Spotlight on: The Australian National Maritime Museum

The entire venue precinct at The Australian National Maritime Museum was recently converted into an adult playground for a spectacularly unique nautical cocktail party. Today we go behind the scenes with the team at Laissez-Faire to experience the enormous event and take a sneak peak of the brand new marquee space. 

Imagine Sydney’s glistening Darling Harbour alive with excited chatter from a group of guests ready to explore the many interconnecting spaces at The Australian National Maritime Museum. Picture these guests weaving through boats and buildings, signature pomegranate and rosemary gin fizz in hand.

Take 3,500 people, build a menu with options to suit every taste preference and dietary requirement, arrange live entertainment, lighting and nautical theming, all with a smile on your face.  Sounds easy, right?

Organising an event of this scale is no small feat, but the world-class team at Laissez-Faire catering and The Australian National Maritime Museum are logistical superstars. They are adept at thinking outside the box and tackling monstrous event briefs with creative solutions.

Using the prime harbour side location and historic charm to set the scene, The Australian National Maritime Museum was recently host to a spectacular nautical themed affair. Shutting off the whole precinct, the Laissez-Faire team transformed the space into a multi-zoned entertainment hub for one magical maritime evening.

A life-sized mermaid sculpture was perched atop a 10-foot martini glass in the centre of the Terrace Room, while the inside of the Lighthouse Gallery space was set up to mimic a New York club scene, complete with enormous colourful octopus sculpture, raised dance-floor and live DJs.

“Our job was to ensure the entire experience was fresh, upbeat and memorable for every one of the 3,500  guests,” says Laissez-Faire General Manager, Sara Flaksbard.

The celebration stretched across the entire precinct, allowing guests to move throughout the museum’s 11 unique spaces, including two original navy ships – the HMAS Vampire and HMAS Onslow.

“By giving guests exclusive access to the whole venue precinct, we were able to take them on a journey through a myriad of different experiences,” says Sara.

An extravagant culinary market, complete with white peaked tents and interactive food stations lined the Dock, inviting guests to feast on individually-rolled Peking duck pancakes, fresh oysters, Gelato Messina and 1500 bottles of premium Chandon.

Spread across seven hours, the event was set to wow guest, providing the perfect space for the ultimate end of year celebration.

An event of such monstrous scale requires a well-oiled machine of a team to pull off to perfection. With all hands on deck (300 to be precise) the event was pulled together with 180 hours in pre-event management, including 14 hours of bump in and out time and 150 perfectly presented food service and event professionals.

“This event was a true endurance test for the team, but everyone banded together to ensure that we delivered a memorable bespoke experience for the client,” says Sara.

Designed as a vessel to express extreme gratitude to a community of hard working employees, the nautical affair at The Australian National Maritime Museum was a spectacular celebration in Sydney’s premiere waterfront venue precinct.

Adding a brand new marquee venue to the portfolio this month, The Australian National Maritime Museum and the Laissez-Faire team are poised for the upcoming festive season, ready to bring the wow factor with magnificent event experiences.

Looking for a waterfront venue to surprise your guests this festive season? Plan a corporate Christmas party at the Australian National Maritime Museum >>>