Fleet Steps Marquee
Team Event’s Fleet Steps Marquee is a five star pop-up venue on Sydney Harbour, rebuilt each December with a fresh design direction and delivered as an all inclusive, end to end event package.
Venue
Fleet Steps
Location
Sydney
The Brief
Fleet Steps is the largest marquee site within the Royal Botanic Gardens and one of Sydney’s most striking event locations. Every December since 2004, Team Event has transformed the site into a fully realised pop-up venue: a structured marquee with deck and balcony, built as a complete end of year entertaining destination.
We Imagined It
Each year we approach Fleet Steps with a new design influence, creating a fresh layout and décor direction that keeps the experience surprising for repeat clients. For this iteration, the creative cue nods to chic Italian lakeside resorts and opulent villas – playful, sophisticated interiors that celebrate colour, bold pattern and classic detailing.
We Designed It
The design language drew on classic lakeside villa references, translated through furniture, colour and texture. Outdoor settings became an eclectic mix that still felt cohesive – café style seating alongside rattan chairs, sleek lacquered timber elements, and considered pops of colour.
Lounge zones were built for comfort and flow and planter boxes positioned behind to soften edges and create pockets of privacy within the larger space. Bold patterns and classic details carry through the styling, giving the marquee richness without heaviness.
We Made It Happen
Team Event delivered Fleet Steps as an end to end venue and event solution, managing the full build and event operation on site from bump in to bump out across a full week. With tricky access and a waterfront location that shifted quickly with the weather, the team stayed hands on through every stage -coordinating suppliers, build, lighting, audio, furniture, styling, staffing and security – to ensure the marquee ran like a permanent venue, even when the elements didn’t cooperate.
What the Room Felt Like
Fleet Steps felt like stepping into a different place – elevated, generous and unmistakably Sydney, with the harbour backdrop doing what it did best. The villa inspired styling brought warmth and personality, while the scale and finish of the build created confidence: guests arrived to a venue that felt complete, considered and ready for the night to unfold.
