Call this a marquee? An oasis of calm in the Birdcage madness

The VIP arena may be bigger and more glam than ever this year, but Lexus has bucked the trend with a more contemplative approach.

The exterior of the Lexus pavilion. Architect Koichi Takada has taken his cues from the car maker’s focus on sustainability for this year's reconfiguration.

Dan F StapletonWriter

Oct 25, 2019 – 12.00am

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The unofficial theme of this year’s Birdcage seems to be Bigger, Bolder and Brasher. Each of the 11 brands represented in the invitation-only enclosure – Seppelt Wines, Mumm and Schweppes among them – is attempting to up the ante in some way.

High-end jeweller Kennedy is decking out its front-row marquee with millions of dollars worth of rare timepieces and casually installing a jazz band. Network 10, which has been gifted a significant slice of the front row as part of its new partnership deal, is building a fully functional broadcast studio with trackside views. And Tabcorp, which retains the expanded front-row footprint it acquired last year, is creating the ultimate gambling den, decking out its marquee with 19 jumbo screens and seven betting terminals.