Melbourne builds on its event skills

The Langham
The five-star Langham hotel underwent a US$10.5 million refurbishment when it rebranded from the Sheraton in 2005.
Modelled on a grand Victorian mansion, the hotel is centrally located on the south bank
of Melbourne’s Yarra River, opposite Flinders Street Railway Station. It has 11 meeting
rooms that can be broken into 18 spaces and a ballroom that seats 400 theatre style. The
premium Alto Room on the top floor has a terrace overlooking the river, a private
kitchen and boardroom. It accommodates 130 people for dinner or 200 for cocktails.
Regular patrons include Monash University and Deloitte, which recently hosted a two-day meeting for 250 people.
www.langhamhotelmelbourne.com.au

Crown Promenade and Crown Towers
One of the largest entertainment resorts of its type in the world, Crown Entertainment Complex includes a casino, two hotels, convention facilities, restaurants and shops.
Crown has 950 hotel rooms in the businessfocused Crown Promenade and five-star
Crown Towers, with a new 658-room hotel opening in May 2010. Crown Towers also is
undergoing a US$65 million refurbishment.
Crown offers versatile conference and meeting facilities in 26 rooms across 4,000 sqm.
The Palladium at Crown, Australia’s largest pillarless hotel ballroom seats, more than
1,000 people and can be split into five rooms. The River Room seats 300 for dinner.
www.crowntowers.com.au
www.crownpromenade.com.au

Crowne Plaza
Located on the banks of the Yarra River beside the Melbourne Exhibition and Conference Centre, Crowne Plaza places strong emphasis on meetings and business groups. Crowne Plaza has 383 rooms including 11 suites. It has four function rooms: two boardrooms seating 12 to
16, and two larger rooms. The largest seats 110 banquet-style, 130 theatre-style or 180 cocktail-style. The larger rooms have abundant natural light and river views.
Crowne Plaza provides a facilitator toolkit and stationery cupboard in every meeting room. Meals can be taken at the Clarendon Street Grill.
www.crowneplaza.com.au

Grand Hyatt
The five-star Grand Hyatt is undergoing a US$35 million redevelopment and launches
its new events venue, the Residence, in September, following a concept successfully used in Taipei and Bangkok. Overlooking Melbourne’s Collins Street, the Residence is based on the observation that the best parties end up in the kitchen and comes with its own team of chefs. It will accommodate 640 guests for a cocktail party or 320 for a seated function.
The Grand Hyatt also has two ballrooms, the Savoy, which holds 1,500 people cocktail-style, and the Mayfair, and several smaller
function rooms. It has 548 guestrooms.
www.melbourne.grand.hyatt.com

Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre
MECC is adding a new building in July 2009, to create the largest integrated exhibition and
convention centre in Australia. The existing convention centre holds up to 3,000 people
and has 30,000 sqm of flexible exhibition space including 50 meeting rooms, a purposebuilt
plenary hall and exhibition bays.
It regularly hosts product launches and in April 2008 will host an Amway convention.
The new building is being constructed in a precinct that will include a 396-room
Hilton hotel, retail, bars, restaurants and a commercial tower.
www.mecc.com.au

Westin Hotel
The Westin offers 262 rooms in the CBD, which are among Melbourne’s most spacious.
With its contemporary design, the hotel attracts mainly high-end business groups.
The Westin’s five private function rooms offer state-of-the-art video conferencing and
wireless internet facilities and suit groups of up to 50 seated. Its largest event space holds
100 people banquet style or 150 theatre-style.
www.westin.com.au

Novotel
Already established as a leisure hotel, the Novotel Melbourne has shifted its focus to
meetings and events in line with its ‘Meeting at Novotel’ campaign. Located above a retail
plaza on Collins Street, Novotel Melbourne has 324 rooms, two boardrooms seating 12-
people and three larger function spaces, including a pillarless ballroom. In November
it hosted over 250 travel agents for a Brazilian Trade Bureau cocktail event.
www.novotelmelbourne.com.au

Central Pier Docklands
Melbourne’s newest event spaces are located in refurbished waterfront heritage-listed
warehouse on a pier at Central Pier Docklands. The four venues – Sumac, Sketch, Peninsula and Atlantic – are part of a $20 million development operated by the Atlantic Group V. The largest venue, Peninsula, launched in August with a blacktie fundraising ball for over 1,000 guests.
Peninsula can host 1,440 for a sit-down event or 2,800 cocktail style. Atlantic hosts 310 for a sit-down event and 500 cocktailstyle; Moroccan-themed Sumac hosts 140 sit-down and 380 cocktail, and Sketch holds 240 banquet and 160 dinner dance.
Central Pier Docklands will host the AIME 2008 welcome reception in February.
www.atlanticgroupv.com.au