A new conference center is opening in Melbourne, Australia, adjacent to the Rod Laver Arena, the home of the Australian Open tennis tournament. Centrepiece at Melbourne Park has more than 64,500 square feet of meeting and event space, including a 21,527-square-foot pillarless ballroom with 28-foot floor-to-ceiling windows providing views of the surrounding gum trees, tennis courts, and the Melbourne skyline. There is 8,600 square feet of prefunction space which can be used for small exhibitions and large receptions.
Located on level two, the ballroom can be divided into three separate venues and has an outdoor terrace.
Level one is designed to accommodate vehicles for auto shows and has a restaurant and large outdoor plaza. The top floor, level three, houses breakout rooms and 10 studios designed for use by the media but can host up to 100 attendees with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment. There is also a 250-seat auditorium with prefunction space and three boardrooms. The on-site catering kitchen practices a “paddock to plate” philosophy and serves local Victoria state beer and wine.
The conference center was built to LEED Gold certificate standards and is located within walking distance of 12 hotels and two train stations. The AUS$900 million development is 20 minutes from Melbourne “Tullamarine” Airport.
