BestCities Announces New Dates for Global Forum in Melbourne

Following on the heels of a successful Global Forum 2022 in Vancouver, Canada, BestCities Global Alliance has announced its next annual gathering will take place January 18-21, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia.

BestCities' flagship event is attended by industry thought-leaders, international associations, and destinations that are members of BestCities. For the first time in 2022, registration was extended to meeting planners from any discipline who arrange large international events that rotate around the world.

While Global Forum is typically held in December, BestCities has elected to host the next event in January 2024 to coincide with the Australian Open tennis tournament. Delegates will have an opportunity to extend their stay in Melbourne to attend the matches, with BestCities and Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) planning to maximise the city's exciting major events calendar to enhance the conference offerings.

Global Forum Melbourne will explore how in-person meetings are critical to cultivating meaningful connections and purpose for meeting planners, associations and delegates. Attendees can look forward to workshops, presentations and hands-on experiences throughout Melbourne that demonstrate the importance of in-person learning and collaboration.

Melbourne offers international associations and professional conference organisers the highest concentration of conference facilities in Australia, including the iconic Melbourne Convention and Exhibitions Centre – one of the largest event spaces in the southern hemisphere. The city has earned a reputation for cross-industry collaboration supported by a sustainable event supply chain, quality accommodations, and memorable pre-and post-conference experiences.

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BestCities Managing Director Lesley William said Melbourne is an ideal destination to host its flagship event.

"With its warm and welcoming community, Melbourne offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and access to powerful knowledge sharing that has contributed to breakthrough legacies for international associations.

"We are also thrilled to coincide the Global Forum with a world-class event like the Australian Open, which creates incredible opportunities for team building and developing deeper connections with peers. Over the coming months, we'll share further details about our exciting programme, but in the meantime, I encourage you to block off your calendars and register today."

MCB Chief Executive Officer Julia Swanson said the Alliance is an amazing network of leading cities that are at the forefront of business events.

"We deeply value the relationships and collaboration amongst our partner cities around the world and are excited to be hosting the next Global Forum here in Australia's events capital Melbourne.

"It's an exciting time for these global perspectives to come together and chart a way forward for our sector."

To register for the Global Forum 2024 in Melbourne, visit BestCities website.