Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Location South Wharf, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Opened MEC: 14 February 1996
MCC: May 1990
Owner Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust
Operator Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust
Surface MEC: 30,000 m²[1]
MCC: 2,021 m²[1]
Construction cost MEC: A$129 million
MCC: A$125 million
Architect MEC: Denton Corker Marshall
MCC: NH Architecture and Woods Bagot

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre is the name given to two adjacent buildings next to the Yarra River in South Wharf, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Owner and manager of the venues is the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust.

Contents

Management

The Melbourne Exhibition Centre Trust was created in August 1994 with the responsibility of overseeing the construction and development of the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. On 5 February 1997 the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust began, replacing the previous trust with the added scope of the Melbourne Convention Centre, formerly called the World Congress Centre Melbourne. In August 1997 the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust became owner and venue manager of both the Melbourne Exhibition Centre and the Melbourne Convention Centre.[2]

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust is also responsible for managing, promoting, and the use of the Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens.[2] As a government-owned trust, The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust is responsible to the Minister for Tourism.[2]

Melbourne Exhibition Centre

The Melbourne Exhibition Centre was opened on 14 February 1996,[3] and hosts thousands of large exhibitions, some being annual events.

It has a pillarless floor space of 30,000 square metres, making it the largest pillarless floor space in the southern hemisphere. This building is also known as "Jeff's Shed"[4] after the then premier of Victoria, Jeff Kennett.

The building was designed by Denton Corker Marshall, an architectural firm responsible for many of Melbourne's larger buildings through the early 1990s, and features their characteristic "blade" entrance.[5] In 1998 a covered footbridge was erected between the Exhibition and Convention centres, parallel to the Spencer Street Bridge.[6]

Melbourne Convention Centre

The old Convention Centre on the opposite side of the Yarra River was opened in May 1990 and has hosted thousands of conventions and meetings.[3]. The building was originally intended to be used by the Melbourne Museum but Jeff Kennett intervened during construction to have the building used as a convention centre.

The new Convention Centre, on land adjacent to the Exhibition Centre, was completed in 2009. At a cost of A$1 billion, the development consists of a 5541 seat Plenary Hall that can be divided into three separate theatres, 32 meeting rooms of various sizes, a grand banquet room as well as a Hilton hotel, office, residential and retail space.[7] It was developed by a consortium led by Brookfield Multiplex and Plenary Group and designed by Larry Oltmanns. The new centre uses a range of features in order to achieve a 6 Star Green Star environmental rating and to become the first convention centre in the world with that rating.[8] The architects for the development were NH Architecture and Woods Bagot.[9]

The new Melbourne Convention Centre was awarded the Australian Construction Achievement Award in 2010.[10]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ a b "Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre - Facts at a Glance". http://www.mecc.com.au/www/html/69-facts-at-a-glance.asp. Retrieved 2007-09-30. 
  2. ^ a b c Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust (2006-09-28) (PDF). Annual Report 2005-2006. Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust. Archived from the original on 2007-08-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20070830054748/http://www.mecc.com.au/resources/documents/MCET_Annual_Report_2005-20063.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-11. 
  3. ^ a b "Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre - MECC The Complex". Archived from the original on 2007-08-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20070830045444/http://www.mecc.com.au/www/html/70-mecc-the-complex.asp. Retrieved 2007-09-30. 
  4. ^ "My Melbourne". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/ftimages/2004/11/29/1101577407822.html. Retrieved 2007-09-11. 
  5. ^ "Denton Corker Marshall Website". Denton Corker Marshall. http://www.dentoncorkermarshall.com/projects.aspx?p=0&projectID=887&catID=13&f1=location&f2=australasia&pg=1. Retrieved 2007-12-24. 
  6. ^ Arup. "Spencer Street Footbridge". www.arup.com. http://www.arup.com/bridges/project.cfm?pageid=2311. Retrieved 2008-07-08. 
  7. ^ "CONVENTION CENTRE CORNERSTONE OF YARRA REDEVELOPMENT" (Press release). Department of Premier and Cabinet. 2006-02-22. http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/b0222c68d27626e2ca256c8c001a3d2d/30f733ff7b149beaca25711d0080cdc1!OpenDocument. Retrieved 2007-09-30. 
  8. ^ "Leading Green Design". Melbourne Convention Centre Development. Archived from the original on 2007-11-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20071110071847/http://www.mccd.vic.gov.au/About-The-Project/Design-Features.html. Retrieved 2007-09-30. 
  9. ^ "Design Features". Melbourne Convention Centre Development. Archived from the original on 2007-11-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20071110071847/http://www.mccd.vic.gov.au/About-The-Project/Design-Features.html. Retrieved 2007-09-30. 
  10. ^ "The Melbourne Convention Centre wins the 2010 Australian Construction Achievement Award". acaa. 21 May 2010. http://www.acaa.net.au/pdf/2010ACAA_winner_MediaRelease.pdf. Retrieved 28 05 2010. 

External links