The Real Legacy Starts Now: What Major Events Like Strummingbird Can Teach and Do For Us Before Brisbane 2032
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
(An open letter from Justin Lippiatt - Economic Encourager | Social Enterprise and Social Impact Catalyst | Leadership & Trust Practitioner | Corporate Chaplain | Author of The Measure of Significance & Business Development Manager for the Dock and Wharf Events at Mooloolaba.)
Good morning, I attended the Strummingbird Business Activation Session today, hosted by Sunshine Coast Council, Kicks Entertainment and the Kawana Chamber of Commerce.
Although centered around this year's Strummingbird Festival (to be held at the Kawana Sports Precinct in October), the discussion highlighted something far more significant. Major events should not be viewed simply as entertainment or tourism initiatives.
They present a huge opportuinity for whole-of-region activation and provide a practical platform to strengthen the Sunshine Coast ahead of Brisbane 2032.
The conversation reinforced the importance of adopting a multi-sector, multi-indistry ecosystem approach, bringing together business, tourism, education, sport, community organisations, environmental stewardship and all levels of government to create poutcomes that extend well beyond the event itself.
Why the Real Value of Major Events Happens Outside the Event Gates
Several key themes emerged throughout the morning's discussions:
Every major event is an opportunity to strengthen the region's capability, not simply host an event.
Collaboration between event organisers, government, business, education providers, tourism operators and community organisations creates greater value than any one organisation can achieve independently.
Events provide a live environment to test transport, logistics, visitor movement, procurement, volunteer management, emergency planning and customer experience well before Brisbane 2032.
Regional businesses can participate in many ways beyond traditional event suppliers, creating experiences, products and services that encourage visitors to stay longer, spend more and explore more of the Sunshine Coast.
Collaboration between events can create efficiencies through shared infrastructure, suppliers, workforce and operational planning, reducing costs while building long-term regional capability.
The Real Legacy of 2032 Is Being Built Right Now
One observation from Sunshine Coast Council particularly resonated with me. These events are helping the region identify gaps in planning now, allowing us to improve systems, partnerships and operational capability before Brisbane 2032 arrives.
Equally important is recognising that the visitor experience begins well before the gates open and continues long after they close. Visitors travel, stay in accommodation, dine, shop, explore our attractions and engage with local communities. This creates opportunities across the visitor economy while also strengthening community connections and regional identity.
For me, this reinforces the importance of thinking beyond individual events and towards an integrated regional ecosystem, where every major event contributes to stronger businesses, more capable organisations, improved infrastructure, enhanced environmental outcomes, stronger community participation and greater collaboration across the Sunshine Coast.
With major sporting, cultural and business events increasing over the coming years, each one provides an opportunity to test, learn, refine and strengthen the systems that will underpin a successful Brisbane 2032 legacy.
The real legacy of Brisbane 2032 will not be measured by the events we host, but by the capability, relationships and collaboration we build before the Games begin.
Kind regards,
Justin Lippiatt
MBA MIB GDMngt CMngr CPMngr FIML MAICD
+61 424 189 232
Haven't heard of Strummingbird?
Strummingbird is a massive, travelling country music festival in Australia. Launched by Kicks Entertainment (the team behind Spilt Milk), the festival blends classic and modern country genres to create a high-energy, contemporary festival experience for die-hard fans and the "country-curious" alike.
The numbers deserve attention.
Last year the festival held at Kawana Stadium sold 25,000 tickets in two days.
$15.5 million was injected into the local economy.
80% of attendees are from outside the region.
Average stay of 2.1 nights.
Kawana Shoppingworld recorded its biggest trading day of the year, second only to Boxing Day.
And the highest spend per head wasn't food or drinks - it was clothing and lifestyle vendors. People come to a country music festival to live the experience, and they spend accordingly.
With 40,000 people expected to visit the Sunshine Coast for Strumminbird 2026 this October (WOW) it’s clear Strummingbird is much more than a music festival. It’s an exciting space for tourism, local business, community partnerships and regional economic growth.
One Festival. One Region. One Opportunity to Prepare for 2032.
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