The pink was at a minimum, but the joy was overflowing as almost 200 tour operators, wholesalers and advisors gathered to celebrate the achievements of women in travel with community underpinning proceedings at the 2026 CATO IWD Lunch in Brisbane.
The Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO) staged its fourth annual International Women’s Day event at The Calile Hotel with the sold-out 2026 CATO IWD Lunch event bringing the industry together and returning to Brisbane after last year’s event in Melbourne.
Community was a recurrent theme woven throughout the event, from Destination Webinar Founder and event MC Charlie Trevena’s icebreakers highlighting the common threads among attendees to Major Sponsor Sisterhood Womens Travel CEO Hayley Morris beaming in from Morocco via a pre-recorded video to share how she has cultivated bonds across 21 years of organised group touring.
Guest speaker Nicole Joy, founder of SHE Speaks Academy, spoke about the importance of visibility in personal and professional growth for women, highlighting that personal stories and human connection stand out from AI-generated content.
Violinist Maddisyn Dixon-Whitbourne provided the event’s entertainment, followed by a Q&A where she also discussed why women should lift their voices and avoid self-silencing to achieve excellence.
Drawing on her experience in the music industry, she spoke about how sustainable success should allow women to negotiate terms without being labelled demanding, be assertive without being perceived as abrasive and lean on community support.
Attendees also bonded over asides about peri-menopause, menopause and Sisterhood Womens Travel’s ‘Hot Flush’ fortnightly newsletter, a trending topic in an industry that’s 70 per cent female.
CATO Managing Director Brett Jardine said he was thrilled at the turnout, and the strong attendance reflected the importance the sector places on recognising the role women play across the industry.
“The touring sector relies on the experience, leadership and perspective of women across many areas of the industry, from new entrants through to senior executives and entrepreneurial owners,” he said.
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