The MCEC (Venue) has sole rights for the sale and distribution of any article of food or drink for consumption on-site however the Venue understands that sampling is a key part of the exhibition experience.

The sampling of alcohol is permitted at the venue provided exhibitors notify the Organisers of their intent to sample and ensure that they meet all local and state government liquor and food safety regulations and prepare all the necessary forms.

The MCEC has sole rights for the sale and distribution of any article of food or drink for consumption on-site.

Exhibitor’s wishing to sample wine, beer or spirits at any Diversified show in Melbourne must do the following:

1. Login and complete the Sampling Alcohol Form no later than Monday 20, July 2026 
2. Complete a Major Event Licence Application online and upload licence to the Online Exhibitor Manual no later than Monday 20, July 2026.
   – Exhibitor MUST upload a red line plan as part of the Major Event License Application. Please email [email protected] to request your unique red line plan to upload to your application.
   – An example template of what information to submit can be downloaded here to assist you in completing the application
3. Upload copies of all staff RSA Certificates
4. Log onto FoodTrader and complete a Certificate of Temporary Food Registration and lodge a Statement of Trade

Applications must be submitted by Monday 20, July 2026. Applications made after this date are not guaranteed to be processed by Liquor Control Victoria.

The final hard copy of licenses will be distributed to the respective stall-holders onsite.

Vigneron or Wine and Beer Licenses 
Please note that exhibitors with a Vigneron or Wine and Beer Licence will still need to apply for a Major Event License.

NOTE: Any exhibitor found sampling portions larger than the venue guidelines above will be charged a fee per day by the venue.

Sampling is providing any food or beverages to visitors for consumption (i.e., a small ‘taste’).

Note: the word selling and sampling in all Local Council food safety information refer to the same – i.e. money does not need to exchange hands for it to be considered sampling.

Please Note:

• Water must be available on your stand if you are sampling alcohol
• All items being sampled must be directly related to the exhibitors core business
• Sale of alcohol onsite is forbidden, however orders can be taken and fulfilled at a later date. Exhibitors are also allowed to display their product
• Exhibitors who submit forms late risk not being able to sample their products
• Extra cleaning charges incurred through spillage or the removal of food/wet waste will be the responsibility of the Exhibitor

RSA is compulsory for anyone serving alcohol.

Victorian Exhibitors
For a Victorian RSA qualification to be valid it must have been issued within the last 3 years. If your RSA was over 3 years ago you must complete a new RSA course.

The approved RSA course in Victoria is SITHFAB021. If you have completed Provide responsible service of alcohol (RSA) course (SITHFAB002) these certificates are still valid.
Your RSA does not expire, but you need to refresh it every three years via https://liquor.justice.vic.gov.au/rsa_refresher 

Interstate Exhibitors & Bridging Courses 
Provided your RSA certificate has been issued in the past 3 years, interstate exhibitors can complete a bridging course to obtain a Victorian RSA by using the link below and following the directions:
• Access the RSA bridging course at https://liquor.vcglr.vic.gov.au/rsa_refresher/BridgingCourseApplication.aspx
• When you successfully complete the course, save your certificate of completion and upload to the Online Exhibitor Manual Alcohol Sampling Form

NOTE: Interstate staff who are supplying liquor at producers events, which are one-off or short-term events are no longer required to apply for mutual recognition if they have either a current Victorian RSA certificate or a Statement of Attainment from the Nationally Accredited Training unit, either SITHFAB009A, SITHFAB201 or SITHFAB002

For more information visit https://www.vic.gov.au/responsible-service-alcohol-training

For all liquor related incidents (underage drinkers, visitors helping themselves to alcohol, aggressive behaviour, intoxication) please ensure all incidents are noted on the Incident Register located on your stand, and RSA Manager is contacted immediately.

All exhibitors will need to display a copy of their liquor licence on their stand at all times during the event and all relevant liquor licensing signage. All exhibitors will need to bring a quantity of the relevant liquor licensing signage on site for display on their stand.

Download & Print Liquor Licensing Signage

Certificate of Temporary Food Registration
All exhibitors sampling food and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) must have a temporary food registration within the State of Victoria. Registrations are valid across all Victorian municipalities annually. To obtain a Temporary Food Registration please do the following:

• Log onto FoodTrader via www.foodtrader.vic.gov.au
• Register your food premise
• For interstate or international exhibitors, please register your business under the council where the event will take place, which is City of Melbourne.

Businesses that are already registered with a council in Victoria do not need to do this step.

Statement of Trade
Once you have lodged your registration, or for those exhibitors who already have a registration, you will need to lodge a Statement of Trade notifying your council that you will be operating a temporary premise. To do this please do the following:

• Log onto FoodTrader via www.foodtrader.vic.gov.au
• Lodge a Statement of Trade by clicking on “Lodge a Statement of Trade” and completing the form

All Statement of Trade forms must be submitted no later than 5 days out from the show. For more detailed information regarding these regulations, contact FoodTrader via the website: www.foodtrader.vic.gov.au, tel: 1300 364 352 (Food Safety Hotline) or your Local Council if located in Victoria.

Exhibitors sampling alcoholic products are responsible for adhering to Government regulations and responsible service of alcohol guidelines. Staff working on the stand must also be aware of and abide by these regulations at all times.