Events Queensland, Case Study

Futurevation at the Edge of the Map

When Events Queensland gathered regional leaders, tourism marketers, and festival organisers from across the state, they wanted the opening keynote to challenge assumptions and energise the future. They brought in Morris to do exactly that and he delivered Futurevation, a bold, thought-provoking session designed to reframe what regional events could become.

Speaking to a packed room in Cairns, Morris unpacked the coming shift in domestic travel, community identity, and what guests expect when they leave the city. He introduced the rise of “CUBs” Cashed-Up Bogans and argued that these emerging audiences weren’t fringe. They were the mainstream market waiting to be understood. He showed how future event design would blend lifestyle, loyalty, local pride, and on-demand culture. It wasn’t about chasing trends it was about building relevance from the ground up.

The keynote set the tone for the entire weekend. Organisers called it “mindblowing,” and Morris’s provocations became a reference point throughout the sessions that followed. As Kate Blumke, Manager of the Regional Development Program, wrote: “Your presentation was extremely interesting and certainly got people talking... a brilliant way to kick off the exciting program that unfolded over the weekend.”

Shift: From static event planning to future-shaped strategy built on audience insight and cultural design.

The result?: A catalytic keynote that framed the weekend and reshaped how Events Queensland thought about community, curation, and future regional impact.