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Doing business & staying in touch

Suits are a must when conducting business in well-dressed Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, and all appointments must be arranged in advance. Like much of Melbourne life, business is conducted over coffee. Breakfast meetings or drinks at a stylish bar are also favoured, although long business lunches are generally a thing of the past. Australian businesspeople are, on the whole, very approachable, quite informal and quick to use first names. Business cards are used.

If invited to someone's home, a bottle of wine, flowers and/or chocolates would be appreciated as a gift for the host.

Office hours: 

Normal business hours are Monday to Friday 0900-1730, although many executives work longer hours; government offices may close at 1700.

Economy: 

Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city and gateway to the southern region, has convention facilities to match international standards - the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre is the largest exhibition space in the southern hemisphere with 50 meeting rooms, 10,000 sq m (108,000 sq ft) of exhibition space and three state-of-the-art theatres.

The World Congress Centre also has a large number of meeting rooms. Casino-leisure complex, Crown Towers, offers unsurpassed luxury with lavish guest rooms. Major convention facilities include Dallas Brooks Conference Centre, Melbourne Hilton on the Park, Hyatt on Collins, Royal Exhibition Building and Convention Centre, Melbourne Park Tennis Centre and Victorian Arts Centre.

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