frontage facing the river) are intended to give a subtle separation of the interior and exterior of the building. The blades which are located along the concourse are coloured in a series of Francis-Bacon-inspired colours, with hall numbers stencilled on. This serves as a double purpose of punctuating the linear volume and labelling the halls. Significance and contribution to Australian architecture The aerodynamic treatment of the colonnade canopy, which disperses wind, influenced another Melbourne architect, Peter Elliott, in the design of the Spencer Street Footbridge in 1999. Awards The Melbourne Convention Centre was awarded the Australian Construction Achievement Award in 2010. The Melbourne Exhibition Centre was awarded the Sir Zelman Cowen Award for public architecture in 1996. 2018 Melbourne Award - contribution to profile by a corporation - Club Melbourne Ambassador Program. Premier's Sustainability Awards 2018 - Government category for Melbourne Energy Renewable Project. Australian Business Awards - Employer of Choice 2018 and 2017. Notable events Melbourne Art Fair The inaugural Melbourne Art Fair, a commercial art fair, was held in 1988 in the Royal Exhibition Buildings, started by a group of gallery-owners. It continued as a biennial event, exhibiting works from Australian and international galleries, with sales of , from 2003 being run by the new not-for-profit Melbourne Art Foundation. The fair was paused in 2016 owing to lack of interest from galleries, but relaunched in a smaller form in a temporary venue in Southbank. In 2020 it moved to its permanent new home at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the aim of showcasing both major galleries and "progressive young galleries". However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, its scheduled run in June 2020 had to be instead changed into on online version, running 1–7 June and showing artworks from the Asia-Pacific region from 40 galleries. The next fair is scheduled for 17–20 February 2022. The fair is endorsed by the Art Galleries Association of Australia (AAGA) and is supported by the federal government via the Australia Council for the Arts and the Victorian Government via Creative Victoria. Other events Tanya Chua - Lemuria World Tour - 15 October 2017 Joker Xue - Skyscraper World Tour - 1 April 2019 Blockade IMARC - 29 to 31 October 2019 JoJo Siwa - D.R.E.A.M. The Tour - 16 to 18 January 2020 Gallery References External links Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre official website Melbourne Convention Centre Development website