The Australian Turf Club (ATC) unveiled its highly anticipated new events venue at an exclusive industry preview last Thursday, cementing Royal Randwick’s position as a leading venue of choice for Sydney’s meetings and events.
Named after the legendary Australian racehorse Winx, the $46.4 million WINX Stand at Royal Randwick is a two-storey, state-of-the-art events venue which offers 5,043 square metres of flexible floor space.
While the new facility is an investment in the infrastructure at Royal Randwick, ATC executive general manager, commercial, Melinda Madigan said the new development is expected to contribute significantly towards New South Wales’s economic recovery.
“We estimate the WINX Stand will deliver over $150 million in economic benefit to NSW, whilst creating over 450 jobs during construction, which is so important to support the state’s post-COVID recovery,” Madigan said.
Designed by Cox Architecture, the facility offers three indoor spaces and an outdoor terrace, which include The Pavilion on the ground floor, and the Gallery South, Gallery North and Gallery Terrace on level one.
The two upstairs spaces can each host 500 people cocktail or 400 banquet, while the larger ground floor space offers 2,300 square metres that can accommodate 2,030 pax for a conference, 1,800 banquet style, 94 stands for an exhibition, and up to 3,000 cocktail. Alternatively, 4,000 cocktail can be hosted across the entire venue.
Renowned for hosting its famous racing carnivals as well as some of the country’s finest events, Royal Randwick is a true year-round destination, which Madigan says has now been taken to a whole new level with the addition of WINX Stand.
“This is underpinned by our award-winning hospitality, best in class sales and event teams, plus an expansive footprint of unique indoor and outdoor spaces, on-site parking and accessible transport links to Sydney CBD,” she said.
The WINX Stand has already received strong interest, with December already fully booked, kicking off with the facility’s first client event on Wednesday 8 December.
“Not surprisingly we are seeing extensive demand and inquiries, with the venue fully booked out for its first month of opening and strong bookings already throughout 2022.”
Business Events Sydney (BESydney) chief executive officer Lyn Lewis-Smith said the WINX Stand is a great addition to Sydney’s venue offering and will be a compelling drawcard for both domestic and global business events.
“For Sydneysiders, the business events industry has an important role to play in revitalising our city,” Lewis-Smith said.
“I’m excited about the potential this new venue presents for a broad range of business events, and it will help strengthen Sydney’s reputation as a pre-eminent business events destination in the APAC region.”
