Sydney Olympic Park. "Best Venue"

Sydney Showground was crowned Best Venue at the 2011 Australian Events Awards staged at Allphones Arena, beating Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre and AAMI Park. The Awards are a celebration of the thriving national events industry, from major sporting tournaments and arts festivals, to charity events and business conferences.

North Ryde. Top spot appointment

Macquarie University’s director of higher degree research, Dr Yi Ren has been appointed president of the executive committee of the Australasian Research Management Society. ARMS is the professional society for specialists who manage and administer research. The executive committee is the governing body of the Society and controls and directs business, including its committees that determine promotion, policies, strategic planning and progress towards achieving its mission and goals.

Westmead. Additional level approved

The Department of Planning has approved an application for the addition of an extra research level to a project approved in 2009 involving the staged construction of a part four.five level building for the Children’s Medical Research Institute, at Westmead. Since the original approval in 2009, CMRI has identified a need for additional floor space to allow the full potential of the research facility to be realised.