Million Dollar Lunch 2025 – A Masterclass in Creative Design and Seamless Production

September 16, 2025
A glamorous Million Dollar Lunch event with guests in formal attire, round dinner tables, and chandeliers; a performer in a feathered costume entertains on a stage with art deco-style lighting in green and gold.

Client: Children’s Cancer Foundation
Venue: The Palladium, Crown Melbourne
Date: August 2025
Funds Raised: Over $2.2 million

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Million Dollar Lunch 2025 embraced a glamorous 1920s theme, blending Art Deco style with modern elegance. Inspired by the client’s wish to honour the event’s legacy, Encore’s creative team crafted a concept that balanced historical homage with contemporary sophistication.

Design & Styling Highlights:

  • Guests entered through a draped tunnel styled with black panne and sheer fabrics, uplighting, and florals.
  • The atrium featured a Hall of Fame-style installation with gold metallic frames, black-and-white imagery from past events, gold mirror floor decals, and hundreds of warm white pillar candles.
  • Inside the ballroom, a custom-built central chandelier with LED segments and projection mapping echoed the symmetry of the square stage.
  • Additional chandeliers draped in green velvet added depth and reinforced the theme.
  • The room was styled with black pin-tuck linen, green velvet napkins, gold candle holders, and rich floral arrangements in green, white, and deep red.
  • Even the glassware reflected the linear, cut-glass aesthetic of the era.

Entertainment & Experience:

  • Aerial performers and feather fan dancers greeted guests in the atrium.
  • Roaming talent included 1920s paparazzi actors and flapper dancers.
  • Live performances featured Grammy-winning artist Toni Childs and rising star Lottie Gallagher.
  • When the MC stepped off stage to interact with the audience, Encore’s team adjusted cameras, lighting, and audio in real time to maintain a flawless experience.

Multimedia & Production:

  • Encore produced multimedia content for LED screens, pixel totems, bar surrounds, and media walls
  • Art Deco-inspired graphics, gold framing, and marble textures were used consistently across all assets
  • Donation signage with QR codes was designed to match the luxury aesthetic

Client Feedback

“Encore’s creative vision and attention to detail completely transformed the ballroom into a breathtaking celebration of our 20-year legacy… The event was not only visually stunning but emotionally resonant… Encore helped us create an unforgettable experience that honoured our past and inspired generosity for the future.”
– Rianna Ponting, Chair of The Million Dollar Lunch Committee

Outcome

Encore’s work exemplified how creative vision, technical expertise, and responsive production can deliver a world-class event. Every detail aligned with the theme, creating a transformative and emotionally resonant experience.

