Work Starts on New Melbourne Venue
By Gary Tufel -- Tradeshow Week, 5/29/2006
Construction has started on Australia's Melbourne Convention Centre, a venue that will be connected to the city's existing Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre by a glass atrium.
Bernadette Zaydan, MECC communications manager, said preliminary work has started on the site. The connecting atrium will allow visitors to move easily between the new and existing centers.
Rather than dedicated exhibition space, the new facility will feature a 5,000-seat plenary hall and areas for displays that are associated with conventions.
The convention center will also include a ballroom, a 59-foot high glass wall fronting the river and flexible seating. Plans call for 32 meeting rooms and a foyer for 11,000 guests.
Construction started after the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games in February, and completion is set for 2009.
Victoria Premier Steve Bracks said the new convention center would serve as a major new landmark, and generate revenue and jobs for the business tourism and retail sectors.
Minister for Tourism John Pandazopoulos said Victoria had already secured international conventions that together would draw 12,500 delegates and generate nearly AU $70 million (U.S. $54 million) in economic impact.
As part of the effort to attract new business to the MECC, Melissa Mac Court was appointed MECC director of sales, Clive Dwyer director of business development and Petrina Gillespie director of marketing. Previously, Mac Court was head of sales and marketing at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Dwyer worked for Tourism Victoria and most recently with Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.
The riverfront development plan also includes an office and residential tower, a retail promenade and a revitalized Maritime Museum. It will be built by the Multiplex/Plenary Consortium and the state of Victoria, which will contribute AU $370 million (U.S. $284.6 million).
