• Home
  • LATEST POSTS
  • PODCAST
  • Support ASE
Type and hit ENTER

Be Yourself. Be Happy.

Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy. They are the only whales regularly hunted by man. To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale. As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod's side.

Stay Positive. Always.

Of the grand order of folio leviathans, the Sperm Whale and the Right Whale are by far the most noteworthy. They are the only whales regularly hunted by man. To the Nantucketer, they present the two extremes of all the known varieties of the whale. As the external difference between them is mainly observable in their heads; and as a head of each is this moment hanging from the Pequod's side.

Image Not Found On Media Library
  • Home
  • LATEST POSTS
  • PODCAST
  • Support ASE
GET CONNECTED
Image Not Found On Media Library
  • HOME
    • About
    • Contributors
    • Archive
  • COMMENTARY
  • EVENT REPORTS
  • PODCAST
  • SUPPORT or SPONSOR

Reflecting on 25 years of events, following a year like no other

March 9, 2021
-
Posted by Peter King

This year, Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre (MCEC) celebrates its 25th anniversary. It also follows a year like no other.

Peter King

As one of Victoria’s largest physical assets, we are also a major contributor to the vibrancy of Melbourne. Every year we host a huge array of diverse events that drive enormous economic activity and visitation to the city. That is, until the global pandemic of course.

I am proud to have been CEO of MCEC for 9 years. I’ve witnessed some memorable moments that stand out in our history and contribute to our success as a venue. But nothing has made me prouder than seeing how our people have responded to these turbulent times.

When I first joined, we made cultural change to put the customer at the centre of everything we do. To adopt a can-do attitude that makes the biggest impact. Our people wanted to be part of a successful business and they have been empowered to make that happen. Particularly over the past year, throughout the pandemic and when our doors were shut, it has been truly wonderful to see the creative thinkers we have in our organisation, to help come up with new ideas for the use of our space. Whether it be as a movie studio, an indoor drive in-cinema, or a training ground for guide dogs. We have unleashed the power of our people!

The way we have responded to this uncertain time will remain a landmark moment in our 25-year history. It stands alongside the opening of the new exhibition space in 2018. Or memorable events like the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal, which attracts more than 100,000 people to our venue each year (though this year will be a little different!).

Having the opportunity to contribute to the community has been incredibly fulfilling.  We have used our space for the bushfire evacuations at the start of 2020, contributed to the Commonwealth games and brought important major world events like the 2014 AIDS Conference and many others to Melbourne. The list of impactful events and people we have seen through our corridors is endless. We can’t wait until it is again.

Our major medical and scientific events have made tangible change to the world around us and so too have the people we have hosted: the Dalai Lama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger to name a few. It is a diverse, vibrant and dynamic place that is buzzing with activity and innovative ideas. We connect people, in essence, for entertainment, education, momentous decision making and sometimes just for fun.

This is an incredible business that we manage. MCEC is more than walls, chairs, and concourses. It represents the beating heart of a vibrant community. It has a relentless rhythm driven by many events arriving continually day after day and decade after decade. We have hosted presidents and artists of international fame. We witnessed the conventions and deliberations that shaped Australia’s, and in some cases, the world’s agenda. We celebrate events of national and local importance, proudly representing Melbourne and Victoria as its leading business events operator. We don’t just sell space. We create enormous economic benefits to our community, we help bring people together to celebrate, learn, grow, and be entertained.

We know that times continue to be tough. It’s no secret that our industry has suffered during the pandemic, and we’re not out of the woods yet. But we are in the process of setting the business up for the future. This is very difficult to do in such uncertain times. What we can do is to ensure the way we are structured, the skills and experience we employ and the way we work, is nimble enough and fast enough to be able to deal with change. This is a big change to the way we have historically operated our business but it will ensure we continue to drive innovation and proactively maximise what our future opportunities may be – whatever they are. The past 25 years have brought so much colour to Melbourne, and I am optimistic about what the future holds.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

March 9, 2021
Email
No comments yet
Peter King
Peter King joined the award-winning Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) as Chief Executive in 2012, after a succession of Executive roles in multi-national companies across a variety of different industry sectors in Australia and Asia.

Peter sits on a number of Australian industry Boards, including as Deputy Chair or the Melbourne Convention Bureau, and has extensive experience in running major events and large venues. He also sits on the Global Board of the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC) along with the National Sports Museum which is housed at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Having been a professional cricketer in his past, Peter is on the Committee of the MCC (Melbourne Cricket Club) which operates the MCG and is the current Chair of Cricket.

Comment on this article Cancel reply

Join the conversation

Receive notifications when we publish

Invalid email address
No spam. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
RECENT POSTS
  • The Wrap – 27th May
    May 27, 2022

    I had intended for this week’s update to go out this morning but …

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook

    Like this:

    Like Loading...
  • Transforming our business in challenging times 
    May 27, 2022

    If you told me in 2019 of the challenges that lay ahead of …

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook

    Like this:

    Like Loading...
  • New PM demonstrates the importance of Business Events on Day 1
    May 24, 2022

    The Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) congratulates the new Prime Minister of …

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook

    Like this:

    Like Loading...
  • The wrap – 20th May
    May 20, 2022

    No matter what the result is from tomorrow’s election there is much more …

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook

    Like this:

    Like Loading...
  • ‘Living with COVID’ – Event hospitality still in metamorphosis
    May 20, 2022

    Last October NSW Premier Perrottet’s reopening of the state of NSW was met …

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook

    Like this:

    Like Loading...
Recent Comments
  • Trevor Connell on How do festivals recover – before rebuilding?
  • Pam Merrigan on How do festivals recover – before rebuilding?
  • Linda Gaunt on MC, mentor, tech head, wine buff and the socks – tributes flow for Toby Travanner
  • Trevor Connell on Get Local and Doltone House get the industry back together
  • Lyn Millist (nee willis) on Get Local and Doltone House get the industry back together
POPULAR TAGS
COVID-19
sydney lockdown
savevicevents
BECA
PJSE
MCEC
MEA
melbourne lockdown
EEAA
MCB
AIME
ICC Sydney
arinex
AACB
Australian Event Awards
Get Local
AIME2022
Sydney Showground
JobKeeper
Business Events
BEIA
Navarra Venues
VTIC
BESydney
Tokyo 2020ne
Expertise Events
Business Events Grants Scheme
NEA
AIME 2022
Regional Events
Podcast
Exhibitions
savevictorianevents
Melbourne
Victoria
Sydney Olympics
Australian Open
Theatre
Peter King
Save Vic Events
Save NSW Events
COVID
ISES
PCOA
Business Events Boost Program
GET CONNECTED
  • HOME
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Contributors
Copyright Australasian Special Events 2000 - 2021
Reflecting on 25 years of events, following a year like no other | Australasian Special Events
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: