Melbourne continues to lead the way as the preferred desti­nation for medical conferences in Australia, with the Melbourne Conven­tion Bureau securing a massive 48 medical events within the next five years.

Firmly placing Melbourne as a top global city for hosting con­ferences in the medical and health­care sector, this impressive number of medical con­ferences is expected to attract 38,000 delegates to the city, an injection of $225 million to Victoria’s local economy, and tremendous legacy oppor­tunities for invest­ment, colla­bo­ration and medical break­throughs into the future.

Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) Chief Executive Julia Swanson explained Melbourne’s global repu­tation as a power­house in medical research and inno­vation, combined with the Victorian Govern­­ment’s invest­ment in develop­ing Melbourne’s innova­tive medical precincts, has contributed to the city’s success as a top global desti­nation for hosting con­ferences in the medical and health­care sector.

“Excellent infra­structure and joint collabora­tions between universities, research insti­tutes and hospitals have created a city where the world’s brightest minds gather to inspire, innovate and create real change in world-leading research and develop­ment. When you host your conference in Melbourne, you are tapping into the strengths of our city’s world-class knowledge and innovation hub,” Julia Swanson said.

Melbourne has one of the largest and most innovative life science sectors in the world, with 40 per cent of Australia’s funding for medical research based in Melbourne, the highest proportion of people employed in the life sciences sector in Victoria, and the highest number of bio­thera­peutic companies in Australia.

Victoria’s commercial medical techno­lo­gies and pharma­ceuticals sector generates more than $12.7 billion in revenue, and the state’s life science sector is worth more than $35 billion. This is a significant indicator of Victoria’s leadership and influence and why Melbourne is an in-demand destination for global medical and healthcare conferences.

The upcoming Spine Intervention Society’s quadrennial SpineWeek in May is one of the 48 medical con­ferences coming to Melbourne and is expected to attract 2,250 delegates from across the globe and deliver around $14.7 million to the local economy.

Similarly, The Inter­national Congress of Genetics is expected to attract 3,000 delegates and deliver over $26.6 million to the local economy when it’s held in Melbourne this July. It’s a big win for the local accommo­dation sector, with over 19,000 room nights expected to be filled across just these two events alone.

However, the importance of events such as these is more than a one-off boost to the local economy, explained Julia Swanson. “Medical con­ferences provide oppor­tuni­ties for invest­ment, collabo­ra­tion and knowledge sharing, which can lead to signifi­cant break­throughs in medical research and advance­ments in the health­care sector,” she said.

Melbourne’s proven Team Melbourne approach, which brings together key partners from the city’s medical, academic and research sectors, has contri­bu­ted to the city’s success in securing these major medical con­ferences.

With the Victorian Govern­ment investing in major infra­structure such as the Melbourne Bio­medical Pre­cinct, the nation’s most important life science cluster and one of only five of its calibre in the world, together with the state-of-the-art, $206 million Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery – Australia’s first collabo­ra­tive, hospital-based bio­medical engineering research centre set for completion in late 2024, Melbourne’s star as a top global desti­nation for medical and health­care business events shines brightly.