MCEC’s record Friday

Almost 80,000 visited the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for the Good Friday Appeal, producing a record-breaking total of $17,109,063 for the Royal Children’s Hospital.

In its second year at MCEC, the Good Friday Appeal is the largest community event hosted at the venue.

The appeal’s executive director Anne Randall praised the efforts of Victorians and MCEC.

“We were overwhelmed by the generosity of Victorians,” she said. “ This is a wonderful result and we owe a huge thank you to the communities across the state who have rallied together to help achieve this.”

“MCEC was an exceptional host of the 2015 GFA, including the Channel 7 Telethon, the Kids Day Out and the Charity Gala.”

MCEC chief executive Peter King said his team was proud to support such an iconic event and help raise much-needed funds.

“MCEC is a valuable community asset owned by the people of Melbourne, so it was our pleasure to open our doors to the public for such an important event and deliver another record breaking year,” he said.

The event caps off a successful few months for MCEC, after it was announced winners in all three categories entered at the 2014 Victorian Meetings and Events Australia Industry Awards last month.

The centre was awarded Meeting Venue 500 delegates or more, Banqueting and Catering and In-house AV Services.

MCEC is now a finalist in the 2014 MEA National Awards where winners will be revealed at the MEA National Conference in Hamilton Island on May 26.