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Hundreds of attendees flocked to Hamilton Island to attend this year’s National Meetings & Events (MEA) Awards gala, which celebrated more than 80 finalists across 38 categories.
Among the big winners included the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) which took home two awards, ‘Banqueting and Catering’ and ‘In-house AV Services’, both for the second consecutive year at MEA’s annual conference.
“With MCEC’s expansion confirmed by the Victorian Government in the recent State Budget, it’s encouraging to know that we are ranked amongst the best in Australia,” MCEC chief executive, Peter King said.
The Star Event Centre was awarded best Speciality Event Venue, which it said was a “significant milestone” for the centre marking the first national MEA win since opening in January 2013.
Other winners included IHG managed Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley, which took home Best Meeting Venue – Under 500 Delegates. The win adds to the resort’s big year of developments following its opening of the largest conferencing space in NSW in late January, the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley Conference and Events Centre.
“We have seen huge demand for business events, as many companies are drawn to the tailored service, state of the art audio visual and the integrated conference and resort facilities. In addition, the Resort’s location in the renowned wine country region is perfectly situated to inspire delegates and ensure a successful event,” General manager, Robert Coates said.
The gala event also inducted new delegates into the MEA Hall of Fame, including Arinex, which won Meetings and Events Management Organisation (8 or more employees) for the third year running.
The full list of MEA Award winners are below.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PERSON OF THE YEAR Christine KotsisExpoNet
EVENT MANAGER OF THE YEAR Liz Williamson Department of Education, Training and Employment, Programs and Events Unit, CEP
MEETINGS MANAGER OF THE YEAR Julie McGraw GEMS Event Management
OPERATIONS PERSON OF THE YEAR Michael Davey Microhire-VIC
Y MEA FUTURE LEADER Ashleigh Moore Lumi NSW
Destination Marketing Awards
REGIONAL DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANISATION Business Events Geelong
Meetings and Events Organisation Management Awards
MEETINGS & EVENTS ORGANISATION 8 OR MORE EMPLOYEES Arinex Pty Limited
MEETINGS & EVENTS ORGANISATION LESS THAN 8 EMPLOYEES Verve Creative Events
IN-HOUSE MEETINGS MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT ASHM Conference and Events Division
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