Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre facts for kids
| MCEC | |
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| Location | South Wharf, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
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| Coordinates | 37°49′32″S 144°57′15″E / 37.8256°S 144.9541°E |
| Owner | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust |
| Operator | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust |
| Surface | 70,000 m² |
| Construction | |
| Opened | MEC: 14 February 1996 MCC (former): May 1990 MCC (current): 5 June 2009 Expansion: 1 July 2018 |
| Construction cost | MEC: A$129 million MCC: A$125 million Expansion: A$205 million |
| Architect | MEC: Denton Corker Marshall MCC and Expansion: NH Architecture and Woods Bagot Masterplan Lead Designer: Larry Oltmanns |
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) is a huge group of three buildings. They are located right next to the Yarra River in South Wharf, a part of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust owns and runs these buildings.
After a big expansion in 2018, the MCEC became the largest place for conventions and exhibitions in Australia. It is also one of the biggest venues in the southern hemisphere.
The entire MCEC covers a massive 70,000 square metres. It has 63 meeting rooms and outdoor areas. There's a special hall called the Plenary, which can split into three separate theatres. The Goldfields Theatre is a 9,000 square metre space with a retractable 1,000-seat theatre. Plus, there are 39,000 square metres of open exhibition space without any pillars.
In 2017/18, the MCEC hosted 1,124 events. Almost a million people (950,385) attended these events. This included 23 international meetings and 34 national meetings. In 2018/19, the MCEC helped add over $1.10 billion to Victoria's economy.
Contents
Who Manages the MCEC?
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust is in charge of the MCEC. This Trust was first created in 1994 to build the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. In 1997, it expanded its role to also manage the Melbourne Convention Centre.
The Trust is also responsible for looking after the famous Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens. Since it's a government-owned trust, it reports to the Minister for Tourism.
History of the MCEC Buildings
Melbourne Exhibition Centre: "Jeff's Shed"
The Melbourne Exhibition Centre opened its doors on 14 February 1996. People sometimes call it "Jeff's Shed." This nickname comes from Jeff Kennett, who was the Premier (leader) of Victoria at the time.
The building was designed by a company called Denton Corker Marshall. They designed many large buildings in Melbourne during the early 1990s. A cool feature of the building is its main entrance. It has a tilted metal blade supported by two yellow poles. In 1998, a covered bridge was built to connect it to the Convention Centre.
The building is famous in Melbourne because of its unique look. The main entrance has a tilted metal blade and yellow support sticks. There's also a 450-metre long "verandah" (a covered walkway) with many smaller support sticks. This verandah and a new park by the river make the area much nicer for the public.
Melbourne Convention Centre: Old and New
The first Melbourne Convention Centre was on the other side of the Yarra River, near Flinders Street. It opened in May 1990. It hosted thousands of meetings and events.
The current Melbourne Convention Centre is next to the Exhibition Centre. It opened on 5 June 2009. This new centre cost about A$1 billion to build. It has a huge hall called the Plenary Hall, which can seat 5,541 people. This hall can also be divided into three separate theatres. The development also includes a large banquet room, a hotel, offices, and shops.
The new centre was designed to be very eco-friendly. It was the first convention centre in the world to get a 6 Star Green Star environmental rating. This means it's super good for the environment! The architects for this project were NH Architecture and Woods Bagot.
Big Expansion in 2018
On 5 May 2015, the Victorian State Government announced a big plan. They would spend A$205 million to expand the MCEC. This project started in May 2016 and finished on 1 July 2018.
The expansion added 20,000 square metres of new space. This includes 9,000 square metres for exhibitions. It also has more flexible event spaces, a 1,000-seat theatre, many meeting rooms, a banquet room, and a café and bar.
The design for the expansion was a team effort by NH Architecture and Woods Bagot. This expansion was part of a larger project in South Wharf. This project also included a new 347-room Novotel Melbourne South Wharf hotel and a new car park with 1,150 spaces. All these new buildings are connected to the existing MCEC.
Building Design and Architecture
Inside the Exhibition Centre
The Melbourne Exhibition Centre looks like a very long shed. It has special walls that can move. Each of these walls is very expensive! These movable walls allow the huge space to be divided. It can be one big area of 39,000 square metres or many smaller areas of 3,000 square metres.
The building also has a basement that can hold 1,000 cars. When you enter the main entrance, you can see a long walkway (concourse) stretching 450 metres. There are also balconies on the first floor. On the first floor, there are meeting rooms and function rooms. Some of these rooms have big windows that look down onto the exhibition space.
The building has two different roof designs. They are angled in different ways. This was done to create two different types of spaces. One is the enclosed exhibition space, and the other is the public concourse. This design makes the exhibition area feel private and the concourse feel open.
The building was built quickly and cheaply. So, the architects used many identical roof structures (trusses) covered in aluminium. These trusses are solid to block sound between different halls. They also made them narrower at the ends to make them stronger.
There are two rows of columns along the verandah (the long side facing the river). These columns subtly separate the inside of the building from the outside. The "blades" along the concourse are painted in bright colours. They also have hall numbers on them. This helps people find their way and makes the long walkway more interesting.
Awards and Recognition
The Melbourne Convention Centre has won several awards:
- Australian Construction Achievement Award in 2010.
- The Melbourne Exhibition Centre won the Sir Zelman Cowen Award for public architecture in 1996.
- Melbourne Award in 2018 for its Club Melbourne Ambassador Program.
- Premier's Sustainability Awards 2018 for its Melbourne Energy Renewable Project.
- Australian Business Awards - Employer of Choice in 2018 and 2017.
Notable Events Held Here
- Tanya Chua - Lemuria World Tour - 15 October 2017
- Joker Xue - Skyscraper World Tour - 1 April 2019
- Blockade IMARC - 29 to 31 October 2019
Images for kids
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Melbourne Exhibition Centre viewed from Crown Casino. The new convention centre can be seen under construction in the background.
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The Melbourne Exhibition Centre as viewed from the side
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Melbourne Convention Centre under construction
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Overview of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
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South Wharf and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
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Melbourne Exhibition Centre glazing
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Melbourne Exhibition Centre Mezzanine balcony viewed through the concourse
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Melbourne Exhibition Centre two roofs view from north to south
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Melbourne Exhibition Centre stencilled door numbers
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Hall interior
