Events maestro on why leaving Melbourne for the Gold Coast just made business sense
Why leaving the big city down south for the Gold Coast is one of the best decisions this owner of a surging business ever made. READ HER ADVICE
Women of the Year
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It’s official: the Gold Coast is the people’s choice.
Just ask Amber Coupe.
One year after the mother of three and founder of award-winning events management company We Are Phoenix moved both her family and her business to this city, she’s at her personal and professional peak.
Joining the thousands of southerners who left their locked-down states to chase the GC dream, Amber says this city delivers.
It’s part of the reason her company is sponsoring the Gold Coast Bulletin’s Women of the Year People’s Choice Award … because she wants to pay back the town that has delivered dividends.
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Born and bred in Melbourne, Amber decided to make the move north in late 2020 to seek a better lifestyle for her family and booming market potential for her business.
And she’s found both.
“I know people talk about the anti-southern sentiment from locals, but I have felt nothing but welcomed,” says Amber.
“This is an incredible city and I have never felt better about a decision – even if it was a massive move and a big gamble.
“We left when Melbourne was in the midst of lockdown and Queensland certainly seemed like a better place to be, but I’d been thinking about moving already.
“Just the lifestyle factor for our kids was so attractive, plus the Coast seemed like somewhere that I could find more work/life balance for myself. I have three children but owning my own business means that I never had maternity leave.
“Working in the events space, I don’t think there’s any better market than the Gold Coast … it’s a rich vein that really is almost untapped.
“I just wanted to get up here, sink my teeth into it and be a leader in the market.
“As soon as we arrived, I just dove in, hired some people and hoped the work would follow … and it sure has.”
Not only has Amber’s team expanded, both here on the Gold Coast and at the Melbourne office, but it’s now become a family affair.
She says while husband Ben was initially reluctant to leave their southern home, he has now fully acclimatised and joined the We Are Phoenix team as CEO.
It’s another big change for the family, given that Ben’s career was spent in the banking business.
“He had reached that point where he was ready to branch out … and then we realised that We Are Phoenix could really use his skills. It’s been another great change,” she says.
“I know so many people say they couldn’t work with their spouse, but for us it’s been fantastic. He really balances me out, he’s a pillar of support.
“That’s been so important because we are growing so fast. In the last two years, we’ve essentially quadrupled.
“The bulk of our events are still in Melbourne, where we first started, but I would say in about a year we will be at 50/50 between here and there.
“There is just so much happening on the Gold Coast. You talk to any business and if they are having an event, the Coast is top of their list.
“Now that I’m here, I love selling this city. Corporate clients can hear that passion in my voice and want to book here to see what it’s all about.”
Amber says she loves the fact that as her business grows, she can help boost the local economy as well.
Not only is she booking venues across the city but she’s increasing her own staff numbers - although competition is fierce for a place.
“Every time we advertise a job, we received hundreds of CVs. It’s that kind of industry.
“Working in this space is always volatile, but the last couple of years have been especially so - that’s why I’m so proud to not just have survived but thrived.
“What we do is so much more than party planning. We take a holistic approach, we look at the event, the marketing, communication support and the brand. Our clients feel like we’re part of the team, because we are. But that means this is a very demanding job.”
However, Amber says she feels most comfortable in feeling uncomfortable.
It’s why she made the move to the Gold Coast and why she started her own business.
Originally a professional dancer, Amber travelled the world before moving into the production side of show business, but quit after a traumatic workplace environment.
It was then she decided the only boss she would ever have is herself, and Phoenix was born.
Growing from a few small, grassroots events, Amber says her first ‘proper’ client was high-profile not-for-profit Adopt Change, founded by Deborra-Lee Furness with Hugh Jackman as an ambassador.
By 2020, We Are Phoenix was named small event management company of the year at the 2020 Australian Event Awards, as well as winning best new event and best event experience.
“I was all about not for profits and helping. Then all these digital companies started coming through the door and had tons of money, wanting to do huge events,” she says.
“It was crazy at first but eventually you reach a stage where you’re handling it, and then that’s when I started thinking about moving and expanding - and that’s what we did.
“Being on the Gold Coast now, in a new city and mother to a six-year-old, four-year-old and one-year-old while running We Are Phoenix … it’s a lot. But that’s how I like to operate. I like to push myself.”
While the corporate clients are rolling in, Amber says she’s keen to work further with local not-for-profits, or possibly creating her own social enterprise.
She says she’s already been working with mental health group Livin and charity Baby Give Back, but wants to do more in that space.
“I really want to work for this community. I have been so accepted and welcomed by the Gold Coast and I want to give back,” she says.
“Yes, we do a lot of corporate work and that is our bread and butter, but it’s really important to me to sponsor events and organisations that speak our language.
“Working in the realm of mental health and bullying in the workplace, those are areas that I connect with. We’re searching for that perfect fit but it’s possible we could create our own.
“It’s that connection that makes me passionate about the Women of the Year awards. As a woman who founded a business, who wants to empower staff and support her family, I love celebrating other women who are on that same path.
“Some of the best lessons I learned about how to be a boss were from how ‘not’ to be a boss.
“Eventually we want to host our own event and align it with a charity – we’re hoping to attract at least 1000 people to that event and really make it something special.
“We want to bring in some big high-profile players, using great suppliers and local providers and make it something that really contributes to the local economy and community. That’s what gets me excited.”
Of course, when it comes to boosting the Gold Coast economy and community, Amber already has that covered with her extended family.
Not only have her parents also made the move to our city, but her brother is set to soon follow suit.
Once again, the city wins the people’s choice.
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