Raine & Horne wins Best Corporate Event at 2025 Australian Event Awards for Spectacular State Awards

Rodney Fitzgerald | Head of Partnerships and Events | Raine & Horne

Leading real estate group Raine & Horne has been crowned the winner of Best Corporate Event at the prestigious 2025 Australian Event Awards, held in Coffs Harbour.

The Raine & Horne NSW | ACT State Awards Night 2025 – Our Place in the Landscape beat out top-tier contenders, including Perfect Pitch by OneSchool Global, an international school network with more than 120 campuses worldwide, and Business Events Sydney’s Global Ambassador Dinner, We Are Phoenix event.

The winning Raine & Horne NSW | ACT event, held at the Hyatt Regency Sydney on 8 March was hosted by Australian comedy legend Rob Shehadie of Fat Pizza. It was a sell-out, with an impressive 25% increase in attendance compared to 2024.

The 2025 event also marked the highest attendance since before COVID.

Raine & Horne was the only real estate brand to take home a national award at this year’s Australian Event Awards.

Raine & Horne was also named a semi-finalist in the 2025 Best Event of the Year category, alongside iconic Vivid Sydney 2025, the eventual category winner, as well as tech multinational Lenovo Asia Pacific President’s Club 2024 (EWM and 35 Degrees North, QLD) and the Shift Corp-managed Red Bull Hardline an extreme downhill mountain bike race in Tasmania.

Chris Nicholl, CEO of the Raine & Horne Group, said, “A key objective of our corporate strategy is to elevate the quality of our events continually.

“Receiving national recognition for our NSW | ACT State Awards Night 2025 is tangible proof that we’re living our mission and delivering on our promise of exceptional service to our offices and clients.” 

Sydney gala caps off a 142-year celebration

The sold-out NSW | ACT State Awards Night was the grand finale of Raine & Horne’s State Awards series, a celebration of the brand’s 142-year legacy that toured Perth, Adelaide, and Brisbane before culminating in Sydney.

The event combined cutting-edge production, world-class styling, and a distinctly Australian theme that reimagined the traditional black-tie format.

From the show-stopping opening performance of Ice House’s Great Southern Land by Australian Idol finalist and former Raine & Horne staff member Reigan Derry with Cirque du Soleil artistry and AI-driven visuals, to an immersive pre-drinks precinct that evolved into a vibrant afterparty with a live all-Australian band, every detail delivered an unforgettable experience. 

Merging tradition and innovation 

Ava Crawford, Head of Marketing at Raine & Horne, said the Australian Event Awards recognition reflected Raine & Horne’s ability to merge tradition with innovation.

“Our Place in the Landscape was about more than celebration – it was about connection. To our people, our brand, and the land that’s shaped Raine & Horne for more than 142 years. Our story and Australia’s story have always run side by side, deeply intertwined.

“This event honoured that legacy while looking forward, reflecting on our collective strength, aligning our future, and accelerating together as one network. To win a national event’s industry award is an incredible honour, and demonstrates we’re headed in the right direction,” Ms Crawford said.

Rodney Fitzgerald, Head of Partnerships and Events, who led the Our Place in the Landscape event concept, said, “Winning at the Australian Event Awards is an incredible honour – particularly for an event that placed our 142-year legacy and our network at its heart.

“We reimagined our state awards as a true experience rather than a traditional gala, introducing immersive entertainment, striking styling, and a contemporary energy that resonated with a new generation across our network.

“The result was our highest attendance since before COVID, a 25% increase year on year, and exceptional partner engagement, with 95% of guests rating the night as ‘outstanding.’”

Mr Fitzgerald added, “I’m incredibly proud to see Raine & Horne recognised with the Best Corporate Event of the Year award and as a finalist for Best Australian Event of the Year. It’s a true honour to be acknowledged at this level within the events industry.”