Three of the ambassadors received awards on the night for their roles in promoting the Gold Coast as an intellectual capital and securing events for the destination.
Professor Dzung Dao was recognised for his hand in securing two events for the Gold Coast, which are collectively worth an estimated $1 million in economic impact.
Adam and James Gilmour of Gilmour Space Technologies also received awards for their “entrepreneurship, innovation and risk taking”. Their company has just received clearance to launch Australia’s first commercial rocket into orbit in space.
“Our ambassadors are critical to connecting our team to the right decision makers, and their knowledge and networks are vital to winning a conference – especially international conferences,” said Experience Gold Coast’s director of business events, Brooke Campbell.
“Griffith University mechanical engineer Professor Dzung Dao is a great example of an individual partnering with Experience Gold Coast to not only bring events to our city, and contribute to [the] visitor economy, but to showcase the city’s expertise in engineering and creating a legacy in this field.”
The Gold Coast ambassador program, BE Connected Gold Coast, was relaunched in 2022.
“BE Connected Gold Coast forms part of our strategy to drive a more sustainable visitor economy of the future and generate legacies that drive long-term sustainable growth for the city,” said Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn.
“Our ambassadors not only bring conferences to the city but also continue to shine a spotlight on some of the incredible innovations and breakthroughs happening right here – whether it’s launching a rocket into space, creating a vaccine or using AI to reduce accidents on our roads.”
Experience Gold Coast’s just-released annual report from the 2023-2024 financial year shows the city’s bureau secured 220 events over the year for the destination and generated 220 new event leads, worth over $270 million. The bureau has converted just over half of those leads, locking in business events worth over $120 million to the Gold Coast.
Last Thursday’s ambassador dinner was held at the RACV Royal Pines and attended by more than 110 people.
