8 minute read
FEATURE: EVENTS AND FUNCTIONS
Form and function
Function and event spaces in clubs have evolved from being merely just blank canvases to centres where everything from the furniture to AV system matters, writes Aimee Chanthadavong.
CLUBS ARE ONE of very few hospitality venues that have the versatility to accommodate different types of functions and events. These can range from conferences and business meetings to people celebrating life’s key moments such as birthdays or weddings. But the difference between a mediocre and a brilliant function room can make or break a party.
It’s even more crucial for clubs to get the set-up right, as the hospitality sector is experiencing a surge in spending on functions and events. The Commonwealth Bank’s Household Spending Index recorded hospitality as the second highest performing sector in February, after there was a 115 per cent increase in spending at function and event centres.
It’s this growing demand that drove Canterbury League Club in Sydney’s western suburbs to give its function spaces a makeover. The club wrapped up construction in March after realising it had outgrown its former function spaces. Before the renovations, the club was able to cater for up to 270 people in its showroom. Now, this has almost doubled to 500.
“This room was also nearing 20 years old. The club required a larger space to meet the needs of our function clients, as well as to attract high-quality shows for our members,” said Greg Bygraves, Canterbury League Club general manager for sales and marketing.
The new Showroom will allow us to attract entertainment that was previously unavailable to the club due to our limited capacity.
Greg Bygraves, Canterbury League Club sales and marketing GM
But increasing capacity wasn’t the club’s only requirement. The spaces needed to be “more than blank canvases for a hirer-to-dress”, they needed to have all the bells and whistles of a premium function room — minimal sightline obstructions to the stage, terrific acoustics, and a high level of finishes — so they could “stand alone on their own without embellishment”.
Factoring this in, the club incorporated a high-quality AV fitout in the room. There are two 3.6m LED screens on the front wall and the sound system features premium equipment from “some of the world’s leading suppliers”. Lighting throughout the room is all selectable multi-colour LEDs and everything can be controlled from the rear AV desk or remotely via an iPad.
“The result is a room that requires very little additional overlay for customers wishing to hold their event at Canterbury, and this ultimately means cost savings for our clients,”
Bygraves said. He adds that based on initial feedback “everyone has been blown away” by the new space.
The new Showroom, as it’s known, was constructed in an unused area of the club on the first floor, alongside another 150-person events room called the Terrace. The opening of the Showroom and the Terrace completes a full-scale refurbishment of level one of the club’s northeastern wing.
In addition to hosting functions, Bygraves hopes the Showroom will attract new high-quality shows for members.
“The Showroom continues the club’s strategy of building facilities that not only cater to existing members but broaden the appeal of Canterbury to new markets,” he said.
“The new Showroom will allow us to attract entertainment that was previously unavailable to the club due to our limited capacity. Moving all our function facilities to level one, will also afford us the opportunity for more exciting development.”
If you build it, they will come
Gosford RSL CEO Russell Cooper is equally optimistic about the club’s new multifunctional conference and event centre, known as The Gallery, and the potential it has for the local community and economy.
“It’s a great opportunity for our community. We’re providing meeting spaces for our local community organisations … but there are a lot of other events such as school formals and work functions and we’re providing a great facility for them too,” he said.
“We’re also very conscious of the fact we’ve created an opportunity to bring investment into the local area through the conference and events centre. Being located between Sydney and Newcastle there are a lot of great opportunities for corporate events between those two areas.”
The Gallery has been built on the top level of the new three-storey $45 million Gosford RSL Club. It features five event spaces and displays artwork by the local art society to “really embellish the gallery ethos and feeling”.
Clubs have become a lot more rational about event spaces. A traditional auditorium is not practical.
Russell Cooper, Gosford RSL CEO
“Clubs have become a lot more rational about event spaces. A traditional auditorium is not practical… so you need that flexible space that can accommodate for corporate events during the day but flexible enough for weddings and shows at night,” Cooper said.
When compared to the old function space, Cooper described it as if they were like “chalk and cheese”.
“We had a traditional club auditorium and meeting rooms before, but now we’ve got a dedicated professional conference centre. We have one large room that can fit up to 500 people seated for a banquet dinner or 900 people seated theatre style. It’s flexible in that it can be divided into five separate rooms. It’s a very flexible and professional conference space.”
It’s this same reason Carina Leagues Club looks forward to its new 200-person function centre that is currently being built as part of stage one of the club’s $15 million renovation.
“For too long our community have had to travel a long way for a decent function space. We wanted to ensure the community and our local sporting teams had a beautiful new space to hold their awards nights, special events and team celebrations,” Carina Leagues Club general manager Adam Wiencke said.
He highlights the new highly anticipated events and function spaces will be contemporary and stylish to be suitable to host various functions and events.
“We’ve seen everything from white and ultra-simple, to wall-to-wall intricate designs and mood lighting. The new function space at Carina Leagues Club will cater for everyone and provide a unique space for events of all sizes,” he said.
“We didn’t want to limit any type of event in our design, especially when guests booking the space have different wants and needs. The new function centre, and the major renovations currently underway at Carina Leagues Club, will be like nothing you’ve seen in a Queensland club before.”
Investing in the future
For the South Australian Jockey Club (SAJC), introducing the Wolf Blass event centre to the Morphettville Racecourse was an opportunity to diversify the business. The SAJC has owned the Morphettville Racecourse for the last 150 years.
“While racing has been and will continue to be our core activity and event content, the reality is, when running a venue, a club, a business… it’s absolutely crucial to make the best use of assets and facilities,” SAJC chief executive Grant Mayer said.
“That means ensuring our venue that caters for all kinds of functions and events generating visitation and revenue which in turn can be reinvested into the future of our venue and ongoing support of the thoroughbred racing industry.”
This incredible venue will be South Australia’s newest top tier asset in attracting events and conferencing revenue to the state.
Grant Mayer, SA Jockey Club CEO
The $20 million Morphettville event centre was constructed in just under 12 months by Kennett Builders. Housed over two levels, the centre features an expansive balcony overlooking views of the Morphettville Racecourse’s finish post and racetrack, as well as the Adelaide Hills. It can accommodate up to 1,150 guests.
Mayer added developing the event centre will help future-proof the business, as the space has been designed to cater for everything from intimate gatherings to large-scale occasions for groups from the local community, interstate, and overseas visitors.
“By investing in this contemporary and highly anticipated event centre, the SAJC has strategically secured the financial sustainability of racing at South Australia’s premier metropolitan racecourse while providing a much-needed point of difference in the local conferencing and events landscape,” he said.
“It’s an impressive and versatile stand-alone function venue the likes of which south-western Adelaide has never seen. Meticulously crafted to celebrate the rich history of racing in South Australia as well as endlessly adaptable and unbeatably accessible, this incredible venue will be South Australia’s newest top-tier asset in attracting events and conferencing revenue to the state.”
