‘It’s time’: Major Events Gold Coast CEO resigns from top job
After four years in the top role and more than a decade at Broadbeach Alliance, one of the Gold Coast’s most prominent business identities has suddenly resigned. FIND OUT WHY
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Major Events Gold Coast CEO Jan McCormick has stepped down from the top job after four years at the helm of the key city promotions body.
Her sudden resignation comes following the mega-merger of peak council-funded entities Major Events Gold Coast, HOTA, Destination Gold Coast, Study Gold Coast and Placemakers to form Experience Gold Coast.
Ms McCormick said following the merger she decided “it was time” for her to step down.
“I’m really happy where I left the organisation (but) I’m at that position in my life where to go through a new chapter like this (the merger) was not the right thing for me,” she said.
“I’m no spring chicken. A time has to come when you go – relax and do things you want to do for yourself – and I think it’s great to have new people come in.”
Following Ms McCormick’s resignation, Experience Gold Coast has since opened applications for a new ‘Executive Director, Events’ role.
It is understood that an interim executive director has been appointed in the meantime.
The role is now open for application on major employment sites and is described as an “exciting role leading the Gold Coast’s events sector”.
“As Executive Director Events, you will play a critical role in leading the Gold Coast’s events sector,” the job description reads.
“This is an exciting opportunity to build the ultimate events destination and create meaningful social and economic impacts for the Gold Coast.”
Ms McCormick said the decision to merge the city’s peak bodies under one umbrella was “the right move”.
“The city should be cohesive and moving in one direction, similar to when we (Major Events Gold Coast) amalgamated all the entities that were strong and that is a good thing to do,” she said.
“And with the appointment of John Warn as CEO of Experience Gold Coast, it’s going to be great because he really understands the city, has a lot to do with the tourism industry and is an incredibly creative man.”
Ms McCormick first accepted the CEO position at Major Events Gold Coast in 2019 after more than a decade heading up the Broadbeach Alliance.
Despite the Covid pandemic’s impact on tourism and events, Major Events Gold Coast secured international concerts; world-title boxing fights with the likes of Tim Tszyu; “reinvented” nostalgia festival Cooly Rocks On; developed the Groundwater Country Music Festival and launched the Springtime festival which has seen “exponential” growth in the past two years.
But Ms McCormick said her crowning achievement was securing the wildly successful Pacific Airshow, which drew big crowds to Surfers Paradise in August.
“But we have to understand we are a small city by comparison, and our competitors are Sydney and Melbourne,” she said.
“So we don’t have the budget most big cities have, so that was always a bit of a frustration. But we worked to build events that we knew would be great and unique for the city.”
Ms McCormick said she was long-overdue for a break with a holiday now on the books for her.
“But I can’t say that I’m going to retire forever,” she said. “I’ll have a good break and re-evaluate what I want to do.”
“There’ll be other projects that I’ll want to do but for now I just need to have a break.”
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