The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) is located on the banks of the Yarra River in the heart of the city and construction of the new Melbourne Convention Centre is currently underway. The Centre will open for business in 2009, making the MCEC the largest combined exhibition and convention centre in Australia.

The contemporary design features an 18-metre-high glass wall façade fronting the Yarra River, a timber-clad, fan-shaped 5,000-seat plenary hall that can be sub-divided into smaller tiered conference venues, a ballroom and 32 meeting rooms of various sizes.

The new centre is part of an A$1.4 billion development in South Wharf which includes a Hilton Hotel, a lifestyle retail precinct and 60,000 sq m (646,000 sq ft) of shopping space.

The new Melbourne Convention Centre has been awarded a 6 Star Green Star environmental rating by the Green Building Council of Australia, the first in the world for a convention centre.

The Exhibition Centre stretches half a kilometre along the Yarra River and will be fully integrated with the new Melbourne Convention Centre. It offers 30,000 sq m (323,000 sq ft) of clear span floor space, which can also be transformed into 5 separate bays. A variety of meeting rooms, organiser’s offices, hospitality suites and a 493-seat auditorium complement the centre’s exhibition space.