With the 2023 HACCI Excellence Awards only a couple of days away, “the extraordinary event management team is at work to tweak every detail so that we deliver yet another memorable event,” said Fotini Kypraios, HACCI Board Chair in a media statement.

“This year, we’re rolling out the red carpet to welcome you to the magnificent Melbourne Town Hall, one of our city’s most cherished and iconic buildings, a standing testament to Victoria’s history and continuous growth, a growth that owes a lot to our inventive, resilient, and hard-working Hellenic Australian community, and the amazing professionals it comprises,” Kypraios said.

The HACCI Excellence Awards are there to honour the entrepreneurs, the businesspeople, the professionals, innovators, and community Hellenic Australian leaders.

“The iconic Melbourne Town Hall, with its marvellous tainted-glass windows, the murals inspired by Greco-Roman themes, and the pipe organ, will be a fitting venue,” the HACCI Board Chair said.

Guests will be welcomed with a Mastiha spritz cocktail prepared explicitly by Hellenic Wines and Spirits. Pre-dinner drinks will be served at 7pm, and then everyone will move to the main hall for the award ceremony, which is starting at 7.30pm, and an “opulent three-course meal, paired with delicious Greek wines and delectable desserts,” said Kypraios.

Peter Hitchener is this year’s MC, having recently celebrated 50 years in TV.

The night’s entertainment, will include a tribute to the cinematic music of the late Vangelis (1943-2022), the renowned electronic music pioneer and Oscar-winning composer of films like Blade Runner, Chariots of Fire, and 1492: Conquest of Paradise, all reimagined and performed at the pipe organ by an extraordinary musician, Adam Rudegeair. Musical theatre singer Greek-Aboriginal Zoy Frangos will perform a condensed version of his Variations show — including songs by Elvis Presley and George Dalaras. Greek music will then be performed by Anagennisi so everyone can dance the night away.

Speed painter Brad Blaze will create Hellenic-themed artworks live on stage for auction to raise funds to support Dr Vasso Apostolopoulos’ cancer research. A limited number of tickets was just made available via www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1072204