Alongside 3,000 objects and artifacts currently on display, the new $915 million museum in Sydney’s west has seven event spaces that can be used to host business events, with capacities ranging from intimate banquets for 20 in The Residence on level six of the venue, to standing events for up to 1,000 in the Western Sydney University Forum, which has retractable seating.
“This is a huge moment for Western Sydney and a massive drawcard for this part of Sydney,” said the Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns.
“This is about having massive cultural institutions across our city – people in the west deserve world-class culture and infrastructure that we see in global cities – it’s what makes Western Sydney such a wonderful place to live.”
The museum was built by a team of 4,000 people and has already driven an economic injection for Western Sydney, with 75 per cent of the workforce that built Powerhouse Parramatta living locally and $329 million in contracts won by businesses in Western Sydney.
“This weekend marks an historic milestone as Powerhouse Parramatta opens its doors as a world-class cultural and educational hub, right in the heart of Western Sydney,” said NSW’s deputy premier and minister for Western Sydney, Prue Car.
“Alongside the new Western Sydney Airport and the Metro West project, this museum will cement Western Sydney as a global destination and inspire the region’s future scientists, designers and engineers.”
Aside from The Residence and the Western Sydney University Forum, event spaces at Powerhouse Parramatta include the pillarless 650m2 PS7, which is flooded with natural light and has 5.7m ceilings and its own terrace, the ING Pavilion and rooftop garden, which can banquet 180 or accommodate 200 in theatre or for standing events, a 55-seat theatre with an adjoining bar, the 235m2 Vitocco Family Kitchen, which can host groups of 200 in theatre, banquets of 120 and be used for cooking or product demonstrations, and the ground floor UNSW House, which can host 104 in theatre, 120 for cocktail events or dinners for 60.
With Western Sydney International Airport opening last month, Sydney’s west is in the spotlight for both the visitor economy and the business events industry. Parramatta in particular, is benefitting from an influx of developments – a Crowne Plaza, a Marriott hotel and an InterContinental hotel are all planned for the destination over the coming years.
