It was a few months later than planned, but the Executive of the Year Awards marked a return to in-person festivities, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. A highlight on Australia’s corporate calendar, it brought together the country’s most successful executives for trophies, fun and unforgettable speeches – Christine Holgate, I’m looking at you. What a joy it was to bring The CEO Magazine’s visions to life once again, this time for its 10^th anniversary. Come with me for a behind-the-scenes look at how everything went down. Words by Kelly Lewis.

I remember the first time we produced The CEO Magazine’s Executive of the Year Awards like it was just yesterday. The year was 2012. We welcomed 375 guests to a gala evening at Doltone House in Sydney and it was a huge success. The feeling of producing an event awarding individuals’ achievements and success within a business was the exact style of event we wanted to be aligned with. Year after year the event evolved, getting bigger, better and brighter. However, little did anyone know as we clinked glasses and posed for photos at the Awards event in November 2019, that a few short months later the world would come to a standstill – all events, big and small, would be cancelled.

In 2020, we held the event online, and then last year, we had to postpone it entirely – not once or twice, but three times! Needless to say, as the team and I swung open the doors to the ballroom at 6pm last night, my whole body was filled with anticipation, relief, excitement and nerves – this was a long, long time coming and it couldn’t have come a moment too soon.

So Many Reasons To Celebrate

I wasn’t the only one feeling that way. I can safely say that every single one of the 400 guests on the night were fully present, engaged and incredibly excited to be there. Guests mingled and networked, and even set up their own mini-dancefloors near their tables so they could dance to our entertainment. From my side-of-stage location, the sweet sound of champagne bottles being popped could be heard in the distance throughout the night. There were so many reasons to celebrate and guests were determined to do it in style.

So were we. We knew we needed to entertain like never before, so we layered it on consistently throughout the night. There was always a performance happening on stage, from celloists and aerialists, to mentalists and musicians, it just kept on coming. Ben Fordham emceed the event for the first time and did an absolutely phenomenal job. The way he commanded the stage and added his flare in a way only Ben Fordham could do, was awe-inspiring.

My favourite part of the event every year is normally watching the winners accept their awards. The excitement in their eyes as they walk up on stage to collect their trophy is so wonderful to witness. However, this year, there was an even clearer winner in some of my favourite moments of the night.

Christine Holgate Takes Centre Stage

It was when the 2015 CEO of the Year, Christine Holgate, took to the stage for a 23-minute speech, which you can listen to in full here, that left everyone else, well, speechless. You could hear a pin drop in the room as she spoke about her experiences over the past few years, from winning her CEO of the Year Award to being bullied by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

“Whatever the reason, I became the latest victim of cynical politics,” she said. “The victim of complete failure in governance and standards and, more than anything, the victim of bullying and humiliation. This happened on a national stage over a sustained period of time. Many of you don’t know what happened in the months that followed, but I can assure you, it was far worse than you imagined … I spoke openly about how I felt, how I didn’t have the will to live. How I became frustrated and could not see the light anymore.”

Her words were raw, authentic, heartfelt and incredibly powerful and it struck me that this is what a true leader looks like. The room clearly agreed and as Christine descended the stage stairs back to her seat, everyone else rose to their feet for a rousing standing ovation.

A Long Time Coming

Another favourite moment from the night was actually reconnecting with all our suppliers and partners. We’ve been doing this a long time and as a small team we collaborate with our partner agencies to bring these large scale events to life – from cocktail mixologists to lighting and audio visual, it’s always the same team. But it’s been a long time coming because we haven’t worked together for two years. And sitting down at the end of the night together, reflecting on the event and having a laugh was so good for the soul.

I won’t lie – organising an event like this with ongoing changes due to COVID-19 was exhausting – everyone in the industry would agree – but looking out from the stage wings, and seeing so many smiling faces last night has reminded me why I love my job so much. I finally felt, in an overwhelming rush, my passion for events return. My feet, on the other hand, would perhaps not agree.

After completing bump-out, I walked/hobbled out of The Star at 1.30am on a complete high. After two long years, the team might have been a little out of practice for the 17-hour days, so the only solution was massages for everyone… before we start planning the next event, of course.

To find out how Flying Ruby Events can create a bespoke event for your brand, get in touch HERE.