Jeff’s Shed thriving after expansion

By Alex Dalziel

One year on since the 20,000 sqm expansion to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) at South Wharf, business is booming.

Last month, MCEC celebrated its 10th anniversary, as well as one year since the unveiling of its new expansion space built in partnership with the state government.

Last year’s $205 million expansion project brought the building’s capacity to 70,000 sqm, adding new meeting rooms and banquet rooms, as well as expanding the size of the exhibition hall.

Since the official opening in July 2018, MCEC’s new venue has hosted 247 events.

According to the state government, MCEC’s economic impact has grown by 12 per cent year-on-year, with business events becoming the highest yielding sector for event bookings.

MCEC chief executive Peter King said that the expansion had been a great addition to the exhibition hall.

“In the 2018/19 year, we have contributed more than $1.10 billion in economic impact to the state of Victoria,” Mr King said.

“The expansion has exceeded all expectations, we’ve been inundated with interest and our golden expansion has already become an iconic addition to the Melbourne skyline.”

“In the last seven years we’ve more than doubled our revenue and we are on track to exceed $100 million next year.”

MCEC itself hosted around 1300 events last financial year, with the biggest in terms of attendance being the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal event, which saw 85,000 people flock to South Wharf.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula visited MCEC on July 11 to celebrate the anniversary, where he also announced that the CODA 2020 healthcare conference would be coming to MCEC bringing an expected 3000 delegates and $14 million to the economy.

“We’re seeing clear dividends from our investment in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, boosting the visitor economy and supporting thousands of jobs,” Mr Pakula said.

“It’s one thing to have ambition but we need to be able to provide world-leading facilities to attract big events from around the globe – and that’s exactly what the new MCEC does.”