Melbourne shines for medical conferences

The city has garnered 48 events in the next five years.

Melbourne is expecting to draw 38,000 medical and healthcare delegates in the next five years.
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.

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