As Melbourne’s cool weather and shorter days kick in over winter, it’s a great idea to consider a conference venue with plenty of natural light. A proven mood booster, delegates will appreciate an environment to focus and feel good throughout the day.

Ten light and bright conference spaces to consider

To help event planners deliver a successful conference or business meeting, we’ve highlighted ten Melbourne venues to consider for your winter event programs and delegate wellness experience.

Rydges Melbourne Hotel

The recently refurbished Rydges Melbourne Hotel is now one of the city’s largest conference and events venues. With eleven flexible spaces spanning 1,500sqm across two levels, every element of the property has been transformed with the best-in-market sound, lighting and music systems.

An abundance of natural light can be found in their Meeting Place, which can host up to 300 guests cocktail and 240 seated. The function room features built-in high-definition data projectors, five 160 inch screens throughout, and guests can enjoy complimentary sparkling & still water and juice in the pre-function area.

The Meeting Place is fitted with electronic divider walls with the ability to create four private function rooms or any configuration of your choice; Meeting Place I, Meeting Place II, Meeting Place III and Meeting Place IV. Whether you’re hosting a gala dinner, cocktail party or delivering a presentation —  the picture windows allow abundant natural light and offer a view of Melbourne’s theatre precinct and the gateway to Chinatown, the perfect Melbourne setting.

Meeting Place is located on level one of the 4.5 star Rydges Melbourne Hotel, offering 370 contemporary king rooms, suites and apartments.

Learn more about Rydges Melbourne

Marvel Stadium

Marvel Stadium unveiled an impressive $225 million redevelopment early 2024, including two new high end function spaces - Horizon Room and Skyline Room.

Horizon Room has been designed with versatility in mind and is the perfect space for all occasions from gala dinners, grand conferences, and cocktail parties.  The floor-to-ceiling windows provide a beautiful backdrop of natural light for the day, and city lights for the evening. Horizon offers in-built audio-visual equipment including 5m x 3m LED Wall, camera and superior speaker system making it the most functional space at Marvel Stadium for a variety of event types. 

The arrival experience for guests is one to remember, with direct access via a glass elevator into a stunning lobby and pre-function room complete with arrival desk, cloaking facilities and an impressive view of Marvel Stadium’s arena. 

The Skyline Room has stunning floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the city, along with bespoke velvet furniture, custom gold themed roofing, shadow chandeliers across the bar, and an impressive 5m LED Screen. 

Event planners will discover an exclusive menu designed by their executive-chef, served from an open kitchen, providing a 5-star restaurant experience for business events. Guests also have direct access via a glass elevator into a stunning lobby and pre-function space, and a champagne bar overlooking the Marvel Stadium arena. 

AC Hotel by Marriott Melbourne Southbank

A four-star, 205-room hotel that opened in 2022, the AC Hotel by Marriott Melbourne Southbank offers contemporary conference and meeting spaces on level six.

All three event rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows, affording an abundance of natural daylight as well as access to an outdoor terrace wrapping around the entire space.

Their flexible floorplan is geared towards small team gatherings, breakout discussions and blended social and business get-togethers designed to inspire collaboration and creativity. The largest space can accommodate 120 delegates theatre-style or 200 for a stand-up reception.

Learn more about AC Hotel by Marriott Melbourne Southbank

Crowne Plaza

Crowne Plaza Melbourne completed an extensive hotel transformation in 2020 with newly-designed rooms and suites, stylish meeting spaces and refreshed dining offerings.
 
The refurbishment included the introduction of Pearl Riverfront, which houses six interconnecting event venues with floor-to-ceiling windows and direct access to the Yarra River. The versatile rooms can be hired individually or combined to cater for events from 60 attendees in a classroom setting to a gala dinner for 300. On the mezzanine level sits four sun-filled Atrium rooms, suitable for smaller meetings and intimate gatherings.
 
To wrap up the day, delegates can look forward to relaxing in the outdoor heated pool on level three, or dine at Yugo, the hotel’s signature restaurant, offering modern Australian flavours with a global twist.

Learn more about Crowne Plaza

Pullman Melbourne on the Park

Pullman Melbourne on the Park is an upscale five-star hotel situated in picturesque East Melbourne, overlooking the iconic MCG, Melbourne Park and the beautiful Fitzroy Gardens. As one of the top meeting and conference destinations in Melbourne CBD, the hotel combines 419 contemporary rooms and suites with world-class meeting venues and personalised event support.

The Stradbroke, Huntingfield and Delacombe rooms offer magnificent views of the MCG and the Fitzroy Gardens. With three metre high ceilings, the versatile 277m2 space can be broken down into three individual rooms. Seating up to 240 guests, the Stradbroke, Huntingfield and Delacombe rooms make up the Governors Wing and are the perfect option for large plenary sessions that break out into concurrents.

