Brisbane 2032 Olympics: Big events needed to establish city

Brisbane can start growing its global reputation well before the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games by attracting international sporting competitions and big-name entertainers.

Taylor Swift in action at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

Brisbane can start growing its global reputation well before the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games by attracting international sporting competitions and big-name entertainers.

Event and entertainment experts say landing a series of Taylor Swift-sized concerts, exhibition games featuring the world’s biggest football clubs and talks by global leaders would all enhance awareness of the River City abroad.

Brisbane 2032 chief executive Cindy Hook made the startling admission at last year’s Future Brisbane event that a straw poll by her team in the US, UK, Singapore, China and Germany revealed just three out of 90 people could name Brisbane and point it out on a map.

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And no one knew Brisbane was hosting the 2032 Games.

Despite its global standing, Los Angeles has landed high-profile events including the FIFA World Cup, the NBA All-Star Game and the Super Bowl ahead of the LA28 Games.

University of Queensland associate professor Monica Chien – an expert in tourism, marketing and the impact of global events – said Brisbane should also be dreaming big.

This story is part of The Courier-Mail’s annual Future Brisbane series advocating for a focus on the right legacy outcomes from the hosting of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. You can read all our coverage here

“Hosting world-renowned teams like Real Madrid and Manchester United, or inspirational leaders like Michelle Obama, or creating immersive experiences like making the whole city feel like Bluey with shows and exhibitions and cruises, can boost tourism and the economy and be beneficial for cultivating an image of capability leading up to the Games,” Dr Chien said.

University of Queensland associate professor Monica Chien

Tourism and Events Queensland estimates the state’s events calendar will be worth $850m to the economy in 2024, with a goal of increasing that to $2bn by 2032.

Harvey Lister, chairman and chief executive of ASM Global which manages Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Entertainment Centre and Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, said the city should be chasing world and regional championships and preparing to welcome international athletes before the Olympics begin.

“The four years leading up to the Games themselves will provide the best opportunity for both Australian athletes and those from all competing countries to come to Queensland to both train and compete whilst at the same time familiarising themselves with the local weather conditions, especially during the same months as the Brisbane Games themselves,” he said.

Headline acts including Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Drake, Dua Lipa and Oasis all decided to skip Brisbane for their recent or upcoming tours, only performing shows in Sydney and Melbourne.

Meanwhile, the WA government spent $8m to bring Coldplay to Perth, resulting in a $43m economic windfall for the state.

Star Brisbane chief executive Daniel Finch said: “I don’t think we’re getting our fair market share of live musical entertainment and I think that is something that we can really focus on – being one of, if not the best city to host music events and concerts.”

As well as bringing major international events to the city, Mr Finch said the city should be amplifying its local events.

“An example of us doing an event well is Brisbane Festival and Riverfire,” he said.

“They’re starting to really gain traction domestically.

“We should be extremely proud to showcase what we have to offer here in the city.”

Coldplay at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium

Former TEQ boss Patricia O’Callaghan – now director-general in the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation – said the state government would continue to invest in attracting global sporting and cultural events leading up to and after the Games.

“This isn’t just about two weeks in 2032; we’re working to leave a legacy beyond the Games for both the visitor economy and our community,” she said.

“One way we’ll solidify this is through our 20-year tourism plan – our discussion paper will open to the public shortly.

“We’re aiming for a robust $2bn statewide events calendar by 2032, through a combination of new events that align with our diverse offerings, venues and natural environments, along with growing existing events into global icons.

“We will also focus on growing our thriving arts and culture scene around the state.”

This week saw two superstar events come to Brisbane with Troye Sivan transforming the Riverstage into a nightclub on Tuesday, and the Matildas hosting Olympic silver medallists Brazil in front of a near-sellout crowd at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night.

Abby Mifsud, who attended the Troye Sivan concert, said it was disappointing that international artists and big events bypass Brisbane because we lack suitable infrastructure.

“They skip over our city because we don’t have a good enough venue to host these big artists who want to come to Queensland and perform,” she said.

While she said she likes that Brisbane has intimate and smaller venues including the Tivoli, The Fortitude Music Hall and Riverstage, she felt it was limiting because the city missed out on the big acts, and locals had to travel to Sydney or Melbourne to see them.

Ms Mifsud, who travelled to Sydney for the recent Coldplay concert, said she would have preferred to see them live in Brisbane, and has had to travel south to see other big acts.

Izzy Willshire, Jess Searle, Abby Mifsud and Maddie Howard at the Troye Sivan concert at Brisbane’s Riverstage on Tuesday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“I missed out on tickets for Taylor Swift, but heaps of my friends went to see her in Sydney,” she said.

“We keep missing out because we don’t have big venues for these international acts, so they skip Brisbane.

“We do have Suncorp Stadium, but it’s not a very good venue for concerts.

“The seats are so far away from the stage.

“When Travis Scott played here, no one could actually see him on the stage, you had to watch the screens to see him.

“We also have the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, but it is a long way out of town. Places like Suncorp and the Riverstage are impacted by weather too.

“Tate McRae got delayed for like an hour because of the rain.

“I feel like the Gabba could be a good venue for live concerts if it is rebuilt.

“It’s great to have the Matildas back in town, but they usually only play in Sydney or Melbourne.

“The only big sports events we seem to get are rugby league”.

Brisbane Economic Development Agency CEO Anthony Ryan said the Games presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for host cities to become one of the hottest destinations on the planet for major events.

“Brisbane 2032 will propel our city into the global spotlight and forever change the way we are viewed by the rest of the world,” Mr Ryan said.

“Interest in Brisbane has skyrocketed since we were announced as host of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Google searches for Brisbane exploded by more than 1000 per cent in the 24 hours after the announcement.”

Attracting a diverse calendar of major events in the lead up to the Games is expected to have widespread benefits.

“Major events inject millions into our economy, attract visitors and support thousands of local jobs and businesses,” Mr Ryan said.