Nor is sustainability.

But this year a team of architects, designers and engineers are bringing these two together to create a "Futurecave" that aims to keep alive a sense of "anticipation" for guests at the Lexus marquee.

Underpinning the project is omotenashi – the Japanese way of treating a guest.

Bruce Keebaugh, chief executive The Big Group, who is managing the project, says innovation, product design and an exciting concept is vital to their industry.

Especially when it only has a short span of three days to woo the lucky 750 invitees.

"All customers in this market get saturated," Mr Keebaugh says.

"This is a very competitive industry. The Birdcage and spring racing carnival hosts virtually every key CEO and celebrity in Melbourne."

And with 32 marquees in the area originally known as "the paddock at which horses are generally saddled at a racetrack", standing out – or up – is definitely a must.

Lexus seems to have a bit of a head start, though.

With 650 square metres of space over three levels – including a roof terrace offering views of the racecourse – it boasts of being the highest pavilion among the haunts of the rich and famous.

There is even a space for a car. Patrons will get a first look at a new soon-to-be-launched model, housed on the ground floor of the marquee.

Upstairs, guests will have choice of three different eating experiences, starting off with Japanese street cuisine from Mr Miyagi. The second level will have five courses over five sittings from David Moyle of Tasmania's Franklin restaurant.

This will be topped with Attica's Ben Shewry presenting an intimate chef's table over six sittings for eight guests each.

Sustainable crusader Joost Bakker is the man behind the steel structure being put together on site by about 70 people.

It will take two months to construct, with floors and ceiling built using the click and connect module, and a press and pull-out louvre system for the windows.

And it can all be taken apart and packed away for future events.

The interiors are a juxtaposition of "raw concrete sheeting" for the ceiling, pure white peony roses, carrara marble and raw cardboard tubing for the bar fronts, walls and even as integrated vases for the flowers.

Etic's Henry Wilson and Emilie Delalande are the ones behind the interiors – and bringing cardboard into the picture.

Mr Wilson says their brief was to be "brave", to do something that wasn't within the normal scope of one of the pavilions at Melbourne Cup.

It also had to fit in with the exterior's theme of recycling.

"Re-using components is so often near impossible in interiors, because everything gets reorganised when something gets put together," Mr Wilson says.

"So we are also faced with the fact that we needed a material that was made with recycled material and could be recycled afterwards."

The designers were also inspired by the well-known Japanese architect Shigeru​ Ban who has used it widely.

"Cardboard, we always felt, is sort of surprising and underrated material," Mr Wilson says.

"When you see it en masse and in considered usage of it, it has a really textured and luxurious feel to it."