A large, elegant ballroom is set for Million Dollar Lunch, with round tables covered in black cloths, chandeliers, dramatic green lighting, and Art Deco decorations hanging from the ceiling.
A large, elegant banquet hall full of seated guests, dramatic purple and yellow lighting, chandeliers, and a stage with performers. A large screen above the stage displays text reading “Lights, Glamour.” for the ADIA 2023 event.
A woman in a black dress sings passionately into a microphone on stage at Million Dollar Lunch, while a seated man plays an electric guitar beside her. Bright stage lights and an enthusiastic audience are visible in the background.
At ADIA 2023, a woman sings into a microphone among seated guests at a formal event. Chandeliers shine above, green drapes frame the room, and candlelit tables glow as someone in the foreground captures the moment on a phone.
A woman with long hair sings passionately into a microphone on stage at Million Dollary Lunch surrounded by colorful lights and an audience seated at tables in the background.
Two showgirls in sparkling costumes and feathered headdresses stand in a glamorous, chandelier-lit ballroom at Million Dollar Lunch 2025, where guests seated at tables enjoy a luxurious and festive atmosphere.
A showgirl in a sparkling costume with feathered headdress and feather fans dazzles on stage under green lighting at Million Dollar Lunch 2025, with chandeliers and an eager audience in the background.
A woman in a black flapper-style dress sings into a vintage microphone, holding a feather fan, while a pianist in a tuxedo plays a grand piano in the background against dark curtains at Million Dollar Lunch 2025
A performer in a sparkling costume and feathered headpiece poses on a staircase lined with glowing candles at Million Dollar Lunch 2025, while people in formal attire ascend the stairs behind her.
A female aerial performer in a sparkling costume gracefully poses inside a suspended hoop at Million Dollar Lunch 2025, with one arm and one leg extended, in a warmly lit, elegant indoor venue.
A large digital screen at Million Dollar Lunch displays a black-and-white portrait of a smiling man in a suit, framed by gold, Art Deco-style borders. Red and white flower arrangements sit at the screen’s base on a shiny black floor.
Aerial performer with red hair and a sparkling outfit hangs upside down from a rope in a theater during Million Dollar Lunch 2025, while people watch from a balcony above a sign that reads The Million Dollar Lunch.
A large illuminated sign displays Final Tally: $2,217,550 in bold white text, hanging from the ceiling at the Million Dollar Lunch 2025 event. The sign features a geometric, art deco-inspired design.
A person in formal attire sits at a table set for a meal at Million Dollar Lunch, holding and reading a booklet featuring a photo of a man and an image of a landscape or island. Plates, cutlery, and drinks are arranged on the black tablecloth.
Two men stand on stage holding microphones and talking to each other at the formal Million Dollar Lunch 2025 event, with a seated audience and chandeliers in the background; their image is displayed on a large screen behind them.
A man in a suit speaks at a clear podium on stage during the formal Million Dollar Lunch 2025 banquet, with a large chandelier overhead and guests seated at candlelit tables in the dimly lit room.
A man in a suit speaks at a podium on a stage at Million Dollar Lunch 2025, addressing a large audience seated at round tables in a grand, chandelier-lit ballroom with green and yellow lighting effects.
A woman stands at a podium labeled Crown, speaking at the Million Dollar Lunch, an Million Dollar Lunch 2025 event raising funds for the Children’s Cancer Foundation. Elegant decor and lights highlight the stage, with audience members visible in the foreground.
A man in a suit speaks on stage with a microphone at a large indoor event. Bright stage lights shine toward the audience, and people are seated at tables. An event screen behind him displays his image at Million Dollar Lunch 2025.
A glamorous Million Dollar Lunch event with guests in formal attire, round dinner tables, and chandeliers; a performer in a feathered costume entertains on a stage with art deco-style lighting in green and gold.
A performer in a glamorous, feathered costume stands under green lighting on stage at Million Dollar Lunch, surrounded by people in formal attire at an elegant event. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling in the background.
A crowd of people in formal attire gathers at an elegant Million Dollar Lunch event under a chandelier, with a brightly lit sign in the background reading “The Million Dollar Lunch.”.
A round banquet table set for a formal event at Million Dollar Lunch features green napkins, glassware, plates, silverware, candles, and a floral centerpiece. Other elegantly arranged tables glow under teal lighting in the background.
A large, elegant banquet hall set for a formal event at Million Dollar Lunch features round tables, black chairs, chandeliers, and dramatic teal lighting. Tables are set with plates, glasses, and centerpieces, while a stage and screens are visible.
A lavish banquet hall is set for Million Dollar Lunch with round tables elegantly arranged, crystal chandeliers, colorful stage lighting, and glowing neon frames highlighting a decorated stage at the front.
