Austage Events and  Melbourne Fashion Week

For two decades, Austage Events has been the quiet force behind the glamour of Melbourne Fashion Week, delivering the audio-visual production, management and technical direction that helps transform creative concepts into unforgettable runway moments.

2025 marked Austage’s 20th year working with the City of Melbourne to deliver Melbourne Fashion Week. They’ve taken some time to reflect on their evolution from AV supplier to trusted collaborator, and recount the incredible team efforts that have helped shape the city’s most stylish week of the year.

Where It All Began

When Austage Events launched its Melbourne office in 2005, Rod Marrison, Matt Wilson and Nick Ellul played key roles in establishing a local presence. The trio have grown with the company from founding members to their current roles as General Manager – Austage Events, Senior Production Manager and General Manager – Austage Venues, respectively.

Austage’s involvement with Melbourne Fashion Week also began in that same year, initially supplying the audio visual requirements to Arts Events, the production company overseeing the week.

Matt started at Austage as a technician and now serves as the Project Lead for M/FW, working closely with the City of Melbourne event producers and production partners such as Resolution X.

“When the City of Melbourne brought things in-house, we were lucky enough to win the tender,” he says. “That relationship has continued ever since.”

In the early years, the event was staged entirely within the Melbourne Town Hall, a visually magnificent but technically challenging venue.

“It’s heritage-listed, with timber beams and no official weight rating in the roof,” recalls Rod. “Every year we’d have to get it re-engineered almost and the sets were massive.”

Yet the complexity became an advantage and those challenges built Austage’s reputation as a valued production partner.

“We got really good at working in the Town Hall,” says Matt. “We knew how to manage the AV requirements to budget and work within the rigging limitations to deliver a high-end show. That set us ahead of other companies.”

The Power of Partnership

20 years on, the longevity of Austage’s partnership with the City of Melbourne is much more than technical know-how, it’s a case study in how solid relationships underpin event success.

Their involvement extends beyond lighting and sound, encompassing everything from logistics and seating layouts to technical problem-solving. With a wealth of fashion experience, Austage also brings the power of foresight, pre-empting technical or logistical issues and reading between the lines to ensure the creative vision and budget work in harmony.

“We’re a crucial piece of the puzzle,” says Matt. “The City of Melbourne producers lean on us when it comes to venues because we do 200 other gigs a year and have that industry knowledge around the spaces and how it comes together in terms of technical design.”

The strong foundation of trust built over the years allows both sides to navigate challenges with openness and mutual respect. Rod and Matt emphasise that Austage’s positive approach and the ability to stay flexible have helped cement their affable client relationship.

Rod highlights that empathy and understanding are key. “It’s important to be project-focused and receptive to what the client is trying to achieve and provide the best you can within the scope.”

“It’s about being able to roll with the punches,” adds Matt. “Just being friendly, being helpful. Like in life, being a good human being gets you a long way.”

Part of that collaborative process is having Austage involved in planning from the very beginning. Matt and fellow Senior Production Manager, Mike Rankin (who oversees technical direction and pre-visualisation) attend site visits and contribute to discussions around venue selection and seating layouts.

“Originally we were brought in quite late in the game, whereas now it’s almost a year-round project,” says Matt.

He notes having technical production engaged from the outset helps prevent common pitfalls later on, such as equipment not fitting, insufficient power supply, or access limitations during setup. Refined over the years, it has created an efficient process when it comes to designing spaces for a runway show.

“Now it starts with, ‘okay, we want to try and achieve 750 seats in this venue’ and Mike can plot that out and allow for the zones,” explains Matt.

“We might not know the creative yet, but we know we’ll have lighting, audio, and video. Mike evenly distributes all that, then places the seating around it so everything works cohesively before the design even goes out. The creative might change later, but the groundwork is already there.”

Adapting Through Change

Few moments tested the events industry more than the pandemic, yet it also marked a turning point for M/FW’s creative evolution.

“The City of Melbourne was one of our most supportive clients during covid” recalls Rod. “They were determined to keep things going and it kept hundreds of people working at a time when there was very little happening in the industry.”

