Melbourne crowned world's greatest sports city for a second time

The Victoria Events Industry Council (VEIC) welcomes the news that Melbourne has been named the “Ultimate Sports City” - large city category - at the global 2014 SportsBusiness Ultimate Sports City Awards.

This is the second time Melbourne has received the award that recognises the important social and cultural role sport plays in Victoria and is further evidence that Melbourne is the ideal location for large sporting events. 

VEIC Chief Executive Dianne Smith welcomed the announcement and called for the State Government to build on this achievement by prioritising funding for key events throughout the state.

“Victoria has a proud record of successful sporting events and we have earned our place as a leading player on the global events stage," says Ms Smith.

“We urge the government to leverage this international award for the benefit of Victoria by reaffirming its financial commitment to our key major events and by exploring new ways of helping regional Victoria secure events."

Regional Victoria relies heavily on tourism, as over six per cent of jobs are in this industry.

VEIC Chairman Peter Jones echoed Ms Smith’s sentiment on the importance of events and tourism to our state.

“This award is a timely reminder of the significance of events to Melbourne’s economy. As an essential part of the tourism mix, events play a crucial role in delivering on the tourism promise for Victoria – more jobs,” says Mr Jones. 

VEIC, in conjunction with the Victoria Tourism Industry Council, continues to urge the government to examine ways of increasing the number of medium sized events, including key sporting tournaments, in regional Victoria such as the Geelong, Dandenong, Bendigo and Ballarat areas.

www.vtic.com.au

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