Events already held at the venue include the annual Starlight Children’s Foundation fundraising dinner, the new immersive digital art gallery THE LUME Melbourne, and the return of in-person end-of-year celebrations for school leavers.
Notably, public consumer exhibitions will be returning to the building the weekend of 11-12 December, with Oz Comic-Con Homegrown already completely sold out and the One Fine Baby Expo running at the same time, with attendance anticipated up to 7,500 and 5,000 per day respectively.
As one of Australia’s major venues, MCEC is playing a key role in ensuring the safe return of events of scale under its industry-leading COVIDsafe practices, in turn helping to drive recovery for a sector that has been heavily impacted by the pandemic.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula also welcomes the return of large-scale public events made possible thanks to Victoria’s high vaccination rates.
“Victorians have rolled up their sleeves in their millions, and our high vaccination rates coupled with the preparedness of venues like MCEC to welcome big crowds in a COVIDSafe way make Oz Comic-Con a reality. Victoria is open, and there’s no better proof than thousands of people streaming through MCEC for exhibitions and experiences like no other.”
Peter King, Chief Executive of MCEC, said he is pleased to see events returning and generating economic activity for the wider events ecology of organisers, caterers, cleaners and logistics, to name a few. “At MCEC we are rightfully acknowledged as a standout venue for COVID-safety, which has resulted in a high level of confidence allowing a steady return of business events, exhibitions and conferences at MCEC,” he said.
“What better way to kick off our recovery than to welcome back long-term customers and some new faces too. These relationships are our lifeblood here at MCEC and it is so exciting to see our valued partners able to fill our building again.”
Gary Fitz-Roy, Managing Director of Expertise Events who manage Oz Comic-Con said getting to this point underlines the partnership approach MCEC has adopted during this difficult time.
“We have high praise for their team’s ‘can do’ attitude to navigating both important health requirements and the commercial realities of running a show. Oz Comic-Con Homegrown will feature all of the exciting elements that have made the event so successful in the past but with a focus on content from Victoria including guests, exhibitors and activations. With a show floor and schedule currently in the final stages of fine-tuning, attendees can expect a full weekend bursting with flavour.”
MCEC’s comprehensive VenueSafe Plan can be viewed here.