In 2020, M/FW was staged as a pre-recorded event with Austage transforming Meat Market in North Melbourne into a three-studio set where fashion parades were filmed and then premiered online at key times over the week. The pandemic years also inspired long-term shifts for M/FW including a new format across multiple venues to showcase Melbourne landmarks and a focus on immersive runway experiences that tell a story.

While some AV companies were heavily investing in their virtual event capabilities during this time, Rod and Matt note they were strategic about new equipment purchases and that futureproofing was a key consideration.

“We built a streaming computer during covid,” recalls Matt. “But the idea was it could always be used as a high end video playback machine once live events came back.”

Evolving Technology, Evolving Shows

From the beta cam decks and DVD players of the early years to LED, simplified cabling and battery-powered lighting rigs, it’s not just the venues that have changed over the past 20 years but the event technology too.

“The mid 2010 years in the Town Hall, it was all complex multiblend projection and big sets,” Rod says. “That was before the E2 vision mixers, so you’d have blends going here, blends going there with multiple systems and operators working to make one cohesive design.”

“What we used to do as small or rear-projected screens can now be an 85 or 100 inch TV.”

“Video and audio playback have definitely become easier too,” Matt adds. ”Some content would be 4:3, some would be 16:9 so you’d have all these DVD players. Switching was clunky, you’d always have to switch through black.”

While from a technical perspective there has been a shift toward creating ambiance with AV rather than a spectacle, the move to multiple venues adds its own layer of logistical complexity. From cactus gardens to basement carparks, the embrace of unconventional spaces has kept the Austage team on its toes.

When it comes to a show that really sums up Austage’s capabilities, both Rod and Matt call back to the Little Bourke Street Runway which made a return to the program in 2024 after a seven year break and was also part of M/FW 2025. Unique and quintessentially Melbourne, the show literally stops traffic with the runway staged right on the road.

With a very tight bump-in time, trucks rolling into a one-way street and pedestrians to navigate, Rod describes the show as one that requires “military precision”.

“It just gives you a sense of accomplishment with the sheer timeframe. You’re there at 2 pm, done by 10 pm, this whole massive show has been and gone.”

Matt adds, “those complex projects really define the one team, one dream aspect.”

“I think that’s really our wheelhouse, how we find a way to make it work. To make a big, weird space look cool…yeah, that’s what we do.”

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Rod & Matt’s Top Five  M/FW Moments

• Arid Garden Runway 2020 – an outdoor runway at the Royal Botanical Gardens, this one felt special as it marked a return to in-person events after a long time, and a funky backdrop to boot
• Little Bourke Street Runway 2024 – it was fun to bring this one back to celebrate 30 years of M/FW. It’s a serious hustle but the end result is amazing and a chance for the general public to catch some of the runway action
• Volvo Electric Runway – featuring 30 Volvo EX30s parked along the runway, we created a bespoke vision mix streamed onto the car’s centre console screen so audience members in the cars could catch all the action from the front seat
• Town Hall 2013 – there was a cut out in the set with the DJs in the back. That was pretty cool!
• Student Collections Runway 2025 – staged in former woolstore Younghusband, we designed a 10 projector blend onto a 12x12m cube to showcase the live runway visuals and back of house action

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Looking Ahead

As Melbourne Fashion Week continues to evolve, so does Austage’s role in shaping its success with a focus on staying adaptable and forward-thinking. The team treats every show as an opportunity to learn while also drawing on their 20 years of experience in executing runway shows.

“Fashion Week is one of those events that pushes everyone to be at their best,” says Rod.

“It’s a challenge, getting out and about into different spaces but everyone mucks in and ultimately has a good time. It’s a great team exercise that builds camaraderie.”

Matt credits Austage’s success to the strength of its people and tight-knit culture. “A lot of the core crew and even some freelancers have been with us since the start. Clients know us, trust us, and enjoy working with us, and that makes all the difference.”

See Austage in action at M/FW 2024 in the documentary ‘First In, Last Out – Behind the Runway’ – www.austageevents.com.au/ portfolio/behindtherunway/

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Main Pic: Closing Runway 2025 101 Collins show