I’m sorry to be missing IMEX this year and all its buzz about new developments in global meeting destinations. Yesterday, for example, Melbourne Convention Bureau CEO Karen Bolinger unveiled the city’s new branding for business events: The Melbourne Effect. (Which called up in my mind the Bourne movie franchise titles — in terms of intrigue, not a bad association.)

What captured my attention about the brand positioning is how it builds on the Knowledge Economy, which we’ve written about in Convene in numerous ways, including Barbara Palmer’s cover story back in December 2012. Melbourne’s previous branding — Melbourne IQ, the Intelligent Choice for Conferences — has drawn on its intellectual capital to attract international conventions. Knowledge, however, is just one of the many factors that entice planners to choose the city, Bolinger said during the press conference at IMEX.

The bureau conducted extensive research across its “key market segments, international associations and corporate and incentive planners, she said, “and what stood out was their desire for a city and bureau to not just tick the boxes, but to facilitate collaboration and deliver real outcomes.”

The new branding showcases the city as not just a place where groups can access centers of knowledge, but where they can actively “create legacies that will last long after the business event is over,” Bolinger said. That includes “research collaborations, policy delivery, membership engagement, and empowered employees — which ultimately drive our clients’ growth and performance.”

I’m looking forward to learning more about the research that led to this branding and asking Bolinger to provide real examples of how different professional segments and industries can take the next step — from access to significant outcomes — in the Knowledge Economy. Stay tuned.