Melbourne wins 2013 International Congress of Paediatrics

Melbourne has won the rights to host the International Congress of Paediatrics in 2013. The event will see more than 5,000 paediatricians from around the world arrive in Melbourne and will inject over an estimate of $30 million into the Victorian economy.

Daniel Andrews, Minister for Health for the State Government of Victoria, Australia, said, "In the 100 year history of the International Pediatric Association, this will mark the first time that its world congress is held in Australia. It is particularly gratifying that Melbourne should be selected to host this event at a time when the city will be in a position to showcase both the new Royal Children's Hospital and the new Melbourne Convention Centre to an international audience."

"The new Royal Children's Hospital project is the most significant hospital development in Australia and will be one of the most advanced paediatric hospitals in the world. The Hospital is due for completion in 2011 and will be open in time for the Congress in 2013," he added.

The Melbourne bid for this Congress was led by Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB) and The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (Paediatrics Child Health Division).

Chief Executive Officer of MCVB, Sandra Chipchase, was in Athens to present the bid, "We were delighted to have secured this event for Melbourne. International organisers were impressed with the quality of the Melbourne submission and confirmed that the new medical and convention facilities in Victoria were key factors in the decision."

The Congress is the 17th international convention confirmed to take place in the new Melbourne Convention Centre when it opens in 2009. Combined they bring more than 42,000 delegates with an economic impact to the State of Victoria of more than $285 million.

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