MCVB’s 2012/2013 Strategic Business Plan Revealed

The Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau’s (MCVB) Chief Executive Officer Karen Bolinger officially launched the organisation’s 2012/2013 Strategic Business Plan at IMEX this week.

The plan, which centres around the organisation’s vision of Melbourne becoming globally recognised as the world’s premier city for business events, also aims to have MCVB acknowledged as a thought-leader, an innovator and driver of significant economic impact to the city, state and country.

Ms Bolinger said the multi-layered strategic plan had been developed in consultation with clients, stakeholders and staff at all levels of the organisation, which has resulted in a comprehensive, cohesive document that clearly sets the direction for the future.

“We have reassessed who we are as an organisation and what we want to achieve, and in-line with this we have worked hard to establish what we are doing well and what we want to do better,” she said.

“Over the last few years the landscape of business events across the globe has changed significantly, with many cities, governments and countries recognising the value of business events beyond delegate numbers and economic impact.

“As the economic and competitive landscape changes, the strategic direction of MCVB needs to move with it and this new plan has been developed to identify how we can remain competitive on a global stage.

“The six strategic projects provide us with a platform on which to build a focussed organisation with a set direction. We’ve got rid of the clutter and in some instances redirected our resources in order to streamline our activities to deliver us better conversion across the board and ensure our clients, stakeholders and staff are all engaged.”

Ms Bolinger added that the MCVB team was looking forward to achieving the goals they had set for themselves.

“Provided these strategic projects are effectively executed, there’s no doubt MCVB and Melbourne will be positioned extremely well for the future,” she said.

(Source: etravelblackboard.com)

Melbourne to host World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development in 2014

In an important endorsement of Victoria as a leader in social welfare reform, Melbourne has won the right to host 2000 delegates from around the world at the Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development in 2014.

Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher announced the win for Melbourne today.
“This conference will not only deliver valuable tourism dollars to the state, it will also provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the extensive work undertaken in Victoria in the development of social welfare policy and service delivery,” Ms Asher said.

“This important event for Victoria will attract 2000 delegates and inject an estimated AUD $7.6 million into the state’s economy.”

Minister for Community Services Mary Wooldridge said the conference would be of great benefit to Victoria, which is highly regarded across Australia and internationally in the area of social policy.
“It will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the extensive work undertaken in Australia and more particularly, in Victoria, in the development of social policy, education and service delivery,” Ms Wooldridge said.

“It will also ensure Victorian social workers have the opportunity to learn from their counterparts from across the world.”

Chief Executive Officer of the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau Karen Bolinger said the Conference would be jointly hosted by the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) and International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW).

“The Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau worked with Professor James Angus, the Dean of The University of Melbourne, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences to secure the Conference for Melbourne in 2014,” Ms Bolinger said.

“Professor Angus is an Ambassador for Club Melbourne, a program of 134 local leaders in academia, science and business who assist in securing business events for Melbourne, and this bid win demonstrates just how important their role is in this process.”

Professor Angus said the conference in Melbourne would facilitate an in-depth investigation of critical world issues.

“These include social protection, the social impact of natural disasters and economic crises, and all the really important health and social concerns that face us as a society,” Professor Angus said.

Peter King, Chief Executive of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre where the event will be hosted, said, “We look forward to welcoming professionals in the important fields of social work and social development to our facility for this four-day conference.”

(Source: etravelblackboard.com)

World’s Leading Magnetic Resonance Specialists to Convene in Melbourne

More than 5000 clinicians and scientists from over 50 countries around the world specialising in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will convene in Melbourne for the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine’s (ISMRM) 20th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from Saturday.

The ISMRM is a world‐wide multidisciplinary society dedicated to the development and application of all aspects of magnetic resonance to medicine and related fields.

The 2012 Annual Meeting will build on the established position as the premier event in its field, providing challenging state‐of‐the‐art programs for both clinical and basic scientists.

“The 2012 ISMRM meeting in Melbourne will see highlights of the most important interactions between physicists, engineers, and physicians that have translated scientific discoveries to patient care,” said Roberta A. Kravitz, ISMRM Executive Director.

This year, under the Program Direction of James G. Pipe, Ph.D., of Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, the ISMRM 20th Annual Meeting & Exhibition will offer a diversified seven-day educational and scientific program. 

A key highlight of the program will be a lecture presented by Dr. Paul Bottomley who was the first physician to perform a localised Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) in a human heart and brain and has authored over 170 peer-reviewed papers.

Karen Bolinger, Chief Executive Officer of the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB), which won the Meeting for Melbourne, said she, along with her colleagues at the MCEC, were looking forward to welcoming delegates to the city.

“Melbourne has so much to offer delegates visiting for a business event and we certainly hope those attending the ISMRM 20th Annual Meeting & Exhibition will take full advantage of their spare time to explore the city’s intricate laneways and dining hotspots.

“Holding an event of this calibre in Melbourne reaffirms the city’s reputation as a centre of excellence for research and development in the medical, science, business and financial industries.”

New Dates Announced for AIME 2013

Organisers of the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME), Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), have announced new show dates for AIME 2013, which will now take place on the 26 and 27 February 2013.

Previously announced March 2013 dates have been revised as exhibition space at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) became available in February when the show is usually held.

Sally de Swart, RTE's Director for AIME, said the change of dates has been well received following collaboration with key buyers.

"February best suits the industry diary and allows AIME to remain the first meetings and incentives event on the year's calendar, so we're really happy with the revised dates for the 2013 show," Ms de Swart said.

Karen Bolinger, Chief Executive Officer of the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB), which owns AIME, said she was pleased that space had opened up at the MCEC.

"Over the last two decades, AIME has traditionally been held in February, so we are delighted that the revised dates will ensure the show is consistent with previous years," Ms Bolinger said.

AIME 2013 will bring together exhibitors, Hosted Buyers and visitors from the meetings and incentives industry from around the world to network and do business over the two-day event.

AIME organisers are now taking bookings for exhibitor space, with 50 per cent of the floor space already committed for 2013.  Exhibitors are urged to secure their space early to ensure they do not miss out by contacting Stephanie Rowen, Sales Manager on +61 2 9422 2470 or via email  stephanie.rowen@reedexhibitions.com.au.

For more information on AIME 2013 visit www.aime.com.au.