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Think Melbourne for business events

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With a rich sporting history, having hosted the Olympics and on the pulse of cricketing action at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Marvel Stadium, the annual tennis spectacular at Australian Open, pulsating tracks of Formula 1 and the thrilling horse races at Melbourne Cup, there are plenty of inspirations for business event planners in Melbourne.

Uncover Melbourne, part of the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME), revealed the gastronomic and cultural offerings of Melbourne showcasing its year-round capacity to deliver successful Mice events.

Currently, business events are around 12 per cent of all trips to Australia, but from the response at AIME 2023, the largest MICE event in the APAC region, there is a strong buyers’ sentiment that will push business events’ visitor numbers beyond the forecast.

Towards that mission, Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) put together an impressive itinerary to wow the travel trade media and buyers on the sidelines of AIME 2023.

For a city known as the cultural and knowledge capital of Australia, the challenge is curation rather than
option.

Event planners will find the tools by MCB very handy. Deep dive into the 360-degree immersive virtual reality city tour with video commentaries to provide context of fantastic (and sustainable) business and social event spaces. An e-guide with up-to-date content, providing an insider’s perspective and tips for group activities. Explore the interactive journey planner that reveals how easily you can design around themes to unlock mesmerizing Melbourne experiences.

 

PORT PHILLIP FERRIES

An itinerary covering experiences on land, sea and air can start with Port Phillip Ferries that operate two purpose-built, 400-seat Australian-made 35m catamaran ferries. Onboard you’ll find a cafe serving fresh barista brewed coffee, snacks, and a fully licensed bar. Additional catering options to suit special occasions are available for charter departures. All vessels are fully accessible with a lower deck providing access to the café, bathrooms, and fabulous views from large panoramic windows. Complimentary Wi-Fi, electronic device charging stations provide plenty of amenities to ensure a pleasant passage to the onward attractions at Geelong or Portarlington.

 

JACK RABBIT VINEYARD

Our Port Phillip Ferries comfy sail took us in a little over an hour to the iconic Jack Rabbit Vineyard, a ‘must do’ destination of the Bellarine peninsula. The programme group was met on arrival by Wine Wheels to transfer the group to Jack Rabbit. Once we reached, cameras took over as the panoramic hilltop view of the bay was eye-popping, and guests wouldn’t stop clicking. The experience is uncorked with a guided wine tasting of the vineyard’s acclaimed and sophisticated cool climate beverages. What followed was a seated meal of some of the most delectable dishes using choicest local ingredients, including local herbs and kangaroo meat. Jack Rabbit definitely packs all the punches for a winning incentive group event.

 

MICROFLITE

Riding the high of Jack Rabbit’s gastronomic tour de force, our group was put in the hands of very smart pilots from Victoria’s premier helicopter operator, Microflite. The company offers a premium range of tours and charter flights on their modern fleet of iconic red helicopters, providing accessible, comfortable and well-equipped rides. Microflite pilots are highly trained and have the skills and certifications to fly in all conditions, at any time of the day. But what they don’t say on the brochure is their fantastic sense of humor, our pilot peppered the commentary on the brief flight back to Melbourne with anecdotes and trivia. Our group was super impressed with the bird’s eye view of Melbourne Cricket Ground, F1 track, Rod Laver Arena – and we were in no rush to get off even as the helicopter landed gently on the helipad right in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD. 

 


 

MELBOURNE CONVENTION BUREAU E-GUIDE

MELBOURNE Convention Bureau’s (MCB) freshly rolled out e-Guide features include how to create first class VIP experiences at iconic venues such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Flemington and Melbourne & Olympic Parks, how to weave your business event or itinerary program around one of Melbourne’s major events such as the Australian Formula 1 Rolex Grand Prix.

Event planners will also enjoy learning about Melbourne’s unique new venue offerings for major business events; benefit from an update on the city’s Accor properties; receive tips for hotels with excellent twin-share rooms to consider; and product and venue ideas to take their event to the next level.

MCB Chief Executive Officer, Julia Swanson explained the Melbourne e-Guide is an excellent example of the high-quality planning tools MCB produce for event owners, planners and delegates.

“We’ve received positive feedback on the first e-Guide’s useful content, easy-to-read layout, accessible design and itinerary mapping ability,” said Swanson.

The embedded interactive map in the e-Guide enables event owners, planners and attendees to seamlessly plan their trip and create custom itineraries for site inspections, delegate tours and pre-and-post conference travel, with the aid of videos, images, 360-degree experiences, product descriptors and hyperlinks.

Offering geographic location or category search functions such as Eat, Play, Relax, Conference and Caffeinate, the map is an effective way to familiarise users with how to maximise their time in Melbourne and even provides real time directional features accessible via mobile phones to help guide you through the city.

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