Event Showcase | A Gala Event for 4500 Guests

Finding a venue for 4500 guests can be a tough task at the best of times. But when you’re looking for an impressive venue to host a gala event to kick off an international conference in Sydney, the list of suitable venues gets narrowed down pretty quickly.

The International Bar Association (IBA), who were celebrating their 70th Anniversary earlier this year, were looking for such a venue to host the opening night of their week-long event in Sydney.

Stephen Macliver, Chair of the Local Host Committee at the IBA explains that choosing Luna Park Venues in Sydney was an easy and great choice for their event, “…Luna Park was selected for its iconic Sydney location, expertise to host an event of this scale and the unique experience it offered” he said.

So, what does an event for 4500 lawyers look like? Let’s take a look at how IBA took over one of Sydney’s most iconic venues for a night to remember…

IBA Gala Event at Luna Park Venues Sydney

Arriving in Style

Guests enjoyed Sydney’s stunning harbour as they sailed from Darling Harbour to Sydney’s heritage Luna Park, disembarking on a private pontoon.

Walking through the famous Luna Park smile, guests had access to the entire precinct, including Luna Park’s iconic heritage-listed rides and sideshow games, which they were welcome to explore at their leisure.

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The Catering | An Australian Showcase of Food and Wine

With a large proportion of the guests coming from overseas the Organisers wanted to showcase the very best of Australian produce. The event was cocktail style, with guests allowed to roam around the precinct and in and out of the Park’s main function venues.

Award-winning Executive Chef Mark Taylor and his team delivered an array of quality Australian seafood in the Crystal Palace including freshly-shucked Sydney rock oysters and Spencer Gulf prawns.

Luna Park’s Big Top auditorium hosted food stations celebrating Australian produce. Stations included the Barossa Valley (charcuterie and brie with Maggie Beer quince paste); Outback Australia (cooking station with seared-to-order kangaroo fillet and damper); Tasmania (Tasmanian crab, goat’s cheese and Manuka honey); and New South Wales (Goulburn smoked river trout, Galston Gorge quails and Jack’s Creek wagyu beef).

Samuel Smith & Son were engaged to curate the wines to match the menu and showcase the best of Australia’s wine makers. Wines included Bimbadgen Sparkling Semillon, Mawsons Wrattonbully Sauvignon Blanc and Brokenwood 8 Rows Cabernet Merlot.

Entertainment | More than a theme park…

While guests could entertain themselves by jumping on any of the Park’s unique and fun rides and amusements, the Organisers were keen to add to the atmosphere and showcase a range of local talent. This included dancers who performed on a central stage in the middle of a huge bar, a bush band and roving entertainment around the precinct.

They also arranged for a number of Aboriginal artworks to be displayed around the venues.

IBA 70th Anniversary Welcome Event

Final words…

Hosting events of this scale is not easy. However, if you choose a venue that not only has the space, but also the previous experience in hosting events on a grand scale, it can make the whole process a lot easier. The venue team can advise on how to move guests around, how to caterer for that many hungry mouths and how to entertain the guests by using the space in clever ways. Finding a venue that comes with elements of entertainment, styling and amusements built in, can also save you money and make a bigger impact overall. A big high-five to all those involved in this event, particularly Andrew Cross from MCI Australia who was the event producer – the one pulling it altogether.