As a corporate event photographer for ten years in Brisbane, I booked over 400 events in Brisbane, and here I share exactly which are the most popular (based purely on my bookings).

This list is objective which makes it helpful for event planners wanting to follow the ‘wisdom of the crowds’ in terms of choosing popular, tried and tested venues.

I can honestly say you can’t go wrong booking any of these venues. That is probably not a big surprise, because they all host multiple events on a daily basis.

That is why I am confident that this list is ‘verified’ in that it represents factual information and not just a made up, arbitrary list or (even worse!) a sponsored list.

Unfortunately, many ranked lists online are nothing more than paid, sponsored listings. This list is totally independent.

I have also included some of the photography captured at these events to help show the ambience and of each venue. These photos cannot be seen elsewhere, and are not the venue provided photos.

The photos accurately reflect the typical professsional photography that can be captured at the venue. Just bear in mind however, that the stage lighting used may have been provided by a third party AV crew, so your results may vary.

While this list is ranked from 1 to 7, after BCEC the differences between the venues on the list is not significant. In other words, these are all very, very popular venues in Brisbane.

What Defines a Corporate Event?

A corporate event is really just an event that isn’t personal in nature such as a wedding or birthday party. Many corporate events are held by non-profits or organisations too, and many events are funded or run by local, state or federeal government.

Are they also Popular for Weddings?

Yes, I have shot multiple weddings at all of these venues as well, except BCEC and HSW.

1

Brisbane Convention & Entertainment Centre (BCEC)

Merivale St, South Brisbane QLD 4101, Australia

It’s perhaps no surprise that BCEC comes in number one in terms of popularity for holding corporate events in Brisbane.

There simply isn’t a more popular venue in Brisbane for corporate events. In fact, it is the most popular venue by a factor of about 10!

The scale and scope of event spaces within BCEC is hard to get your head around. It can effortlessly host a 2000 head banquet, or a small meeting across it’s numerous spaces.

Parking is on-site and is actually very good value if you pre-register for per entry pricing at just $16 per entry on their website.

TIP: Guests should be informed of the closest car park to use (there are three car parks 1, 2, 3). Parking in the wrong car park can mean getting lost or walking up to 15 minutes in the worse case scenario.

BCEC is an extremely popular venue for a wide range of event types including conferences, trade shows and exhibitions, for which only the Royal Brisbane Showgrounds can even attempt to compete with.

2

Victoria Park Function Venue

Victoria Park, 309 Herston Rd, Herston QLD 4006, Australia

Free on-site parking at Victoria Park is one of it’s strongest points, allowing guests to park within easy walking distance (100m to 400m depending on where the event is held).

This is rare for venues located close to the CBD, and also makes bump-in/bump-out a much more practical experience with loading zones relatively close to all seven event spaces.

Victoria Park can be thought of as three unique event areas starting with ‘The Garden Marquee’ the first event space located close to the main car park.

The main building (also close to the car park) comprises ‘The Ballroom’ on the first floor with balcony access overlooking Victoria Park, plus smaller function rooms underneath.

Finally there is the ‘The Marquee’ a large marquee which you can find at the end of the precinct near the ‘Victoria Park Bistro’. This makes it slightly less convenient in terms of guest parking because the car park near here is almost always full of golf driving customers.

Victoria Park is also one of the few corporate event venues in Brisbane that is also very popular as a wedding venue.

3

W Brisbane

Opening in June 2018, W Brisbane quickly cemented it’s place as the most prestigious 5 Star Hotel in Brisbane.

One of the reasons for this is that it got the jump on the equally impressive Calile Hotel, which didn’t open until October 2018.

Since then though, it has maintained it’s mantle as not only the number 3 corporate event venue in Brisbane, but also one of the most popular 5 star hotels for corporate events.

The event spaces are all located all on one level, with the exception of the rooftop wet bar.

Parking is available through Wilson Parking in the Brisbane Quarter with lift access from the car park. Parking here can be quite reasonably priced in the evenings, and particularly on weekends.

4

The Calile Hotel

Located in the trendy James St precinct, The Calile Hotel also made a big splash on the Brisbane event scene when it opened in October 2018.

It continues to very popular for a wide range of high-end corporate and personal events, including weddings and private functions.

Parking is also very convenient on-site booked through Secure Parking, although sometimes the website will not show availability at all on busy nights like the weekends. You can also take advantage of free two hours parking for drive up.

All event spaces are located on one level next to the pool.

One thing to note about The Calile Hotel is that they have strict policies in place for vendors such as professional photographers to follow. For example, they will not allow photographers to capture photos anywhere other than the immediate event space (unless arranged with the venue prior).

5

Howard Smith Wharves (HSW)

Howard Smith Wharves, 5 Boundary St, Brisbane City QLD 4000, Australia

Opened in November 2018, Howard Smith Wharves has gone from strength to strength.

The conversion of the previous event space into Felons Brewing hasn’t really put a dent in the popularity of HSW for corporate events.

That’s because the Rivershed space is a similar size when configured to it’s full size. For smaller events, the Rivershed is partitioned accordingly.

Also, the Felons Brewing Hall can stil be hired as a an event space anyway, making it no doubt much more profitable than a stand-alone event space.

There are also two other event spaces run by HSW namely Bougainvillea House and Green House, in addition to the many restaurants in the precinct with their own event spaces and packages.

6

Sofitel

Opened in 1983 originally as The Sheraton, The Sofitel is an iconic 5-Star hotel in Brisbane.

It continues to attract strong demand for corporate event bookings which all take place on level 1 overlooking Anzac square.

Parking is actually a breeze thanks to the Brisbane city council run Wickham Terrace car park being located across the road (particularly good value at $6 on weekends).

7

Brisbane Marriott Hotel

Brisbane Marriott just makes it the list in terms of popularity coming in at 7th position just behind Sofitel.

While this is an older hotel (1998) it has of course been refurbished many times since it’s opening, and features arguably one of the best locations right in the heart of the city.

It’s close to Fortitude Valley, making it quick and easy to shoot down to the valleys wonderful dining and entertainment areas, or grab an Uber to the airport.

Other Popular Venues

While these are the top 7 in Brisbane just in terms of booking popularity for corporate events in my experience, they are closely followed by these other venues:

The Grove Rooftop Bar.
Blackbird Cafe.
Customs House.
The Warehouse.
The Pullman Hotel.
Royal Brisbane Showgrounds.

Trending Up

Since November 2024, there are also two venues that are trending up and may appear in the revised 2025 list:

The Star Grand Casino Brisbane.
Voco Hotel.

About the Author

This article was written by Chris Jack a Brisbane based professional event photographer, and founder of 1pm.app. All photos are copyright Chris Jack Photography.

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Most Popular Brisbane Event Venues for Corporate Events