VENUES ON RICH LIST

HIGH-PROFILE venue operators and hospitality chiefs have made the list of Australia’s richest people, amassing fortunes of up to $1.56 billion. This year’s Australian Financial

Review Rich List includes a string of well-known identities with a hand in the events sector, including bar and venue baron Justin Hemmes who appears on the list for the first time.

The AFR says the Hemmes family - owners of the Merivale group and its series Sydney venues including The Ivy , The Establishment and the Coogee Pavilion - is now worth a total of $951 million and is placed at number 78 on the Rich List.

The wealthiest hospitality sector identity on the list is Alan Rydge, chairman of the Event Hospitality & Entertainment group which owns the Rydges, QT and Atura hotel brands.

Now estimated to be worth $1.56 billion and ranked at number 49, Rydge’s wealth has dropped dramatically since last year when it was calculated at $2.09 billion.

Fellow hoteliers Ervin and Charlotte Vidor are ranked at position 79 and have amassed $927 million through their ventures which include the Toga group and its Adina, Vibe, Medina and Travelodge brands.

Others include Robert Magid whose hotels includes Pier One Sydney Harbour and Hotel Lindrum in Melbourne (ranked 168, worth $513 million), and pub baron Arthur Laundy (ranked 170, worth $506 million).