CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park has celebrated a triumph on the local tourism stage, taking home Best New Tourism Business in the 2022 Victorian Tourism Awards.
Victorian tourism’s night of nights was hosted at the award-winning venue, with CENTREPIECE partnering with Peter Jones Special Events to bring to life the gala event attended by over 800 local tourism leaders and businesses.
Designed by Melbourne-firm NH Architecture, the state-of-the-art events and conferencing venue opened its doors in January 2022 and has since hosted over 130 events ranging from large-scale international conferences to business events, galas and weddings. Events hosted at CENTREPIECE to date include the event industry’s own AIME Welcome Event, Carlton in Business luncheon, Destination Australia conference, SportNXT summit, RANZCOG Scientific Symposium, and the Sir Jackie Stewart Race Against Dementia Tribute Event.
CENTREPIECE’s ethos centres around four key pillars: delivering high-calibre events; championing Victoria-first; creating unique experiences, and demonstrating tourism excellence in every aspect. Its proudly sustainable and locally sourced philosophy was recognised by the judges for its wider impact on Victoria’s tourism sector. Partnering with over 30 growers, producers, makers and businesses across the state, CENTREPIECE amplifies their products and services on a large scale to the events and conference industry and their event attendees.
Sam Eustice, Director of Commercial at Melbourne & Olympic Parks, said the award recognition is further proof of the precinct’s position as a world-class events destination.
“For the CENTREPIECE and Melbourne & Olympic Parks team, winning in the highly competitive category of Best New Tourism Business award is an incredibly special achievement. With the pandemic challenging our opening plans and strategies, like it did for so many of our peers, the award is a testament to the hard work, innovation and quality customer service our team has delivered over the past year.
“Melbourne is a city built on good food and a love for bringing people together. And we feel what we’ve delivered with CENTREPIECE echoes this sentiment—a world-class meeting place that reflects and celebrates the vibrancy of our great city. CENTREPIECE offers a truly unique, Victoria-first guest experience that is distinct and welcomed addition to the Australian events venue landscape.
“As businesses and government work hard to revive tourism across Victoria, we applaud all industry efforts to bring people back together for entertainment, music, art, food and sport. This is also why we were also honoured to host the awards gala this year, welcoming our industry colleagues to the venue to showcase and celebrate Victoria’s tourism excellence,” added Eustice.
CENTREPIECE was completed in August 2021 as part of the final stage of the Victorian Government’s near-$1 billion Melbourne Park Redevelopment. Nestled between the MCG and Rod Laver Area and less than 1km from Flinders Street Station via foot, CENTREPIECE’s location is unrivalled and set against the backdrop of breathtaking city skyline views.
The venue’s design takes cues from the local environment and Australia’s natural landscape, with raw and earthy finishes such as spotted gum panelling, terracotta tiles and repurposed aluminium heroed throughout the architecture.
Inside, a 2,000sqm Grand Hall, with connecting outdoor terrace, can seat up to 1,400 people for a banquet, or host 2,400 guests for a cocktail-style function. Breakout spaces, meeting rooms, a state-of-the-art auditorium and pre-function areas make the space a versatile canvas for events.
Featured Image: Sally Capp – Lord Mayor, City of Melbourne (left) with Patrick Flannigan – Chair, Melbourne & Olympic Parks (right)