Sydney Showground Earns its Racing Stripes

The Sydney Showground has revealed the role it played in hosting the Sydney Telstra 500 V8 Supercar event last weekend.
Nearly 185,000 V8 Supercar fans flocked to Sydney Olympic Park, the home of Sydney Showground, to enjoy three action-packed days of music, entertainment, carnival, food and the V8 Supercar action at the Sydney Telstra 500.
Sydney Showground played a pivotal role in the success of the event, including catering of the pit lane corporate suites, hosting the indoor V8 supercar paddock, the support paddocks, indoor car displays and autograph signings, the emergency services command post, Main Arena entertainment, and various public food and beverage outlets.
Sydney Showground Chief Executive Peter King says the event was an unprecedented success and highlighted just how Sydney Showground can be utilised for world class events.
King explained âSydney Olympic Park is the premier major events precinct in Australia and this event showcased to Sydney and the rest of Australia what the precinct and Sydney Showground does so well.
âThe Showground shone over the course of the event and the cooperation of all parties ensured that 185,000 people had a great experience when they arrived at Sydney Olympic Park."
Sydney Showgroundâs Exhibition Halls hosted the first ever indoor Paddock Area. The concept provided racegoers with an unforgettable behind the scenes experience, allowing them to get close to the teams, drivers and all the action while protected from the heat of the sun.
The Dome was the place to go to see some of the oldest and newest Bathurst memorabilia at the Biante Beasts of Bathurst display. The Dome also hosted the official autograph signing sessions, where thousands fans streamed in to meet their race driving idols.
V8 Supercars Australia Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of the Sydney Telstra 500 Shane Howard said being able to utilise the entire precinct was the major reason the event proved to be such a resounding success, stating "having the use of facilities such as the Sydney Showground including its Exhibition Halls, the Dome and the Southee Pavilion was crucial to ensuring the logistical success of such a massive event."
One of the biggest sporting events held in Sydney since the 2000 Olympics, Sydney Showground undertook a massive logistical operation to ensure that race fans stayed well fed and refreshed during the event, employing close to 700 people for corporate hospitality, kitchen staff, site specific security, cleaning and management. Our team of highly skilled chefs and wait staff served just over 6,000 corporate meals, and nearly 5,000 meals to media and volunteers over the three days.