5 Tips for Planning Melbourne Cup Events

Melbourne Cup Day is the only day of the year when it’s acceptable to have a party during a working day. In fact, it’s more than acceptable, it’s pretty much an obligation.

As an event planner, it’s important your clients celebrate the race that stops a nation in style, so here are our top tips to ensure the day goes off with a bang.

1. Find the perfect venue

Finding a venue for a Melbourne Cup event can be tricky, and there will be lots of competition from other event planners, whilst many venues and restaurants will be using their space for ticketed events.

Get organised and book your venue as early in the piece as you can.  The spring racing carnival has an elegant feel to it, so ensure your choice has the potential to transform into a sophisticated, racing theme. 

2. Food and drink

As we all know, racing and champagne go together hand in hand, so pick a quality sparkling wine or champagne to keep your guests merry and in the mood.

You can have beer, other wines and soft drinks on offer, but on this special occasion it’s all about the fizz…

The Melbourne Cup will be a lunch event, so whether you choose a sit down meal or canapés, keep the menu light but constant to help soak up some of the booze.

3. Watching the race

Make sure you have got a good set up for the live broadcast. Plan ahead so the size of your TV is ample for all your guests to get a good view.

Even the best laid plans can go awry, so if necessary speak to an AV specialist so the vision and commentary of the race will be enjoyed by all your guests.

4. Having a bet

Think ahead about how your guests will gamble and take part in sweepstakes. 

The race is much more fun when you have some money on a horse, so make sure you don’t overlook this important step.

5. Fun and games

Your guests will love you if you have some extra entertainment arranged for the day.  A popular choice could be a fashion parade, as your guests will be all dressed up and keen to show off their best frocks and fascinators. 

If you go down this route, having someone on the microphone to call the fashion parade will give it some extra appeal.

We hope you and your guests have a wonderful day.

For any enquires on Event Management Gold Coast, Corporate Events Gold Coast, and Conference and Incentives Days please call Jo. Jo can bring all her experience, passion and skill to the table to create a fresh and innovative partnership with you. Click here to get our Ebrochure & download our PDF.