Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) Acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Narrm, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and to Elders of all First Nations communities that visit MCEC.

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Delivering Sustainable Events

​At MCEC sustainability is a priority, we are committed to championing innovative ideas to provide better outcomes for our community, our customers and our environmental footprint.

Watch your waste

From eliminating single-use plastics to considering digital solutions there are many simple changes you can make at your next event to ensure you’re minimising waste and maximising diversion from landfill.

Some things to consider include:

  • Ask your suppliers about their waste management practices including waste separation and composting. At MCEC, our onsite organic dehydrator reduces the volume of organic waste by 75-80 per cent and we diverted 67 per cent of all waste from landfill using 15 waste streams in 2018.

  • Keep your attendees caffeinated sustainably by encouraging them to bring reusable coffee cups.

  • Replace single use plastics with sustainable alternatives. MCEC’s retail food packaging consists of eco-friendly bamboo boxes for takeaway items, biodegradable cutlery and coffee cups and biodegradable paper trays for small takeaway food items. By banning plastic straws and removing plastic bottles from catering, we have diverted over 30,000 straws and 500,000 plastic bottles annually from landfill. Small actions can make a big impact.

  • Reduce or eliminate printed materials, a number of digital alternatives now exist in the events industry to help reduce your paper trail. Dedicated event apps are growing in sophistication and are a cost effective way to communicate key information to event attendees.

  • Use digital signage. Our Event Organiser Marketing Guide [3.39mb] provides an overview of the digital signage opportunities, including digital door cards, wayfinding and promotional screens.

  • Consider environmental impact when choosing promotional items and giveaways. Select venues that donate left-over food to food rescue programs. MCEC’s partnership with OzHarvest saw the redistribution of 38,660 meals (12,886 kilograms of food) in 2018.

Embrace green energy

Innovation in renewable energy has enabled many venues to reduce their carbon emissions.

Ensure your event is embracing green energy with these top tips:

  • Reduce food miles by selecting a menu that focusses on local produce. Our conference menu [3.34mb] features the 100 Mile Market Garden Menu option which sources all major ingredients from local farms and markets within a 100 mile radius of the venue. By sourcing our produce from local, passionate and ethical suppliers we can promote the wonderful producers we have right here in Victoria and reduce our venue’s environmental footprint.

  • Select a venue that uses renewable energy. In 2018, MCEC supported the development of a wind farm in regional Victoria, enabling us to offset the projected electricity use of our new 20,000 square metre expansion space with renewable energy.

  • Encourage event attendees to consider alternative transport options such as: public transport, carpooling, cycling or walking where possible.

  • Consider procuring your electricity as green power. By replacing 660 halogen lights with LED lights in our exhibition bays, MCEC have reduced our carbon emissions and achieved an average cost saving of 52 per cent for our customers.

To find out more about sustainability at MCEC, visit www.mcec.com.au/our-impact/sustainability