From professional services to health, education and tech, find out where to head to tap into Sydney’s innovation and industry expertise.
When holding a business event in Sydney, venue and location can be key ingredients for success. But it’s not just about drawing inspiration from fashionable venues and atmospheric alleyways. Knowing where the city’s hubs of knowledge are concentrated means rubbing shoulders with thought-leaders and some of the best minds in the country. We explore some of Sydney’s chief precincts that are brimming with industry expertise.
Finance and professional services
If you’re looking for the crème da la crème in all-things finance make a beeline to Barangaroo, the first large-scale, carbon-neutral commercial hub in Australia. Beyond its cutting-edge environmental, wellness and design tech, Barangaroo is home to some of the biggest financial and professional service firms worldwide. The suburb is an economic heavyweight, filled with world-class amenities that attract visitors, residents and locals alike. The community within this progressive and dynamic precinct are gamechangers – with the three International Towers that line Barangaroo’s harbour foreshore boasting some of Australia’s greatest financial leaders, such as Westpac, PwC, HSBC and KPMG.
The city CBD, which extends from China Town to Circular Quay, has also experienced exponential growth in the financial sector, with empty or ‘ghost’ buildings being reimagined into innovative skyscrapers with a staggering $7 billion in funding behind them. The CBD’s economic strength comes from Commonwealth Bank, Citibank, Macquarie Bank and AMP Limited, alongside others. The recent addition of the Light Rail, which runs through central Sydney, also makes it a busy and connected transport hub.
The heart of health
There are a number of health clusters in Sydney, a prominent one being Randwick, to the east, as the four hospitals operating in this area also carry out leading research and education programs, making it an internationally competitive health hub. With plans to physically connect Prince of Wales Hospital to the UNSW campus, this integration of health services and education will further bolster Randwick’s authority in this space. The Camperdown-Ultimo area is also home to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and is one of the most comprehensive and largest health and wellness precincts in Sydney. Here, there is a wealth of clinical, scientific and academic minds in close proximity.
Further out in Sydney’s west is Concord Repatriation General Hospital, which is considered to be leading in the field of mental health treatment and research. While in Greater Western Sydney, Westmead is a hub of medical expertise spanning 75 hectares. Here, more than $3 million of support has been put towards expansion of the Westmead Precinct over the coming years, upgrading the services, education and research facilities.
Immerse yourself in education
Beyond health, Randwick is a driver of innovation in education with the UNSW main campus located in Kensington. Educational discovery is fostered here due to a concentration of academic professionals, research opportunities and an abundance of jobs in this sector. Closer to Central Station, Sydney’s Broadway is dotted with leading institutions, including UTS, University of Sydney, University of Notre Dame and TAFE, as well as the Sydney School of Entrepreneurs. Education is also a flagship industry in the Liverpool area, with the many institutions of learning, such as Liverpool TAFE, ACBC College and Western Sydney University’s Liverpool City Campus, situated closely together. The balance of vocational and academic pathways available here results in a collaborative and integrated education hub.
Tech, start-ups and entrepreneurs
Sydney is at the forefront of the technology and start-up landscape globally. The Camperdown and Ultimo areas are within walking distance of one another and are home to UTS and USYD – two of Australia’s leading universities in business and technology. These institutions have a world-renowned reputation for their academic programs and research, and also neighbours local tech unicorn Canva in Surry Hills. Meanwhile, Atlassian recently committed to building a fabulous new ‘green’ building at Central Station, securing the area as an innovation hub.
Ringing the harbour from east to west, Walsh Bay, Darling Harbour and Pyrmont all have infinite and exciting technology and start-up credentials, facilitated by flexible co-working spaces engineered to inspire innovation, such as Here Coworking and WeWork. High-tech new business hubs are scattered throughout Pyrmont, which has seen it join Sydney’s innovation corridor, alongside Darling Harbour, which has been revitalised by a slew of cutting-edge developments, including International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), Darling Square and the soon-to-be-completed The Ribbon development, housing a reimagined IMAX theatre and W Hotel. These areas are connected by The Goods Line, Sydney’s urban walkway, which links arts, education and cultural institutions along Sydney’s cultural ribbon.
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