The International Women’s Day Lunch hosted by Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) at The Calile Hotel in Brisbane
Nearly 200 tour operators, wholesalers and travel professionals came together in Brisbane yesterday for the sold-out CATO International Women’s Day Lunch, celebrating the contribution of women across the touring sector.
Held at The Calile Hotel, the event continues to grow each year and has quickly become a favourite on the CATO calendar. It’s a chance for the touring community to step away from the day-to-day, reconnect with colleagues and recognise the women shaping our industry.
Guests heard from keynote speaker Nicole Joy, confidence expert, TEDx speaking coach and founder of the SHE Speaks Academy. Her presentation, Visibility isn’t Vanity, it’s Responsibility, encouraged women to step forward and own their voice.
As Nicole told the room:
“Now is not the time to hide and be humble if you want to be a trailblazer in your industry.”
The afternoon was hosted by Charlie Trevena from Destination Webinars and also featured a beautiful live performance by Australian violinist and PhD student Maddisyn Dixon Whitbourne.
Thank you to the organisations who helped make the event possible:
Sisterhood Women’s Travel (Major Sponsor), Gow-Gates Insurance Brokers, TravelPay, Stuba, Entire Travel Group and Bunnik Tours, with prizes from Spree with Me, Philippines Tourism and Megaworld Hotels & Resorts.
A great afternoon with the touring community and a reminder of the talent, leadership and perspective women bring to this industry.
Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO)
Anyone who uses Schitt’s Creek and The Simpsons memes in their keynote already has my attention. 👀 Add to that the theme “hashtag#Visibility isn’t Vanity” and you’ve got a message very close to my heart.
Yesterday I joined around 200 industry colleagues at the International Women’s Day Lunch hosted by Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) at The Calile Hotel in Brisbane, where keynote speaker Nicole Joy delivered a brilliant and thought-provoking session on why visibility and voice are key.
Her message was simple but powerful: if you want to be a trailblazer in your industry, hiding quietly in the background isn’t going to cut it. That really resonated with me. A big part of what I do is helping hashtag#travelagents step forward, share their voice and showcase the niche expertise that makes them stand out. Because when you’re visible for the right reasons, you attract the right clients.
It was also fantastic to reconnect with colleagues and meet new industry partners. There were so many impressive people in that room I would have loved to chat with… but as always at events like this, there’s never quite enough time.
Lovely to spend the afternoon with my team member Rebecca Lavender and my business bestie Charlie Trevena, who did a fabulous job as emcee of the event. 👏
And a big thank you to CATO for bringing the community together to celebrate and inspire the incredible women shaping our industry.
hashtag#CATOIWD26 hashtag#InternationalWomensDay hashtag#IWD2026 hashtag#TravelIndustry
Anna Shannon :Travel Agent Marketer: TravelAgentFinder.com.au | Travel Industry Connector: TravelTradeConnect.com.au | Helping the travel industry attract their ideal clients.
On Tuesday, I joined 200+ travel industry professionals for Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) International Women’s Day lunch. I nearly declined the invitation because like most in the industry, I have a lot on at the moment and really didn’t feel I could fit it in.
I’m so glad I made the effort though because nothing beats catching up with other like-minded women (and a few men) in this amazing industry and drawing inspiration from their stories and challenges.
Charlie Trevena MC’d the event beautifully and we also heard from the amazing Nicole Joy who had many gems to share, including, “now is NOT the time to be humble if we want to be trailblazers”.
Feeling very lucky to work in an industry filled with such talent with a timely reminder that it’s always worth the effort!
I think this might be my new “non-negotiable” annual industry event. What’s yours?
#CATO#IWD2026#WomeninTravelCharlie TrevenaAnna ShannonRebecca LavenderJanis McDonaldLISA PagottoEmmalita MalmbergRuby McBrydeTherese PlayfordElsa McLeanKaren DowlingSue WattsShelley Poten
Visibility isn’t vanity. It’s leadership.
Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking to 200+ tour operators, wholesalers and travel professionals at the sold-out Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) International Women’s Day Lunch at The Calile Hotel in Brisbane.
My keynote, ‘Visibility isn’t Vanity’ explored The Visibility Gap – the space between being excellent at what you do and being recognised for it.
Because the truth is this:
Women are not less capable.
They’re often simply less visible.
Through my VIP Framework for Strategic Visibility (Voice, Identity and Positioning), we explored how to step forward, share their expertise and be recognised for their brilliance.
The room was electric, the conversations were powerful, and the feedback coming through has been incredibly special. The incredible women (and a few men!) are now equipped and inspired to show up not only for themselves but for the generations after them.
“An engaging and thought-provoking address… Nicole’s message about finding your voice and backing yourself really resonated with the entire room.”
“Her message was simple but powerful: if you want to be a trailblazer in your industry, hiding quietly in the background isn’t going to cut it.”
Looking for a high-energy keynote that helps leaders close the Visibility Gap and become impossible to ignore? My inbox is open.
Nicole Joy :
High Energy Visibility & Confidence Speaker | Helping Leaders Close the Visibility Gap | TEDx Speaking Coach | Founder, She Speaks Academy | Visibility isn’t Vanity – it’s Leadership.
M.Z.I. Dalton Zahir | TravellerTimes Desk
