Jan McCormick was a software engineer for mining equipment, when a chance encounter at a mining industry event on the Gold Coast changed her career trajectory and her life. She met her future husband (the event planner) and moved to the Gold Coast six months later, where they teamed up to start their own event and concert production company.

Now the CEO of Major Events Gold Coast, Jan and her crack team are the driving force behind such locally beloved and internationally renowned events as Blues on Broadbeach and the Groundwater Country Music Festival. But hold onto your hats and water bottles - there's a new festival coming to the Gold Coast in August which is also set to claim iconic event status. The Pacific Airshow Gold Coast will feature a flotilla of high-performance military and commercial aircraft performing stunning aerobatics and manoeuvres over the ocean in front of Surfers Paradise Beach from 18-20 August. Get the inside story of how this incredible event was lured to the Gold Coast (it's the top airshow in the US - and there are hundreds!), what was involved, what you can expect as a spectator, and what it means for the Gold Coast.

Jan came to Major Events Gold Coast from the Broadbeach Alliance (BA), where her transformational leadership drove real success and positioned BA as a leader in festival delivery on the Gold Coast and throughout Australia. Notable achievements during her tenure included the extraordinary growth and positioning of Blues on Broadbeach and the development of Groundwater Country Music Festival as major events for Queensland and the City of Gold Coast that have proud national and international reputations, and an unprecedented return on investment. Prior to this, Jan was the Executive Director of her own highly profitable business events and concert production company.