Spread the love

Lead times for business events in Melbourne have shortened markedly since the pandemic, and people are keener to meet and do business face-to-face than ever.

“We work on all sorts of lead times, but generally the larger congresses are bidding around six years in advance,” says Julian Swanson, chief executive of the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB).

“That’s decreased by about two years since before Covid. We’ve secured events out to 2028 but we are talking to clients up to about 2032.”

Clients choosing to hold business events in Melbourne are very satisfied with their experience – as are the delegates who attend the events.

Swanson says MCB studies “indicate 95% intend to return to Melbourne for leisure at some point in the future, which is impressive. People attending business events go out and get a taste of the city. They fall in love with it.

“Often, they don’t have enough time on their first visit, so they go home, tell family and friends, and then return, which is fantastic.

“What we are also seeing, with the increase of leisure, is that people are becoming very purposeful about their travel. They’re potentially travelling less, but when they do come to a conference, they’re invested, so they will stay longer. They tend to come earlier or stay longer, bring family members or friends and do pre- and post-touring into regional Victoria.”

Swanson spoke to Global Travel Media after the highly successful AIME 2025 trade show in Melbourne – Australia, and the region’s premier event for the business events industry.

“AIME provides the best opportunities in our region for industry to share knowledge, create meaningful connections and drive economic and social outcomes across our sector,” Swanson said.

“It’s the perfect platform for the entire business events industry to showcase their products and services to a targeted and informed audience.”

AT AIME, Swanson launched MCB’s ‘The Positive Impact of Business Events’ report, highlighting the immense value business events deliver to Victoria.

The report features case studies from business events in Melbourne over the past decade, demonstrating how these events have contributed to the Victorian economy and had far-reaching impacts in terms of technological advancements, community involvement and lasting legacies of change.

“The report demonstrates the undeniable value that business events bring in inspiring change, fostering social connection, driving economic growth, and creating enduring legacies,” Swanson says.

“Business events are transformative, both for everyone involved and the cities they take place in, and this report presents a fantastic opportunity to highlight the many advantages that decades of events have had on Melbourne and Victoria. Well done to AIME event managers Talk2 Media & Events for once again delivering a standout event in 2025, and to all our MCB partners in showcasing the vibrancy, innovation and business events capability of our city.”

Swanson points out that the tagline for Melbourne and Victoria is ‘Every Bit Different’ – which is all about Melbourne doing things differently.

“For the events sector, what that means is that we’re very creative; we’re very innovative in events and how we bring things to life. When doing business, we try to have some fun with it and focus on the delegate experience.

“At the core, Melbourne is a city made for events. The town is very walkable. All our stadiums and Convention Centre are in the downtown area, very close, a walkable precinct. And we have an incredible supply chain supporting business events and significant events.

“Our calendar of significant events like the Australian Open and Grand Prix spring racing and everything in between means we’re an event city. So we’ve got the infrastructure, but I think what’s also unique about Melbourne is that we’ve got that Team Melbourne approach, in that everyone involved in the event sector knows each other. We all work together to create unforgettable experiences.

“You know that when you come to Melbourne, you’re going to have a quality event with the right infrastructure and have an amazing delegate experience at the same time.”