A large, elegant ballroom is set for Million Dollar Lunch, with round tables covered in black cloths, chandeliers, dramatic green lighting, and Art Deco decorations hanging from the ceiling.
A large, elegant banquet hall full of seated guests, dramatic purple and yellow lighting, chandeliers, and a stage with performers. A large screen above the stage displays text reading “Lights, Glamour.” for the ADIA 2023 event.
A woman in a black dress sings passionately into a microphone on stage at Million Dollar Lunch, while a seated man plays an electric guitar beside her. Bright stage lights and an enthusiastic audience are visible in the background.
At ADIA 2023, a woman sings into a microphone among seated guests at a formal event. Chandeliers shine above, green drapes frame the room, and candlelit tables glow as someone in the foreground captures the moment on a phone.
A woman with long hair sings passionately into a microphone on stage at Million Dollary Lunch surrounded by colorful lights and an audience seated at tables in the background.
Two showgirls in sparkling costumes and feathered headdresses stand in a glamorous, chandelier-lit ballroom at Million Dollar Lunch 2025, where guests seated at tables enjoy a luxurious and festive atmosphere.
A showgirl in a sparkling costume with feathered headdress and feather fans dazzles on stage under green lighting at Million Dollar Lunch 2025, with chandeliers and an eager audience in the background.
A woman in a black flapper-style dress sings into a vintage microphone, holding a feather fan, while a pianist in a tuxedo plays a grand piano in the background against dark curtains at Million Dollar Lunch 2025
A performer in a sparkling costume and feathered headpiece poses on a staircase lined with glowing candles at Million Dollar Lunch 2025, while people in formal attire ascend the stairs behind her.
A female aerial performer in a sparkling costume gracefully poses inside a suspended hoop at Million Dollar Lunch 2025, with one arm and one leg extended, in a warmly lit, elegant indoor venue.
A large digital screen at Million Dollar Lunch displays a black-and-white portrait of a smiling man in a suit, framed by gold, Art Deco-style borders. Red and white flower arrangements sit at the screen’s base on a shiny black floor.
Aerial performer with red hair and a sparkling outfit hangs upside down from a rope in a theater during Million Dollar Lunch 2025, while people watch from a balcony above a sign that reads The Million Dollar Lunch.
A large illuminated sign displays Final Tally: $2,217,550 in bold white text, hanging from the ceiling at the Million Dollar Lunch 2025 event. The sign features a geometric, art deco-inspired design.
A person in formal attire sits at a table set for a meal at Million Dollar Lunch, holding and reading a booklet featuring a photo of a man and an image of a landscape or island. Plates, cutlery, and drinks are arranged on the black tablecloth.
Two men stand on stage holding microphones and talking to each other at the formal Million Dollar Lunch 2025 event, with a seated audience and chandeliers in the background; their image is displayed on a large screen behind them.
A man in a suit speaks at a clear podium on stage during the formal Million Dollar Lunch 2025 banquet, with a large chandelier overhead and guests seated at candlelit tables in the dimly lit room.
A man in a suit speaks at a podium on a stage at Million Dollar Lunch 2025, addressing a large audience seated at round tables in a grand, chandelier-lit ballroom with green and yellow lighting effects.
A woman stands at a podium labeled Crown, speaking at the Million Dollar Lunch, an Million Dollar Lunch 2025 event raising funds for the Children’s Cancer Foundation. Elegant decor and lights highlight the stage, with audience members visible in the foreground.
A man in a suit speaks on stage with a microphone at a large indoor event. Bright stage lights shine toward the audience, and people are seated at tables. An event screen behind him displays his image at Million Dollar Lunch 2025.
A glamorous Million Dollar Lunch event with guests in formal attire, round dinner tables, and chandeliers; a performer in a feathered costume entertains on a stage with art deco-style lighting in green and gold.
A performer in a glamorous, feathered costume stands under green lighting on stage at Million Dollar Lunch, surrounded by people in formal attire at an elegant event. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling in the background.
A crowd of people in formal attire gathers at an elegant Million Dollar Lunch event under a chandelier, with a brightly lit sign in the background reading “The Million Dollar Lunch.”.
A round banquet table set for a formal event at Million Dollar Lunch features green napkins, glassware, plates, silverware, candles, and a floral centerpiece. Other elegantly arranged tables glow under teal lighting in the background.
A large, elegant banquet hall set for a formal event at Million Dollar Lunch features round tables, black chairs, chandeliers, and dramatic teal lighting. Tables are set with plates, glasses, and centerpieces, while a stage and screens are visible.
A lavish banquet hall is set for Million Dollar Lunch with round tables elegantly arranged, crystal chandeliers, colorful stage lighting, and glowing neon frames highlighting a decorated stage at the front.

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