Australia an Aspirational and Motivating MICE Destination
From the financial multiplier effect of the Amway incentive group to the basic requirements of any Indian group, we get details on what the Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCVB) offers Indian MICE groups.
How has it been getting Amway India to come on board for the conference?
Amway is a large international corporation and we have dealt with Amway China, Indonesia and other Asian groups in the past. It’s really about addressing the cultural differences and the expectations that our Indian colleagues may have. When we pitch for the business we have to sell Australia as an aspirational destination to make sure that it’s motivating enough for people from Amway to come here. Once they have decided on Australia then we have to go into pitching ourselves against other destinations and states in the country. We were up against Sydney and our biggest plus point is that we can accommodate the group in one wave. The MCG was also very appealing and this is the first time we are going to have such a large group on the hallowed turf. Philip Island was closed and used exclusively for the Amway group. It is all about offering something that no one else can do and Melbourne works well together as a destination to get these things to happen here.
How have the figures been for business tourism from India?
We have over 6,000 recorded business visitors coming to Melbourne from India. We are getting more and more business from India but they are usually small groups at this point. The group size ranges from 100250 from Asia specifically. We calculated the economic impact and multiplier effect of the Amway group on the city and it works out to around AUD 21 million and this does not include shopping.
What are the usual Indian MICE trends that you have seen?
The usual programme ranges from 4-5 days and some might include dual cities. Usually, Indians club a city and regional experience. They come into the city and then might do some business sessions, sightseeing, shopping, and then go for some regional touring. The key regional touring includes, Philip Island, sovereign hill and the great ocean road. There are some cultural differences with an Indian group, especially their habit of eating dinner late at night, but Australia is a very adjusting and welcoming country. Indian groups prefer Indian and vegetarian food.
What is the role of the Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau? What according to you makes the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre stand out from the rest?
Ours is not a profit organisation. Partially funded by the government and working with 260 partners, we work to attract large international conferences to Melbourne. The convention centre is one of our partners and they are the biggest recipients of the business we get. We sell the big picture and not the minute details. A major part of our role is connecting our members, blocking hotel rooms, putting the itinerary together for something that is fairly close to what they might want to do. We also work with the corporate to find an inbound tour operator or help facilitate those requirements. We also connect with a special event organiser and help facilitate through customs, immigration and help with the visas. We look at all kinds of groups but we like to work with a minimum group size of 50 people. We also work with Indian tour operators and travel agents. The Melbourne Convention Centre is the first 6-star green star convention centre in the world. It’s Australia’s largest convention centre and not many Centre’s are as well located as this one. We have 5,000 rooms surrounding this Centre that are at a walkable distance. They have 52 meeting rooms and Australia’s largest Plenary hall which seats 5,500 people and can be broken down to conduct banquet meetings also. It’s partly owned by the state government under a publicprivate partnership.