Imagine diving into coffee culture and a diverse cuisine scene, engaging with Aboriginal arts and heritage, mingling with industry experts in Australia’s largest conference center, and toasting your colleagues at a local vineyard or distillery. It’s all possible when Victoria’s coastal capital of Melbourne is your base for meetings, events, and incentives.
“Melbourne is a dynamic and vibrant city with a high concentration of event venues, accommodation, dining options, and more,” said Julia Swanson, CEO of the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB). And it’s perfectly positioned for “bleisure” travelers — those interested in mixing business and leisure — and extending their stay. “As well as being Australia’s cultural and knowledge capital, Melbourne has a range of exciting experiences for event attendees to enjoy, all within just an hour and a half of the city center.”
Melbourne truly offers something for everyone. The city’s enhanced inclusivity and sustainability efforts, including Indigenous partnerships, an upcoming gender equality conference, and expert guidance on planning eco-friendly events, ensure Melbourne is also welcoming to everyone.
Convenient for Conferences
Make a checklist of requirements for your ideal conference destination, and you’ll likely find Melbourne ticks all the boxes.
The city is home to the highest concentration of conference facilities in Australia, including the 70,000-square-meter Melbourne Conference and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) — the country’s largest conference and exhibition center. Melbourne also has the largest hotel market in Australia, with more than 5,000 hotels (totaling 26,500 hotel rooms and counting) to choose from. Meanwhile, the city’s compact layout, pedestrian-friendly center, and reliable public transportation, including the world’s largest tram network, mean attendees can navigate the city with ease.
Hosting conferences in Melbourne also creates opportunities to connect through local culture, cuisine, sports, arts, entertainment, and outdoor activities, both in the city and its surrounding areas.
“MCB works with a range of partners who can provide corporate travelers and incentive groups with unique, engaging experiences guaranteed to bring a team together,” Swanson said. “Private tour company Localing provides urban adventures, exclusive masterclasses, and regional tours that allow visitors to explore the famous street art of Melbourne’s laneways, its vibrant coffee and dining scene, and hidden treasures of the city. Show Me Melbourne offers corporate tours that cater to a range of groups in the city and beyond, such as sports lovers walking tours or a journey through Melbourne’s history.”
While in the city, learn Melbourne’s coffee lingo while you network over a cup of “Magic” at the beloved Axel Coffee Roasters. Stretch your legs and check out some street art on a guided city walk. Deepen team bonds during a local cooking lesson. Or build your meetings around one of Melbourne’s major events, such as the Australian Open, F1 Grand Prix, or Melbourne Cup.
You won’t have to travel far to find additional activities to enhance the attendee experience. You can observe native Australian wildlife (yes, there are koalas and kangaroos!) at Healesville Sanctuary, sip local wine in Yarra Valley, soar above the Great Ocean Road on a scenic helicopter flight, enjoy a beach day and a dip in the hot springs at Mornington Peninsula, and much more, all within about an hour of Melbourne.
Sustainable Melbourne
A sustainable event is better for everyone — the attendees, the environment, and the host destination — and Melbourne is no stranger to creating sustainability strategies.
Here, you’ll find a variety of initiatives that encourage eco-friendly living, including a walkable city center, numerous greenspaces, single-use plastic bans, solar-powered trams, and a state-wide focus on renewable energy sources committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2045. Melbourne’s eco-efforts have earned the city a spot in the GDS-Index’s Top 40 most sustainable cities.
The facilities are no exception. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, a leader in hosting sustainable events, has been EarthCheck certified since 2009 and maintained Platinum status since 2023. It was also the first convention center in the world to earn a 6-Star Green Star environmental rating.
If it’s your first foray into planning sustainable conferences in Melbourne, the Melbourne Convention Bureau’s got your back. MCB prioritizes relationships with eco-minded suppliers and provides event planners with tailored tips to support their sustainability goals.
“MCB has developed a comprehensive Sustainability Planning Toolkit to assist event planners in creating business events that have a positive social, environmental, and economic impact,” Swanson said. “This includes planning and measurement tools to track impact, guides on carbon-neutral events, and an easy-to-use sustainable event checklist.”
MCB can also help planners incorporate the small details that make a big impact, such as lanyards made of recycled bottles and furniture made from sustainable cardboard, arranging the donation of leftover food from the event, and replacing printed materials with digital kiosks and signage.
First Peoples First
Melbourne is a modern, multicultural conference destination with a rich heritage. It’s important to understand the history here and acknowledge the Wurundjeri Peoples of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Owners of this land where the city now sits. Opening your event with a Welcome to Country is a great start, but there are several ways to show respect to and engage with Australia’s First Peoples.
To help ensure events positively impact the social outcomes of Victoria’s First Peoples and future generations, the MCB team offers expert guidance to Melbourne event planners. “MCB is proud of the Aboriginal heritage of Melbourne and Australia, and we assist event planners in incorporating this rich cultural tradition into their business events,” Swanson said. “Our First Peoples Engagement Guide offers direction on working with Indigenous suppliers and integrating cultural elements. Additionally, MCB partners with organizations that offer Indigenous-focused experiences, such as the Aboriginal Heritage Walk at the Royal Botanic Gardens.”
Next-Level Leadership
Hosting an event in Melbourne, a cultural and knowledge capital with access to an abundance of research facilities, brings you face-to-face with industry experts. Combine that with the city’s inclusive environment, and you have an ideal place to gather creators and innovators.
“Melbourne is a global leader in healthcare and medical research, and we are a top choice for experts in these fields hosting major international conferences,” Swanson said. “MCB has a strong focus on attracting business events that leave a lasting legacy on our city, as well as the broader industries and communities involved in these events.”
Inclusive international conferences in Melbourne offer the chance to network with global industry leaders and participate in community give-back opportunities while supporting diversity and inclusion efforts, from prioritizing accessible facilities (such as MCEC’s newly opened Changing Places facilities) and First Nations partners to empowering female leaders in male-dominated industries.
“In 2026, Melbourne will host the Women Deliver Conference, a powerful gathering of 6,500 attendees from over 170 countries to discuss gender equality,” Swanson said. “MCB secured the event for Melbourne on behalf of the Oceania-Pacific region, highlighting our city’s commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls.”
Melbourne and the state of Victoria also have a long history of welcoming LGBTIQA+ travelers. The Victorian Pride Centre is a quick 10-minute drive from the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and events such as the Midsumma Festival and the Melbourne Queer Film Festival offer opportunities to celebrate LGBTIQA+ arts, culture, and community.
Melbourne’s focus on inclusivity is a win-win for attendees and the destination, and the MCB team is always on hand for support. “MCB is committed to ensuring that the business events industry is a welcoming and inclusive space for people from all walks of life,” Swanson said. MCB assists event planners in considering inclusion in their events by providing resources and guidance on accessibility, promoting partners and suppliers who champion these values, and connecting event organizers with leaders in their fields from diverse backgrounds.
She continued, “Melbourne’s multicultural and inclusive environment makes it the perfect city for international conferences, and its commitment to diversity, safety, and accessibility make it a top choice for event planners wanting to prioritize intersectionality and celebrate cultural differences.”
Learn more about bringing your next meeting or event to life in Melbourne.
This content was created collaboratively by the Melbourne Convention Bureau and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.
