More than 4,000 Flighties from around Australia took over the Riverstage in Brisbane’s CBD on Saturday 2 July from 3pm for a company-wide, end-of-year celebration that saw all Flight Centre stores closed for the weekend.
Dubbed ‘Flichella’, attendees included Flight Centre HQ support staff in Brisbane alongside store teams, major partners and suppliers with CEO Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner – in a tie-dye hoodie and trainers – wandering around in the thick of it.
The electric festival atmosphere was a chance for Flighties to let off some steam after a two-year rollercoaster riding out the pandemic and now catering to pent-up travel demand amid a much-decimated industry workforce and supply chain.
Skroo and Flight Centre Global Leisure CEO James ‘JK’ Kavanagh addressed the excited audience, thanking staff for their hard work and looking forward to the future.
Brisbane singer-songwriter Waveney Yasso kicked off Flichella with her lyrical Acknowledgement of Country followed by musical highlights including Aussie band Birds of Tokyo, Brissie hip-hop artists Butterfingers, DJ-producer Anna Lunoe and dance act Mashd N Kutcher bringing the party vibes.
A ‘super band’ consisting of Cover-More and FCTG staff also played the main stage.
Flight Centre Content & Social Coordinator Caitlin MacDonald said Flichella was just like a mini-festival with a great music lineup, supplier-sponsored themed food stalls such as burgers and yiros and drinks and good vibes.
“It was a great atmosphere – it really felt like we were shaking off the past two years and celebrating together as a family as we look forward to the future,” she said.
“We were told about the music acts leading up to the event, but the highlight was getting to party with my close work family.”
With staff perks and rewards like these, Flight Centre Travel Group highlights its renowned work culture and reputation as a global company that works hard and plays hard.
A host of sponsors were also on board, including Virgin Australia, Royal Caribbean International, Cover-More, Tourism & Events Queensland, Singapore Airlines, Globus family of brands, Viking, Rex, Air Canada, British Airways, Club Med, Etihad Airways, United Airlines, Qatar Airways, Azamara, Amadeus, Intrepid, Hertz, Travel Money Oz – Currency Pass, Celebrity Cruises, TFE Hotels, Norwegian Cruises and many more.
For more info, head to flightcentre.com.au
