Top 5 work conference venues

Carlton BrewHouse

Cnr Thompson & Nelson St,
Abbotsford

Holding a conference at the Carlton BrewHouse sends the right message: this company loves beer. Aside from beer, the BrewHouse has an uber-professional boardroom, and they provide all sorts of delicious snacks at a pretty darn competitive price. After you’re done with business banter, you can head on a tour of the brewery, or just drink some beer. Did we mention there’s beer? $44-$59pp.

Melbourne Aquarium

Cnr King & Flinders St, Melbourne

Seriously, though. Melbourne Aquarium has three different function rooms and caters for conferences. And there are sharks. We all know everyone focuses better on the task at hand when there’s freaking sharks involved. Straight from the source: this is a classy joint that’s played fully catered host to tons of events and conferences… even formal political dinners. If you’re feeling adventurous, or just feeling like sending a message, you can give “someone special” a shark dive. $63-$130.

The Como

630 Chapel St, South Yarra

Smack-bang in the middle of South Yarra, the Como oozes class. It typifies “5-star” – from the terrific shopping location to the swimming pool and the bar serving up cocktails that you’ve probably never heard of. It’s also one of the best venues around for conferences and functions, with seven different suites that can be arranged to your liking, and gourmet food with a capital G. $85pp.

Eureka 89

7 Riverside Quay, Southbank

The view from Eureka 89 is pretty spectacular, as views go. The cost of holding an event here comes close to scraping the sky as well; this is definitely a venue for companies at the top of their game. There are 360-degree views of this glorious city (a large chunk of which you own, presumably), three boardrooms, custom catering and an excellent bar. Definitely not one for those easily affected by vertigo or staggering canapé bills. $100-$150pp, full day.

Kingpin (Crown)

8 Whiteman St, Southbank

It might seem like a joke, but Kingpin actually has a function lounge that can serve as a boardroom if necessary. They do in-house catering, with party platters, gourmet snackage and unlimited bevvy packages. There’s really no better way to make people sit through a four-hour conference than by stringing them along with the promise of bowling. After the work’s all done, you can have a drink or three, smash some pins and quote The Big Lebowski. Everybody wins. $39-$60.