Melbourne is expecting to draw 38,000 medical and healthcare delegates in the next five years.
The Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) has secured 48 medical and
healthcare conferences in the next five years, and is expected to draw
38,000 delegates to the city and inject A$225 (US$152) million to
Victoria.
MCB chief executive, Julia Swanson, said that Melbourne’s global
reputation as a medical research and innovation powerhouse, and the
state government’s investment in developing Melbourne’s innovative
medical precincts, have contributed to the city’s success as a top
global destination for hosting such conferences.
Spine Intervention Society’s quadrennial SpineWeek (1-5 May 2023) was
expected to draw 2,250 global delegates and deliver around A$14.7
million to the local economy.
This July, the International Congress of Genetics aims to draw 3,000
delegates and deliver over $26.6 million (US$18 million) to the local
economy. Over 19,000 room nights are expected to be filled across these
two events.
The Victorian Government has invested in major infrastructure such as
the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct, the nation’s most important life
science cluster, together with the A$206 million (US$139 million)
Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery, Australia’s first hospital-based
biomedical engineering research centre to be completed in 2024.
Melbourne has one of the largest and most innovative life science
sectors in the world, with 40% of Australia’s funding for medical
research based there, the highest proportion of people employed in the
life sciences sector in Victoria, and the highest number of
biotherapeutic companies in Australia.