Lexus Melbourne Cup Carnival Wrap Up
Australia’s biggest racing event, the Lexus Melbourne Cup Carnival, has come to a close for another year. And what a week it was!
My husband and I were thrilled to attend each day of this year’s Carnival which included AAMI Derby Day, Lexus Melbourne Cup Day (the 158th year!), Kennedy Oaks Day and Seppelt Wines Stakes Day.
If you haven’t attended a Melbourne Cup Carnival before, it truly is a one-of-a-kind week-long celebration of racing, fashion, amazing hospitality and fun, and one that I have personally been lucky to attend since I was young.
Despite the torrential rain on Lexus Melbourne Cup Day, 303,587 local, interstate and international visitors flocked to the 2018 Melbourne Cup Carnival to enjoy this incredible racing event.
This year we were lucky to spend the week in the Birdcage Enclosure and I am thrilled to share these details below from inside the Lexus Design Pavilion and Pace Development Group's Pace Penthouse.
The Lexus Design Pavilion
Utopia was the theme of Lexus's state-of-the-art pavilion in the Birdcage and, naturally, a car took center stage!
Guests at Lexus were ferried to and from the city in a fleet of Lexus cars, complete with customised playlists.
There was not one but two restaurants inside the Pavilion with Shaun Quade from Lume running the chic Dining Room on level 3, and the team from ‘Future Future’ serving Japanese fusion food on Level 1. Plus, Neil Perry and Ben Shewry from Attica served grazing food on level 2.
Elle Macpherson was the guest-of-honour on Derby Day and when she arrived at Lexus Design Pavilion the world’s media were waiting. What a way to start the carnival!
The LDP Terrace on Level 2 was the place to be throughout the week with celebrities and VIP guests mingling and enjoying the incredible views of the track along the straight as the horses thundered past.
Inside the stunning 3-storey pavilion the champagne was flowing, the Letterettes were personalizing Lexus race books, there was a Mecca Beauty Lounge, two Lexus cars on display and an absolutely fab dance floor each day.
Guests truly did #experienceamazing at the Lexus Design Pavilion and a big thank you to Lexus Australia and EVH PR for their incredible hospitality.
The Letterettes were in LDP each day of the carnival to personalise Lexus Race Books.
Pace Penthouse - Pace Development Group
Guests at the Pace Penthouse Marquee in the Birdcage were given a taste of trackside living at Flemington.
Pace Development Group will next year be developing the #paceofflemington at Flemington Racecourse, a luxury multi-storey development.
The two-storey marquee featured two bars, a cocktail of the day, a Champagne terrace, a Lancome & L’Oreal Pro Powder Room, delicious catering from Epicure Catering and there was even a bedroom upstairs (complete with a $60k mattress!) for racegoers to rest their weary feet between races.
On Cup Day, guests were treated to a performance by the gorgeous DJ Havana Brown who happily mingled with guests before her set.
There was a fab party vibe at Pace Penthouse each day of the carnival and the team from Neue Media and Pace Development Group could not have been more gracious hosts.
Thank you Pace Development Group for a fabulous few days in the Pace Penthouse!
How gorgeous was Tabcorp's Flower Wall in the Birdcage?
Huge thank you to the Victoria Racing Club for hosting us at the 2018 Lexus Melbourne Cup Carnival. For more information about the VRC and memberships, visit www.vrc.net.au.
