Kym Guesdon appointed new boss of Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre

The new boss of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre says Vladimir Putin’s obsession with security saw her take on ‘special duties’ during the G20 in Brisbane.

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre general manager Kym Guesdon.

Kym Guesdon is Brisbane’s new $300m woman. The veteran human resources executive will replace Bob O’Keeffe as general manager of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC), becoming only the second boss of the venue since it opened in 1995.

BCEC delivers an average of $300 million to the Queensland economy annually and Guesdon, who has been with the centre for 27 years, will lead the venue as it prepares to take centre stage for the 2032 Olympics.

City Beat hears Guesdon’s appointment has been welcomed by the more than 450 staff at the centre where she is well respected for her down-to-earth management style that has at times seen her muck in to help with the smooth running of the venue.

During the G20 in Brisbane in 2014, Russian president Vladimir Putin’s security team blocked off key entrances to the venue preventing the delivery of laundered uniforms to staff.

Guesdon and a small key number of staff had to wash and iron hundreds of uniforms themselves during the crucial meeting of world leaders.

“Bob O’Keeffe helped out by bringing us muffins while we were doing the ironing,” recalls Guesdon. Guesdon says the centre is on the road to recovery following Covid-19 as people returned to their normal lives.

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre general manager Kym Guesdon.

“The real lesson from Covid-19 is that humans need to meet face-to-face,” she says. The centre is set to host 16 conventions during May including two international events – the highest number held over a four-week period since 2019.

The trend is set to continue with 14 conferences in June along with five exhibitions and a host of corporate meetings and functions including the very popular Lifeline Bookfest and Business Chicks Breakfast, and the high profile CEDA State Budget Address.

Guesdon paid tribute to Bob O’Keeffe who has steered the centre during the past 28 years, noting he had established the culture that had ensured the success of the venue.

O’Keeffe will take up a new role as BCEC chief executive and as well as additonal duties at ASM Global, the operator of the centre. Guesdon says challenges remain in the post pandemic environment, chiefly labour shortages.

She says despite a recent recruitment drive, the centre needs another 100 staff - from chefs and kitchen hands to wait staff and attendants.

“The shut down of international borders during Covid-19 has really impacted on our staffing,” she says. Other challenges around supply chains would remain for the foreseeable future. “Even getting loaves of bread can be a challenge because of issues around supply,” she says. On an average month pre-pandemic, the centre used approximately four tonnes of fresh fish, 650 kg of asparagus, 500 kg of avocados, three and a half tonnes of fresh fruit, 14 tonnes of fresh vegetables, four tonnes of beef and 6,000 litres of beer. Guesdon says the Olympics in Brisbane would present big opportunities for the centre.

As well as playing host to the table tennis, tae-kwon do and fencing events, the centre will be looking to expand the number of conventions and meetings leading up to the games.

Guesdon says she is determined to remain at the helm of the centre until after the Olympics. In her limited spare time, Guesdon is a keen cook and sewer.

She has been working on sewing a 1.2m x 1.2m medieval tapestry for the past six years. “It helps me relax,” she says. “I hope to complete it next year.”

GOOD BREW

AUSTRALIAN boutique coffee maker Hunt and Brew has announced it will source the beans for its new “Australia” cold brew coffee from Far North Queensland in a move that will make the company one of the largest buyers of Australian-grown coffee beans.

Hunt and Brew manager Emily Creer says the firm wanted to bring Australian coffee lovers Australian-grown beans. “We hunted the globe and actually found the finest single-origin coffee beans within our home country, in the Atherton Tablelands region in far North Queensland, where the high-altitude mountainous region makes for the perfect coffee terroir,” Creer says.

Hunt and Brew has reached an agreement with Howe Farms to source at least 10 tonnes of local specialty grade Arabica coffee beans annually.

Hunt and Brew Australia Single Origin Cold Brew Coffee will be sold in Woolworths nationally from this week.

The company is also actively exploring opportunities for export in the near future.

NEW TALENT

HEAVY equipment firm Hastings Deering is on the lookout for new young talent. The Brisbane-based company will close its applications’ portal for 2023 apprenticeships midnight on Sunday with figures again showing increased applications from females and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

The mining and construction support company opened applications for 40-plus positions at the start of the month. Hastings Deering’s general manager people and culture Peter Rigbye says flexibility and inclusion within its workforce were critical components of apprenticeship recruitment. “Even though we have a set number of positions available we always look to find a place for others who stand out but may not make the apprenticeship cut,” he says.

Hastings Deering apprentices Heidi Daniels and Liberty Cullen.

Liberty Cullen joined Hastings Deering in their 2021 cohort after working as a contract musterer, bull catching in the Northern Territory, for four years and then a further two years driving trucks at a gold mine.

Originally published as Kym Guesdon appointed new boss of Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre