My Event Full Life: Scott Robertson of Glass Island

My Event Full Life is your chance to take a peek inside the lives of some of Eventbrite’s most seasoned organizers as they share the secrets behind their success. What lessons have they learned along the way? What advice has been the most valuable? And what keeps them up at night? Get ready to be inspired by the honorees of our inaugural Brite25 list.

As live entertainment venues go, few can rival the location of Glass Island. 

Floating on Sydney Harbour, guests can enjoy world-class live entertainment against the stunning backdrop of the iconic Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

The three-level venue is the brainchild of Scott Robertson. Together with Luxe Cruising Group, Scott has brought his experience from the music industry to the water, turning Glass Island into a party hotspot that regularly attracts international artists like Seth Troxler, Groove Armada, and Patrick Topping.

Here, Scott reflects on the milestones that have shaped his career, the importance of resilience in challenging moments, and his plans to make even bigger waves in the world of floating hospitality. 

My career has spanned everything from nightclubs and national music festivals, to live concerts, and now boats. After 27 years, I still get to do what I love on a daily basis and continue to find new and innovative ways to create fun, exciting, and memorable experiences that resonate with people. That is my proudest achievement. 

I can pinpoint the day Glass Island really established itself as a prominent Sydney music venue. We booked Hot Since 82 for the afternoon cruise, which sold out almost instantly. Then, a few days before the event, I received a call from Rüfüs Du Sol’s management asking if the venue was available for them to play a sunset DJ set that would be broadcast live on Beatport’s YouTube channel. 

I remember trying to play it cool, saying I would see if I could move some things to make it work, before excitedly doing everything possible to line things up so we could host the two shows on the same day. Both shows were incredible, and the YouTube video they produced now has over 940k views. It well and truly put the venue on the map with every artist, agent, and manager.

I always dreamt of one day delivering my own boutique music festival for like-minded people. Days Like This Festival in 2020 gave me a lot of personal satisfaction. I left my role at Future Music Festival because I wanted to strike out on my own again, and focus on events more aligned with my love for underground house and techno. I wanted it to be an immersive experience that was about more than just the DJs or the line-up.

Each year was a real challenge, but in 2020 we saw the festival’s biggest turnout across the four main stages, with Richie Hawtin, Maceo Plex, Nina Kraviz, Stephan Bodzin, and Marcel Dettmann headlining. Looking out across a sea of smiling faces that day was a really proud moment for me.

I always aim to deliver experiences that leave people with lasting memories. It’s always very humbling to have people randomly bring up how much the events I created in the past meant to them—some from as far back as 20 years ago. Those memories still hold a special place for them, capturing a moment in time in their lives.

Never give up and always stay positive – that’s been my biggest lesson. For all the wins I’ve had in my career, I have also faced my fair share of devastating blows. The best piece of advice I can give anyone is to always stay positive, even when it feels really hard to do. As long as you believe in yourself and don’t give up, there is always a solution to be found for every problem.

Music will always be part of our DNA, but we are letting food and beverage take the lead on our next project. We bought a 150-ft classic superyacht in Hong Kong, which we sailed to Sydney, and have been transforming it into a unique three-level floating hospitality venue called Solaré. It is very much a lifestyle-led concept. It has been a passion project for me for the last two years, and I am extremely excited to see it come to life.

If I were to sum up the spirit of our events in a song it would be… Innerbloom by Rüfüs Du Sol. It always resonates with our crowd and has stood the test of time, being played at many different events.