Powerhouse Parramatta will create almost 12,000sqm of new riverside public space.
Powerhouse Parramatta will open on 7 November as a major new cultural venue for meetings and corporate events, bringing flexible function spaces, riverfront views and museum experiences under one roof.
The A$915 million (US$655 million) museum offers seven meeting rooms, with its largest configurations accommodating up to 1,000 guests. The venue is taking enquiries for events from December 2026.
Its appeal lies in the range of experiences planners can build into one venue. Conferences, product launches and gala dinners can be combined with exhibition visits, culinary programmes or rooftop functions overlooking the Parramatta River.
The Western Sydney University Forum is the principal conference space, with tiered retractable seating for 700 delegates, acoustic treatment and supporting production facilities. The 662-sqm Presentation Space 7 offers a column-free setting for 600 guests cocktail-style or 350 seated, with an adjoining terrace facing the river.
For food-led events, the Vitocco Family Kitchen combines a demonstration kitchen with retractable seating for 200. Its filming and live-broadcast capabilities also make it suitable for product showcases and branded culinary experiences.
The 2,000-sqm rooftop garden and covered ING Pavilion provide an indoor-outdoor option for receptions and dinners, with the pavilion seating up to 150. Smaller events can use a 55-seat cinema with its own bar, the heritage-listed UNSW House or The Residence, a private space for intimate meetings and VIP functions.
Designed by Moreau Kusunoki and Genton, Powerhouse Parramatta has more than 18,000sqm of exhibition and public space. Its largest exhibition hall spans over 2,000sqm and rises 18m, with a glazed mechanical door opening towards the riverfront for large-scale programmes and events.
The museum will launch with five exhibitions featuring more than 3,000 objects. These include Task Eternal, exploring flight and space travel, and The Mall, which examines the evolution of shopping centres and Western Sydney’s role in the rise of Westfield.
The venue also brings strong sustainability credentials, becoming Australia’s first public building assessed as a 6 Star Designed project under the Green Star Buildings framework.
Its debut comes less than two weeks after Western Sydney International Airport begins passenger operations on 25 October, strengthening the region’s proposition for conferences and incentive groups.