Venue Spotlight: Rocky Mountaineer Station
Rocky Mountaineer Station is a functioning train station, an iconic landmark, and truly one of Vancouver’s most exciting event spaces. As a preferred vendor, Savory City Catering has had the pleasure of catering a wide range of events at the venue over the years, including fundraiser galas, product launches, corporate Christmas parties and, of course, some very special weddings.
“Vancouver is short on unique venues that can accommodate hundreds of people,”
Located in the False Creek Flats distinct, Rocky Mountaineer Station offers an original mix of historic charm and modern amenities over more than 20,000-square-feet of floorspace. The heritage-style building boasts stunning 34-foot-high vaulted ceilings and striking West Coast details like exposed brick, metal beams, timber accents, and dramatic glass windows that let in plenty of bight, natural light.
Earlier this year, BC Event Management took over as the official venue manager for the property on behalf of Rocky Mountaineer, which means clients now have access to a professional team that can provide event planning and production management support on site. The management group also recently created a new built-in studio for virtual and hybrid events featuring a large-scale LED video wall for projections, theatrical lighting, professional camera equipment, and world-class audio-visual system that delivers fantastic acoustics for music.
“This beautiful space is a blank canvas that offers limitless possibilities for creative, large-scale events.”
Not only is Rocky Mountaineer Station beautiful and well-equipped, it’s also incredibly accessible. Three large-scale train doors and multiple access points easily accommodate oversized deliveries while the venue’s convenient location is just 10 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Being just outside of the city centre means the venue is easy to get to without navigating traffic and you’ll find plenty of free on-site parking for your vendors and guests.
Rocky Mountaineer Station’s flexible floorplan can be easily divided for clients who want to plan an event with distinct zones that flow from one space to the next. Similar to a hotel ballroom – though much more distinct – the venue offers a large open space where clients can create separate areas that can be closed off and opened when desired for dramatic effect. “You can set up an impressive arrival space in the lobby with various sections for lounge areas, bars and mingling spaces. And then when it is time for the dinner portion of the event, the drapes can open to reveal a magical space,” Donna explains.
Large-scale events work very well at the Rocky Mountaineer Station as the space can be set up for multiple purposes at once without having to do a room flip. Wedding guests can transition seamlessly from the ceremony to a cocktail hour and then onto dinner and dancing without your event team having to swap out the furnishings in a tight timeline. And if additional space is needed, clients also have access to the outdoor areas that can be used for a tented entranceway or open-air lounge areas.
One of Savoury City’s favourite events at Rocky Mountaineer Station was planned for an office who wanted a dramatic holiday party with multiple distinct experiences. “Guests arrived initially for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the lobby that was decorated in 1920s-style décor, then the drapes parted for dinner where we had set up a variety of different food stations and lots of seating in the middle for more casual dining,” Donna recalls. “After dinner, we had multiple social areas set up each with its own theme: a really cool speakeasy, a casino with gambling games, a dark and moody cocktail bar accessed through a 'secret' door, and a tented outdoor rail platform that became a cigar and whisky lounge. It was a great use of a unique space.”
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