As a world-first, Australia has won an international bid to host the World Engineers Convention in Melbourne in November 2019.
The announcement of the event, to be hosted by Engineers Australia, was made by the General Assembly of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, at the World Engineering Summit in Singapore.
"As the peak body for engineering practitioners in Australia representing all disciplines and branches of engineering, Engineers Australia is extremely proud to be hosting this significant global engineering event, expected to attract between 4,000 – 5,000 delegates," said Stephen Durkin Chief Executive Officer Engineers Australia.
"The bid to host the World Engineers Convention has been almost two years in the making. The bid was presented by Engineers Australia National President, Dr Marlene Kanga, in Slovenia in September 2012 and enjoyed strong support from the Australian Government.
"On behalf of Engineers Australia I would like to publically acknowledge the hard work and ongoing support from the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB). MCB has worked closely with Engineers Australia to bring our national conference to Melbourne in 2014, so being able to continue this relationship to secure such a major international piece of business in 2019 is an even bigger achievement.
"Engineering is one of the State Government of Victoria's priority sectors and the World Engineers Convention will play a significant role in increasing Melbourne's profile as a world-leader in this industry.
"Engineers Australia has an extremely high profile in the global engineering community; its events team presents the largest offering of national and international conferences and technical presentations to its members, more than any other membership body in Australia.
"This event, held every four years, will attract leading minds from around the world to gather in Melbourne and address some of the most pressing issues facing the future of the engineering profession. The successful bid from Australia was up against a strong bid presented by the United Arab Emirates.
The event coincides with the centenary of Engineers Australia. The World Engineers Convention will celebrate Engineers Australia's major achievements over the past 100 years, and its role in setting national and international standards for the profession.