Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has been awarded the Victorian MEA Banqueting and Catering Award for the unique menus designed for its digital art gallery experience, THE LUME.
The Centre will now compete against the other state winners for the national award, to be announced at the MEA annual conference, Evolve 2023, which will be held in the Gold Coast in June.
THE LUME was created in collaboration with Grande Experiences, and is Australia’s first digital art gallery, encompassing 3,000 square meters of projections.
Core to the THE LUME experience is Café Terrace 1888, a dedicated café that designs and delivers themed menus to reflect the art, times, and influences of the artists it exhibits. In addition to the café menus, there are bespoke breakfast, gala and cocktail events, paired with wines, craft beers and cocktails available.
In keeping with MCEC’s food philosophy, the menus showcase Victorian producers and suppliers, benefiting local supply chains and reducing our carbon footprint.
“Creating menus for THE LUME Melbourne has given our team a wonderful opportunity to create an authentic, immersive experience for visitors,” MCEC head of food and beverage Paul Kanaan said.
“Our team demonstrated their creativity and expertise in designing menus that can be produced efficiently within the limitations of the service kitchen and also able to translate into an event format, aligning with and elevating the exhibit.”
THE LUME has been a major success for MCEC and Grande Experiences. Since opening in 2021, over 850,000 people have attended the exhibition and the space has hosted over 8,000 people across 39 events. Café Terrace 1888 itself has served more than 65,000 visitors.