Learn more about Pullman Melbourne on the Park

View rooms on this virtual tour

Oakwood Premier Melbourne

A five-star hotel, the Oakwood Premier Melbourne offers numerous versatile meeting and event spaces boasting plenty of natural light.

The Southbank Ballroom on level three has private lift access and is surrounded by 4.7-metre-tall floor-to-ceiling windows to fill the room with sunlight. Check out this 360-degree virtual tour of the Southbank Ballroom and see all the natural light for yourself.

The Normanby and Munro Rooms are also sun-filled meeting spaces, suitable for company functions and boardroom meetings. With direct lift and stair access to the Southbank Ballroom above, they can also be arranged as breakout rooms for exclusive private events.

The Executive Lounge is a stylish, versatile space featuring a variety of furniture, a stone kitchen-top perfect for canapes, multiple screens, and a connecting outdoor terrace. Adaptable to any function or event, the furniture can be completely rearranged to suit your needs - including the ability to combine with the neighbouring Residents' Lounge for double the space. Check out this 360-degree virtual tour of the Residents' and Executive Lounge.

Finally, a stylish 12-seater boardroom is located on level six, offering a modern space for small meetings. It is directly connected to a wide outdoor terrace with spectacular views of Melbourne city.

Learn more about Oakwood Premier Melbourne

Grand Hyatt Melbourne

A five-star, 550-room hotel located on the ‘Paris End’ of iconic Collins Street, the Grand Hyatt Melbourne showcases 15 inspired event spaces and an exclusive group registration area across 4,100 sqm of flexible floor space.

The residence is the premium event venue at Grand Hyatt Melbourne. Based on the concept of a private mansion, the space includes four individually styled rooms - Wine Room, Library, Verandah and Courtyard - all served by a spectacular open kitchen. The floor-to-ceiling windows afford stunning views of Collins Street and the courtyard dazzles with natural light through a soaring atrium glass ceiling.

Learn more about the Grand Hyatt Melbourne

Metropolis Events

Metropolis Events is a premium events space located on the banks of the Yarra River, featuring sweeping views of Flinders Street Station, Federation Square, Princes Bridge and Melbourne's city skyline.

The venue features a New York loft-style space boasting a 17 metre internal dome, 9 metre high windows and all weather outdoor terrace. The conference space can cater for up to 450 delegates in a theatre-style setup.

Metropolis Events is easily accessible by public transport and offers plenty of public car parking below. For multi-day conferences, event planners can choose from neighbouring accommodation, such as The Langham Melbourne, which is only one minute walk from the venue.

Learn more about Metropolis Events

Chapter Place at Pentridge

Chapter Place is a brand new event space built inside the walls of the heritage-listed former HM Prison Pentridge, now a bustling dining and entertainment precinct. Opened in 2023, Chapter Place brings a unique conference and event venue option to Melbourne paired with exceptional modern onsite accommodations options at Adina Apartment Hotel Pentridge Melbourne.

Housed in the historic Pentridge Prison site, Chapter Place is an unparalleled destination for residential conferences, events and team-building retreats like no other. Located just 20 minutes from Melbourne's CBD and Tullamarine Airport, Chapter Place gives guests access to heritage spaces, as well as modern rooms in the Adina Apartment Hotel Pentridge Melbourne tower for residential conferences.

Event planners have the choice of eight event spaces catering for the most intimate six-person executive retreat to multiday residential conferences for up to 250 delegates. Their modern Merri Creek Rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the spaces with natural light and offer views of Pentridge's bluestone walls. 

To the eastern side of the precinct lies the North & Common alfresco dining room, a vast space designed to invite sunlight in with a fully operable roof structure, centred around a decadent fireplace allowing private dinners and intimate events in comfort year-round. 

For a truly unique event or conference, Chapter Place offers their signature Long Table configuration, enabling up to 90 delegates to dine in one setting, occupying a full wing of the adaptively reused space. 

Learn more about Chapter Place

Q Events

Q Events is one of Melbourne’s newest and most stylish event spaces. The venue is situated on Queen Street between Collins Street and Bourke Street. It’s easily accessible by public transport and offers car parking directly below.

The space has a marvellous, flexible floor plan accommodating up to 1,800 people for a stand-up event or 450 plus for a sit-down conference.

For multi-day conferences, Q Events works with local hotel partners to offer event organisers preferred hotel rates.

Learn more about Q Events

Ask the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) for free advice

This is only an example of the many Melbourne event venues that offer natural light for conferences and meetings. MCB can provide free advice and assistance to help you plan the perfect business event in Melbourne, to suit your budget and preferred location.

Get in touch with our team to source a venue that matches your needs, identify event suppliers, arrange site inspections and so much more.