Melbourne, a preferred choice for Indian MICE travelers, is now leveraging its vibrant sports segment to attract even more MICE tourists. The city offers versatile venues and world-class facilities that seamlessly cater to both sporting events and business gatherings.
Julia Swanson, Chief Executive Officer of the Melbourne Convention Bureau, talks to T3 and highlights Melbourne’s unique advantage in the competitive MICE landscape, emphasizing the crucial role that major sporting events play in boosting the city’s attractiveness for business events.
Melbourne’s position in the competitive MICE landscape
What continually sets our city apart is our personalised Team Melbourne approach to hosting MICE events and bespoke itineraries which cater to the Indian traveller that rewards excellence and motivate teams. Yet for many, our city’s reputation as the sports capital of Australia, with its enviable sporting precinct, and host to world-class international events, like the Australian Open, Boxing Day cricket test, and the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
These major events attract a large number of visitors from around the world and in particular the Indian traveller. MCB’s integration into Visit Victoria gives it an edge over our local and international competitors in accessing these major events and generating opportunities for incentive groups that are new and immersive.
MCB also provides free advice and assistance, supplier recommendations for over 130 business event vendors, help with site inspections, whether it’s a group of 20 or 2,000+. Depending on group size and number of nights spent, MCB can offer financial incentives to planners.
Highlights of MICE venues & recent activities
The venues of these major sporting events are all available to host business events from CENTERPIECE at Melbourne Park home of the Australian Open which has capabilities to host everything from large-scale conferences and awards nights and gala celebrations, including five-star dining experiences, to Flemington Racecourse, home of the world-renowned Melbourne Cup Carnival and Victoria Racing Club and the Lexus Melbourne Cup.
The MCG, hallowed ground of Australian sports, is Australia’s largest stadium. The stadium holds over 100,000 people, and business event holders can impress delegates with the use of the scoreboard and LED ribbons.
The biggest event on the 2024 calendar for many Indian incentive groups to infuse into their itinerary would have to be the upcoming Boxing Day Test Match. Regarded as pinnacle of cricket in Australia and an absolute bucket-list item for the cricket and sporting enthusiast, this year’s Test promises to be the hottest cricket ticket in town as Australia vs India. We see several corporates planning their incentive and MICE groups to include sporting events and this year’s Test is guaranteed to be a highlight for incentive event planners and bound to attract several Indian cricket enthusiasts. The last time India played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) was 2020, and the ICC T20 World Cup in 2022 saw roughly 20,000 Indians travel to catch the action.
We also proudly have the highest number of conference venues in the country, all conveniently situated in the city centre. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) is a premier choice, with over 197,000 square meters of conference space available in the convention district. In addition to MCEC, there are more than 80 distinctive venues within Melbourne’s city centre.
Marketing & promotional strategies
India is a key source market for us and we’re steadily seeing increased business event interest out of there. MCB has in-market representation to strengthen local relationships with industry suppliers and focus on personal connections with clients to develop relevant and exciting MICE programs. We’ve also participated in business development missions to India in June with Business Events Australia, and I’m hoping to join another trade mission to India later this year also. We also host buyer familiarisation programs in Melbourne. Another key component to enhancing our city’s appeal has been the creation of a suite of marketing tools to promote Melbourne’s offerings.
Sustainability in the MICE sector
MCB offers business event planners a comprehensive online Sustainability Guide, full of practical tips, tools and checklists for those in the meeting and events industry to continuously improve the sustainability, inclusivity and accessibility of their operations.
We have produced two new interactive eGuides, the Latest interactive Melbourne eGuide, spotlighting the city’s sustainable suppliers, products, and experiences. Earlier this year we proudly launched the First Peoples Engagement Guide, a valuable resource aimed at assisting event planners in creating culturally enriching business events and fostering positive social impact.
MCB also partners with City of Melbourne and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), to participate in programs such as the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index). Thanks to this collaborative approach, Melbourne cemented its number one position as the top sustainable city in Australia for business events in the 2023 GDS-Index.
