Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Transformational
Case Study: Be My Guest Legacy Program
“Crossing cultures, exceeding expectations, inspiring teams…”
When the Gold Coast prepared to welcome the world for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, TravConsult was entrusted with a crucial mission: to elevate the tourism industry’s ability to deliver an exceptional guest experience.
Honored to lead this legacy initiative, we united the Gold Coast’s tourism organizations into a single, inspired team—equipping them with the cultural understanding, service excellence, and motivation needed to create unforgettable moments for visitors. From pre-Games preparations to the event itself and beyond, Be My Guest set a new benchmark for hospitality, leaving a lasting impact on Queensland’s tourism industry.
The scale and significance of this initiative for the Gold Coast and Queensland’s tourism industry cannot be overstated. It was a defining moment that showcased our region’s commitment to world-class hospitality.
But don’t just take our word for it—here’s what Gold Coast City leaders and industry experts have to say:
Be My Guest in the Host City of Australia’s Gold Coast
TravConsult’s journey with Be My Guest began on the Gold Coast in 2016, launching a full-day training program co-funded by the Queensland Government and the City of Gold Coast, with the support of Destination Gold Coast. The strategy was clear: refine and adapt.
By mid-2017, the program evolved into a half-day format, and in 2018, it was transformed into dynamic 90-minute presentations—designed to deliver Games-specific insights, essential visitor engagement strategies, and inspiring stories. The goal? To energize and prepare hosts across Queensland for the arrival of guests from 70 nations.
The impact was profound. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing a complete shift in how they viewed their city, their guests, and their roles as destination hosts. The program didn’t just educate—it inspired. The word most often used to describe it?
“Transformational.”
After watching the video feedback below, read more about about the hero program we designed, “Discover Gold Coast Challenge” in Business News Australia.
Read article by Business News Australia about the “Discover Gold Coast Challenge”.
Be My Guest in Event Cities of Townsville, Cairns and Brisbane
The outstanding success of the Be My Guest program on the Gold Coast led the Queensland Government Office of the Commonwealth Games to entrust TravConsult with expanding the initiative across other key event cities—Townsville, Cairns, and Brisbane—as part of the Embracing 2018 Legacy.
The mission? To embed a lasting legacy in each region—a tourism industry that delivers WOW guest experiences, each uniquely reflective of its destination yet united by the core values of Be My Guest. This initiative reinforced Queensland’s commitment to becoming Australia’s premier tourism destination.
TravConsult took a strategic approach, launching Leaders Forums in each region followed by tailored workshops, designed to ignite local pride, uncover hidden tourism gems, and most importantly, cultivate a one-destination mindset—ensuring every region worked together to create extraordinary guest experiences.
To extend accessibility and impact, we also developed an online version of the Be My Guest Program, enabling tourism professionals across Queensland to engage with and benefit from this transformational initiative.
This success would not have been possible without the dedicated collaboration of our key partners: City of Gold Coast, Office of the Commonwealth Games, Destination Gold Coast (now Experience Gold Coast), Brisbane Economic Development (formerly Brisbane Marketing), Townsville Enterprise, and Tourism Tropical North Queensland.
The video below showcases the Townsville Leaders Forum, a Queensland Government Office of the Commonwealth Games-funded initiative. Developed through in-depth consultation with Townsville’s industry leaders, this program focused on regional pride, industry collaboration, and destination partnerships. The result? A unified tourism vision, ensuring that Townsville North Queensland delivered authentic, unforgettable experiences to visitors.
Acknowledgements and Thanks
The Be My Guest Program was a success because of the incredible professionals who believed in the power of Queensland’s tourism industry—people who knew our cities and our state could deliver an unforgettable experience for the world at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. And they trusted TravConsult to help ignite that passion and motivation.
To everyone who supported this program, sent their teams, and took part—you made this journey extraordinary. It was an honor to meet you, to learn from you, and most of all, to witness the transformation of those who embraced this program.
Thank you for being part of this legacy.