Plenary at Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre (MCEC) saw a return to live music for the first time since March 2020, with renowned international singer and songwriter Ben Folds performing with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on Sunday January 31st and Monday February 1st. MCEC is now able to host events at up to 75 per cent capacity per event space, to a maximum of 5,000 attendees, following the implementation of stringent health and safety measures, seeing Ben Folds as the first live performer to return to the venue since Covid-19 restrictions were introduced.

Darren Waite, Director of Sales at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, said MCEC was excited to have Ben Folds and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as the debut for the return of live music at the venue.

“We were thrilled to welcome Ben Folds and the MSO as the first musicians to perform in MCECs Plenary since we closed our doors early in 2020″, he said.

“We welcomed on average 1600 attendees each night of the concert and received extremely positive feedback to our Venue Safe plan. It was fantastic to see such respect from attendees as they followed strict protocols regarding queuing, temperature checks and the use of QR codes”

“At MCEC we are incredibly proud to be acknowledged as a standout venue for Covid-safety, which means we can host world class performers like Ben, safely. We look forward to this being the start of return of business events, exhibitions and conferences at MCEC.”

Folds is widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our time; a renowned pop artist as well as a critically-acclaimed classical music composer, and best-selling author. Known for his musical versatility across the pop and classical genres, Folds has travelled the globe performing with some of the worlds best orchestras for over a decade.

“I grew up playing in orchestras, so being on stage with one feels like home to me,” Folds said.

Conducted by Benjamin Northey, Ben Folds with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra took places at the Plenary on Sunday 31 January and Monday 1 February.

MCECscomprehensive VenueSafe Plan can be viewed here.