As I write this, I am still basking in the afterglow of arguably the most successful SCA (Qld) Annual Conference and Awards for Excellence yet.
This year we took the SCA (Qld) tribe from down south (or 'Mexico' as Warren Entsch MP reminded us) up to Cairns, and we certainly arrived en masse with some 270 delegates each day. Amazing!
The whole vibe of the 3 day event was very special - collegiate, relaxed and generally vibrant...and of course, incredibly social. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet with many members throughout the sessions and in the trade show area which was well patronised throughout the conference.
The Strata Community Association (Qld) 2023 Awards for Excellence, sponsored by Macquarie, were something else! From the frocks, right through to the Filthy Animals, it was a stellar night. The most important acknowledgements must go to our Award winners who all were incredibly worthy of the accolades. Congratulations to all - especially our Life Member inductees Cathy Pashley and Con Iconomidis and our President's Medal Winner Julie MacCarthy.
By all accounts, all members who attended agree with my sentiment and I want to thank you all for your generous feedback and support of this event in Cairns.
I am very proud of my team here at SCA (Qld) who worked incredibly hard to deliver an exemplar program of education, networking and general frivolity for you, our members. We work very collaboratively with our member committees - specifically the Education and Events Committees - to design and deliver these events each year and it's fair to say they are growing and evolving.
This year, we took the very deliberate event curation decision to deliver an experience for members that is aligned with the expectation members have of their peak body, and the elevated professionalism of our sector. I believe we raised the bar significantly on previous conference experiences, building on the incremental steps forward of years gone by and taking that very necessary giant leap. We have have set a high standard for next year that reflects the increasingly high standards being set on our sector. My favorite memory from this year's event - among many - was the sheer delight and pride on our members faces as they entered the Awards dinner - the 'Wow!' factor was apparent. I was very proud to be on 'Team SCA (Qld)' as I hope you all were too.
Importantly, we couldn't have achieved any of this without the support of the many services members who stepped up and sponsored the event. I thank you all for your support of the event, of SCA (Qld) generally, and your ongoing contribution to driving our collective vision for the strata sector.
Bring on the 2024 Conference - a celebration of 40 years of SCA (Qld)! We will be back to members with dates for the Annual Conference and Awards for 2024 - which will mark our 40th birthday - so be sure to pencil those dates in your diary. You won't want to miss these events.
As for the SCA (Qld) team, we are back to 'normal programming'. We have a full dance card of advocacy and policy issues, program development, education and events that we will continue to share with you in the coming months.
If you have any questions or feedback please don't hesitate to contact me at laura.bos@strata.community
Laura Bos
General Manager
