After taking on the head role at the Chamber of Commerce, then becoming the general manager and eventually CEO at Townsville Enterprise, she was presented with the opportunity to step into the CEO role at Destination Gold Coast during COVID.
As a tourism driven city, “that was a really interesting period,” she says, calling the experience humbling but adding that it presented the opportunity for the city to rally together. Now at Tourism and Events Queensland, she reflects on some of the turning points in her career.
“Taking on the role at Townsville Enterprise, we were going through an economic downturn around that time; it was just after Cyclone Yasi,” she says.
“Then we had the mining downturn so I remember numbers as high as 13 per cent unemployment.
“The business community was struggling and I think there I learned the power of collaboration and advocacy and the power of business events.
“We rallied together and thought, if we’re going to come through this adversity, we’ve got to come out better. That’s where we put together really strong campaigns to support new infrastructure.
“So things that are real and existing as a result of the community getting together those days are things like the Queensland Country Bank Stadium, which is now in Townsville and a huge driver for development and economic visitation.”
She adds that other infrastructure such as the Great Barrier Reef’s Museum of Underwater Art also came about much the same way, via community collaboration.
She says that Queensland as a whole is going through an exciting new era of investment and major events.
“We’ve got the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games that we’re all as a state rallying behind. It’s now our period of growth and momentum and energy and I think that’s where business events will play a critical role in not just driving visitation but really shaping our industry and our business sectors moving into 2032.”
Some of the new infrastructure that should be on planners’ radars, includes Brisbane’s $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf precinct which O’Callaghan says will be a big asset for business and major events as well as the investment in the dining precinct at Howard Smith Wharves. The Gold Coast is also set to see a boost in further accommodation and upgraded spaces.
“We’ve got a wave of new developments like the Mondrian [Gold Coast] coming online, some of the theme parks which are also major venues for business events are putting multi-millions of dollars into their venues and attractions as well in the last couple of years, so it’s great to see that occur.”
She adds that Queensland is also seeing exciting movement in green industries, presenting opportunities for aligned organisations to meet in the state.
“Green manufacturing, green energy, renewables; we’ve also got growth in sustainable fuels, aviation fuels in our regions – Townsville, Gladstone.
“These are all big priority areas for the globe at the moment and they’re sitting right there on our doorstep,” she says, adding that there’s big opportunity for business events in many of these growth areas.
“That’s where business events play a critical role in showcasing all parts of our region and I think the great thing about Queensland is no matter where you are in the state, our industry strength sectors are so strong. We’ve got major universities that are leading top 10 globally at the moment, we’ve got mining and agriculture, a lot happening in advanced manufacturing which is really important for us as an Australian economy.
“There’s also Stanthorpe, Darling Downs, what they do with food and wine, the produce. We’ve got Beef Week in Rockhampton, which is a celebration of our agriculture. In the lead up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games there’s sports, sports tech, women in sport.
“Queensland is entering a golden decade of opportunity,” she says, positing that it’s in a solid position with a wave of new government and private sector investments into facilities across the state, not just in the southeastern part.
“The expansion of the convention centre in Cairns, new stadiums in Townsville, a new arena in Mackay…partner that with our new venues, and the opportunities to 2032 – it’s a great time to be in Queensland.”
