#VenueNowVIP Sydney: From VenueNow With Love!

Our last VenueNowVIP Sydney event feels like a lifetime ago – especially since our Melbourne-based clients have enjoyed such beautiful event showcases lately. Well, we figured it was about time we spent a couple of days showcasing some of the best event spaces, views and unique experiences Sydney has to offer.

On a sunny and only slightly sweltering Tuesday evening, a crowd gathered at the Cidery Bar & Kitchen at Rydges World Square, sporting a dash of red on their clothing (it was the day before Valentine’s Day, after all!) and ready for a good time.

Although technically part of Rydges World Square, the Cidery Bar & Kitchen is a far cry from the image that might automatically spring to mind when you think ‘hotel bar’. The recently refurbished space has a modern industrial feel to it, all copper pipes and lighting encased in metal cages.

The Cidery Bar & Kitchen can be used exclusively or in sections – our latest VenueNowVIP event made use of a semi-private space looking out onto the enclosed balcony space below. There, an additional, pop-up bar dished out berry and gin cocktails, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto World Square beyond. Not a bad setting at all.

The best way to judge whether a venue’s going to be a perfect fit for your event is to see it with your own eyes. And even better than seeing a venue is experiencing its charm, and enjoying it in action.

Here, a magician roamed around, delighting guests with close-up sleight of hand tricks and feats. A sprawling antipasto and cheese grazing table took pride of place in the middle of the space, looking almost too good to eat. Almost.

On one side of the space an oyster food station (complete with chef for shucking) and on the other, delicious dumplings for lining stomachs in preparation for the night ahead.

And all of a sudden, the innocuous pop-up bar below transformed into the stage for a daring cocktail fire display. Fire breathing? Check. Bottles set on fire, being juggled? Check. More cocktails? Check, check. 

After a quick tour through a handful of the function spaces available at Rydges World Square, our #VenueNowVIP guests piled into a bus for a quick jaunt down the road to QT Sydney.

Greeted by the hotel’s red-haired ‘Directors of Chaos’ , we were led through to seemingly old-timey elevators that belied a sleek and urbane destination above the Gowings and State Theatre buildings. Who would guess in the hustle and bustle below that a sleek hotel would be perched above that Gothic and Art Deco architecture?

Our Sydney venue adventure continued in QT Sydney’s moody and elegant Gilt Lounge. The space is dimly (read: flatteringly) lit and filled with lounges and cocktail options – along with an alcove of striking red, almost Twin Peaks-esque curtains (but without a serve of Lynchian existential dread). In other words, it’s ideal for corporate functions, milestone birthdays, and cocktail parties.

Our #VenueNowVIP guests enjoyed free-flowing wine, along with decadent dessert canapés in Valentine’s day pink and red: raspberry and lychee tarts, pink lemon meringue tarts, strawberry macarons, and hazelnut caramel profiteroles.

Obviously if we were going to be in Sydney, we’d ensure at least one portion of our #VenueNowVIP event was situated on the waterfront. And in this case, we spent the next day showcasing The Australian National Maritime Museum’s new Endeavour Pavilion.

Situated next to the historic Endeavour, the new Endeavour Pavilion makes the most of its waterfront location – both in terms of its amazing view, and the sea breeze flowing through the open side panels of the marquee and providing welcome relief from the heat.

The afternoon was a delightful one, filled with delicious canapés by way of Laissez-Faire catering, acoustic tunes, a spectacular view out onto seafaring vessels of all shapes and sizes, and door prizes of family passes to Maritime Museum for a lucky few.

The Endeavour Pavilion is ideal for evening cocktail receptions, and dinner events that require a point of difference. The space will be around until the end of the year, and hopefully beyond. Think along the lines of end of year celebrations, engagement parties, and client events.

And with that, our latest VenueNowVIP Sydney event showcase came to a close. Parting is such sweet sorrow! Thank you to all to attended, along with the teams at Rydges World Square, QT Sydney, Laissez-Faire, and the Australian National Maritime Museum.

City event on the horizon for your team? Check out the beautiful Cidery Bar & Kitchen >> 

Book the beautiful Gilt Lounge or QT Sydney's many additional function spaces for your next event >>

Host a large-scale event or an intimate celebration at one of Sydney's most unique spaces, the Australian National Maritime Museum >>