Leading conference & training venues in Australia and New Zealand.
Trusted by many of Australian and New Zealand’s largest and most discerning businesses, we deliver events flawlessly across all of our venues.
About Us
01
Our story
Karstens was founded by Hendrik Karsten in 2006 after 20 years spent working in the hospitality industry in both Amsterdam and Melbourne.
Hendrik’s hands-on experience working for a large commercial caterer in Europe and high-end restaurants and function venues in Melbourne gave him some unique insights into corporate hospitality.
Hotels and other multi-purpose spaces are often crowded, chaotic and not business-friendly. Hendrik was keen to disrupt the status quo. He saw an opportunity to provide corporate clients with higher-level hospitality in a professional space that was solely focussed on corporate events.
In October 2006, Hendrik launched Karstens from 123 Queen Street in Melbourne, which initially had just one floor.
This foundation venue in Melbourne was quickly followed by a second Melbourne venue in 2008 at 118 Queen Street and a new Sydney venue in late 2010 located in the historic The Rocks precinct.
Additional affiliate venues in Perth, Canberra, Brisbane, Hobart and Adelaide were added in 2012 to provide clients with a national solution for their conference, function and meeting room requirements.
Karstens Brisbane was opened in October 2014, and Karstens’ first New Zealand venue was opened in Auckland in April 2017, with affiliate venues in Wellington and Christchurch.
In October 2019 Karstens Perth was opened, located on the corner of William Street and St. Georges Terrace, right in the heart of Perth’s CBD.
02
Our vision
To create spaces that inspire collaboration.
03
Our mission
To be Australia and New Zealand’s #1 choice of venue for conferences, functions and meetings.
04
Our values
1. Going above and beyond
We’re committed to exceeding expectations for every client, every time.
2. Doing the right thing
We always act openly, honestly and ethically.
3. Putting customers first
We continuously improve based on the feedback of our loyal customers.
4. Teamwork
Our people are our business. We’re passionate about training and empowering our team to deliver excellence for our clients.
05
Our clients
Since Karstens’ inception, many businesses have trusted us to host their most important conferences, functions and events. Our clients cover a wide range of industries, including accounting, law, government, energy, education, financial services, insurance, engineering and more.
Client Testimonial
I cannot recommend Karstens highly enough. The team and venue exceeded our expectations, nothing was too much trouble for anyone, all of your people are incredibly hard working and professional.
We have used a lot of different venues all over Australia — however Karstens really stood out for its professional level of on the spot customer service and quality facilities.”
The team were flawless in their service over the 2 days, nothing was too much trouble. Really appreciated the willingness and professionalism of all the Karstens team.
Wonderful venue and customer service. Happy to recommend Karstens to industry colleagues.
Staff always had a smile. It was an excellent venue and suited our requirements perfectly.
Excellent service from all staff. Venue was in a great location and easy to find and easy access to public transport. Seminar room was perfect for our needs and had everything we requested/expected. We will recommend and use Karstens again.
All staff were very accommodating, professional and on hand to answer any questions at all time from the initial booking right through to the end of the conference.
All staff members were great, and approachable. I was very happy with the whole experience. I’ve been conducting workshops for a very long time and I can’t believe I hadn’t even heard of Karstens.
We had a great two day session at Karstens. Room and breakout area were great, and if I needed anything I just had to make a call on the phone and we were attended to promptly. Would recommend Karstens as a venue to others. Food was enjoyed by all.
An easy and enjoyable process from start to finish.