact.

“This partnership with VTIC ensures we can continue to promote the role of business events and help foster talent development and leadership in the broader tourism space.”

An important aspect of the partnership is MCEC’s support in delivering VTIC’s Vision Summit 2023.

To be held at MCEC on 2nd March 2023, VTIC’s Vision Summit will explore critical shifts in the tourism and events sector and also look to the future to determine how we maximise every opportunity on the horizon.

Mariani noted “without a doubt, our industry in Victoria has rediscovered its mojo - Vision Summit 2023 will consider what Victoria can do to ensure we stay ahead of the pack in our resurgence to global positioning as a destination of choice in Australia.”

Tourism Australia, a major partner alongside MCEC of the Vision Summit 2023, will update the industry on data and insights relating to industry recovery, while Visit Victoria will outline how these trends will impact Victoria’s strategies and initiatives. Other topics for the Summit include the importance of sustainability in destination choice, a key area of focus for MCEC, which has a sustainability strategy with a target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030.

The VTIC-MCEC partnership also supports the sector by sharing knowledge and experience and developing skills and expertise to train our leaders of tomorrow.

O’Brien added “VTIC’s Melbourne Tourism Leadership Program is a valued program, developing effective leaders not only for businesses like MCEC but also for the wider industry. We have several graduates of the program and are delighted to be supporting its continued delivery.”

Click here for details on the Vision Summit 2023 in the Australasian Leisure Management industry calendar.