She’s since made the leap from major events to business events and she’s now general manager for Cairns Convention Centre.
“It’s really satisfying, the intellectual side of trying to win a conference,” she says. “A third of our conferences are medical or business leaders. I like what conferences do. You know, major events are important as well, but I really like what conferences do for the region and who they bring to our region. It’s a very satisfying job and it still has that event side of it as well as that creative side.”
Recently overseeing the major expansion at Cairns Convention Centre, she says Cairns has transformed into a new city, especially over the last three years.
“People have been really surprised at how much Cairns has changed.
“Apart from the expansion, the whole city has changed. A lot of hotels have refurbed; we’ve got new hotels with the Crystalbrook Collection. The council through COVID spent a lot of money on the waterfront so you’ve got this beautiful dining precinct.”
Hamilton says that it’s Cairns’ small city feel, nestled between two World Heritage treasures of the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics rainforest, that’s a big win for delegates.
“You don’t have to go on a bus or a train, you can walk from your hotel. Probably the longest hotel walk is ten minutes. Ten minutes from the airport… and then at night, you’ve got all the cool little restaurants and bars that have popped up. So, it’s a lovely networking city and you can see people and the way they interact. It’s very different than getting lost in a big city. I think you can own Cairns, which is really lovely.”
She adds that while the weather might give it the feel of a holiday destination, the city certainly doesn’t lack sophistication. Cairns is home to several thriving industries, particularly agricultural, and is attracting attention in aviation with Singapore Airlines boosting their seats and connections to Singapore from Cairns.
The $176 million refurbishment and expansion of the centre, which added another 10,000m2 of event space, now allows for multiple events to be held at the same time, something that’s been well utilised since opening, according to Hamilton.
“It was harder to do more than two conferences at a time, but now we can do two or three conferences. We can do a concert and a conference. So, the expansion is working.”
Hamilton says the views over Trinity Inlet are a hit among delegates, however she believes one of the best assets is the team.
“It’s a stunning view and people are enjoying that they can be a part of nature but still have all the mod cons. We’ve got the latest AV and technology, all of that beautiful design in the building… and the delegates and exhibitors, you watch them sometimes, they’re just standing looking out the windows.”
She says that even with a great design, pretty venue pictures and a great website, the centre and destination truly must be experienced to be fully appreciated.
“We’ve got an awesome team that we had to regroup after we had to close for the expansion,” she says. “We’ve had to grow the whole industry again with good people. I’m excited about that. I think we’ve got so many opportunities.”
