As we draw towards the end of the year, the team at MCG Events would like to thank you for your support. 2023 was an award-winning year at the ‘G, from elevating events, showcasing Victoria’s best produce, revamping spaces across the Shane Warne Stand, to one of the best AFL finals series in recent memory.

Victoria’s best, flavoured by Melbourne.

We celebrate the multi-cultural flavours that Melbourne embraces and feature the very best Victoria has on offer.

This is the inspiration for our food philosophy, ‘Victoria’s best, flavoured by Melbourne.’

We provide small producers an opportunity to showcase on the big stage.
We align with industry icons to deliver concepts that epitomise greatness.
We source innovative products, support local and reward providers with a focus on sustainability, and we seek out only the best producers and products to elevate our offering.

HAT TRICK for MCG Events at Meetings and Events Australia (MEA) National Awards

MCG Events was announced winner in three prestigious categories at the recent National Meetings Events Australian (MEA) Awards, capping off a stellar 12 months.

1. MEA National Awards for Innovation
2. MEA National Event Venue of the Year – capacity less than 1,000
3. MEA National Best Sales, Marketing and Business Development Person of the Year – Troy Stasinowsky

The MEA award for Innovation is designed to celebrate innovative approaches to any aspect of the events industry that improves or enhances the delivery of events. This National Award is testament to the MCG Events teams’ ongoing commitment to growing Business Events at Australia’s greatest sporting stadium.

Four re-fitted, new event spaces are proving a popular choice for corporate events at the MCG

Ahead of the AFL season this year, four events spaces were given a face lift, generating renewed interest, and each matched with a signature menu offering. AFL Dining Room, Legends Room, and Tom Wills Room on Level 2 of the Shane Warne Stand, and a former bar outlet on Level 3 of the Ponsford Stand were given a lot of love to elevate the guest experience.

2023 AFL Finals

The AFL finals series is one of the biggest periods on the Australian sporting calendar, and 2023 was no different. Across the six matches, 547,228 fans entered the MCG with an average crowd of 91,205. In total, 3,319,002 fans attended the MCG for an AFL match in 2023 – a record-breaking season – with an average crowd of 62,623.

The 2023 Grand Final, touted as one of the best of the modern era, saw a capacity MCG crowd of 100,024 for the second year in a row. Providing hospitality services on this day, required 2,700+ hospitality staff, across 48 retail outlets, 52 bars, 23 dining spaces and 110 corporate suites.

Venue Management Association (VMA)’s annual industry congress.

Representatives from Asia Pacific’s biggest venues descended on Melbourne in May for the Venue Management Association (VMA)’s annual industry congress.

The event saw 300 people from sports stadiums, arenas, convention centres and signature venues converge for a 3-day conference, held exclusively within Melbourne’s iconic sports and entertainment precinct to celebrate their 30th year.

The new partnership between CENTREPIECE, MCG Events and the Pullman Melbourne on The Park, helped create a “quintessentially Melbourne” experience for all in attendance.

The partnership provided guests with a place to “Meet, Celebrate and Stay” within short distance of one another.

And it did not disappoint, with the VMA Chief Executive Michael Brierly saying, “With a record number of attendees at this year’s Congress to celebrate our 30th Anniversary, we were all afforded the opportunity to connect with our peers, share ideas with the industry, and learn from a great mix of educational sessions. The feedback from the food and beverage offering from across the three days was exceptional and one of the highlights of the event. Everyone from across both venues should be immensely proud of what they delivered.”

Showcasing MCG Events to India

3 cities. 5 days. 33 MICE travel and media companies. 87 agents.

It was a big week in India, showcasing MCG Events and our incentive offering. In collaboration with Melbourne Convention Bureau, Troy Stasinowsky, Director of sales and marketing, and Vanessa Syriopoulos, Client Relationship Manager, took our refreshed and redesigned incentive market offering to some of the biggest cricket fans in the world.

Since the trip, our most popular incentive recently has been the stadium take-over. Guests are granted an all access pass to the stadium as they roam through the Museum, Change rooms, Practice Nets, and Media Center before being granted exclusive access to the hallowed turf for the ultimate selfie moment.

The experience is complemented with access to the Members Reserve spaces – including the famous Long Room – where guests enjoy a three course dining banquet with a wide variety of cuisine to choose from.

It has been an exciting year, and MCG Events are excited to continue to raise the bar for events in 2024. Stay tuned for new concepts, dining experiences and new ways to discover the MCG in 2024.