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Melbourne Home to Largest Chemical Congress Ever Hosted in Australia

Melbourne, Australia was the stage for three Nobel Laureates, over 3,300 scientists and nine concurrent conferences when the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) Centenary Chemistry Congress took over Melbourne last week.

Held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 23 – 27 July 2017, the RACI Centenary Chemistry Congress is the largest chemical congress ever held in Australia.

RACI partnered with nine prestigious chemistry conferences, to present what was the most premium congress of partner conferences covering the breadth of chemical science, with the theme of ‘chemistry addressing sustainable development and other challenges of the 2020s’, to celebrate RACI’s 100th birthday.

The super congress included the following conferences:

  • Asian Chemical Congress
  • Asian Coordination Chemistry Conference
  • AFMC’s International Medicinal Chemistry Symposia
  • Asian Hub for e-Drug Discovery
  • World Carbon Conference
  • Chemeca Conference
  • Green and Sustainable Chemistry
  • Tetrahedron Symposium
  • RACI National Centenary Conference

RACI and the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) steered the proposals to secure the  congresses, with the support of Club Melbourne Ambassadors, Emeritus Professor David Wood and Professor Milton Hearn AM, Roger Stapleford CEO of RACI and Professional Conference Organiser, ICMS Australia Pty Ltd.

Delegates not only had the opportunity to attend a plethora of conferences under the one roof, but were also provided with a range of ancillary activities to enhance their learning and collaboration opportunities as well 20 social functions and events around Melbourne.  

MCB Chief Executive Officer, Karen Bolinger, said this was a landmark conference for the city.

“This event not only utilised every inch of space at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, but also spread into the city with the program including events in our local schools, CBD and regional universities, restaurants and major attractions.  

“Business events activate the entire state and drive the visitor economy, and an event of this calibre demonstrates its capacity to host large international and multi-faceted conferences.  

“The opportunity for knowledge exchange, collaborative learning and exposure to world-leaders advances the field of study globally and locally, which helps drive Melbourne’s knowledge economy,” Ms Bolinger said. 

The RACI Centenary Chemistry Congress included a school outreach program, where 750 Victorian high school chemistry students were invited to an address by acclaimed British Chemistry Professor, Sir Martyn Poliakoff, CBE, followed by a chemistry magic show and a series of interactive workshops.

MCEC Chief Executive, Peter King said after five years in the making, the venue successfully delivered the historic event.

“Collaboration was the key to success for this Centenary Congress, with the several partner conferences resulting in a very intricate five-day event program with many of moving parts.

“The impressive teamwork displayed from all involved allowed us to execute over 1,500 conference sessions supported by 1,700 presentations, with over 10,400 meals served. These large events certainly aren’t easy to execute but they’re incredibly rewarding when you get to see thousands of delegates enjoying the end result,” Mr King said.  

Taken from Melbourne Convention Bureau Media Release 

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