Major Events Gold Coast names inaugural Chief Executive

The Gold Coast’s new event entity has announced the appointment of Jan McCormick as its inaugural Chief Executive.

McCormick is currently Chief Executive of the Broadbeach Alliance, the group responsible for the extremely successful Blues on Broadbeach Festival and the Groundwater Country Music Festival.

The new Major Events Gold Coast body (MEGC) will eventually take over from Broadbeach Alliance, Surfers Paradise Alliance and Connecting Southern Gold Coast.

The big merge is set to officially occur in time for the next financial year, with all major events to come under MEGC, while smaller events – such as Surfers Paradise Kids Event will go to the City Events unit.

Commenting on her appointment, McCormick told local media that MEGC’s main focus will be to drive visitor nights, advising "we will be out there looking for new festivals, we’ll be looking at funding, people coming into the city doing events – clearly we want to do that.

“We’ll be looking at driving events that can take advantage of the wonderful facilities we have post Commonwealth Games.

“There’s plenty of those out there coming to the city that we don’t recognised for example with cheerleaders and when the gymnastics are on, they bring in tens of thousands of people and for long periods of time.

“We should be turning them into major festivals.

“So we make the experience of those people coming in  not just a sporting experience but an experience for the city,."

McCormick says she’s really looking forward to finally working together with the other event bodies in a more streamlined approach, adding "it’ll be really great to work – and have a whole strategy that’s a combined strategy.

“We’re all working together and we’re in one directions and there’s no competition and we’re just doing a delivery for the city."

Commenting that McCormick secured the role from hundreds of applicants from around the country and overseas, Darryl Kelly, Chair of Major Events Gold Coast, concluded "she has shown that she has what it takes to develop and grow major events, and particularly impressed the MEGC board with her vision for the future growth of events across the whole of the city.

“I am particularly pleased to appoint a local with a strong understanding of the needs of Gold Coast businesses and residents and what is needed to drive the future growth of the city as an event destination.”

Image of Jan McCormick courtesy of the Broadbeach Alliance.