Events manager Julia Franklin has been tasked with organising the annual VIP gathering of Australia's leading citizens and role models for 12 years.

The event and cocktail party for 750-odd guests is not the biggest she has worked on, but she says its outdoor location makes it the most challenging.

"Because as you know, it's grass and a bit of road and a dusty old bus shelter, and we have to make it look absolutely gorgeous just for the day."

What started as a modest shindig in 2004 has become bigger and more glamorous in later years.

Over several days Ms Franklin and her company White Space Events bring in 800 chairs, trestle tables, ovens, air conditioning, cool rooms, fencing, wash rooms (not port-a-loos), flowers, fairy lights and more than 100 staff.

"I remember last year we had 95 staff, whose only role was to serve food and drinks," she said.

Ms Franklin, who is now Sydney-based, said much of the staff, food and flowers came from the Canberra region. Wine to be served at this year's event, for example, included leftover Canberra Centenary branded bubbly.

A new challenge this year was the live broadcast of the event. "In the past it's been a ceremony followed by a concert, this year is a ceremony and concert all in one big show," she said.

An ever-repeating challenge is the weather, with much of the space Ms Franklin has to work with wide open lawns. The Bureau of Meteorology's predictions for Monday and Tuesday are unlikely to allay concerns; It has forecast rain and the chance of a thunderstorm on Monday evening.

The gates at the Australia Day eve awards ceremony and concert open to the public at 5pm. The ceremony starts at 7.30pm.

There's plenty on for members of the public, with the festivities kicking off on Monday night.