Victoria's most senior major events executives overseeing the state's biggest sporting, cultural and tourism drawcards such as the Grand Prix, White Night Melbourne and Winter Masterpieces, have departed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The news comes as the Major Events Minister John Eren announced White Night Melbourne, a key event managed by the Victorian Major Events Company, was expanding to Ballarat in 2017.
The departures follow a state government restructure that brought Tourism Victoria, the Victorian Major Events Company and the Melbourne Convention Bureau under the new umbrella of Visit Victoria.
VMEC chief executive Brendan McClements confirmed he was leaving the organisation.
Mr McClements said on Friday he was offered a job with Visit Victoria but chose not to accept it. He said he was on leave but would finish up at VMEC on June 30.
Fairfax Media understands VMEC chief operating officer Kelly Dickson is also leaving, but she could not be contacted before deadline.
In May the state government announced Peter Bingeman, managing director of food and beverage conglomerate Mondelez International, had been appointed Visit Victoria's chief executive officer. He starts in July.
Heidi Victoria, opposition spokeswoman for tourism and major events, said the restructure had left the state without a tourism strategy and had affected its ability to attract and hold on to major events.
Asked for a response from the minister's office to the departures from VMEC, Mr Eren said: "Visit Victoria is well under way and will ensure our $21 billion visitor economy continues to grow."
Announcing the expansion of White Night in Ballarat on Friday, Mr Eren said the event had contributed about $17 million to the state economy.
The minister also announced that theatre director, producer, dancer and choreographer David Atkins had been named as the new director of White Night Melbourne and White Night Ballarat.
His contract is believed to be for one year, with the option of a further three years.
Mr Eren thanked previous White Night artistic director Andrew Walsh for his contribution to the success of the event.
The Andrews government had been reluctant to commit to the future of the event after taking over it from the Baillieu and Napthine governments, which had awarded Mr Walsh a three-year contract before the first event in 2013.
The Andrews government extended Mr Walsh's contract by a year to deliver this year's White Night Melbourne.
Ballarat mayor Des Hudson said hosting White Night would "catapult this city onto the international stage".
White Night 2017 will be held in Melbourne on February 18, and in Ballarat on March 4.
with Caleb Cluff, The Ballarat Courier
VICTORIAN MAJOR EVENTS COMPANY
What it does:
VMEC is a not-for-profit organisation funded by the state government to create and secure major sporting, entertainment and cultural events for Melbourne and Victoria.
Annual events include:
Australian Open
White Night Melbourne
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix
Melbourne Fashion Festival
Melbourne Winter Masterpieces
AFL grand final
Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
Melbourne Cup Carnival
Boxing Day cricket Test
Special events include:
The Melbourne Ring Cycle
King Kong
War Horse
Les Miserables
AFC Asian Cup
Kinky Boots
Marilyn Monroe, Bendigo Art Gallery
Jurassic World, Melbourne Museum
The Book of Mormon
