Queensland’s new Event Playbooks are here. Five marketing tips to get you started.
3 minutes read
Monday, 9 November 2026
Queensland’s event organisers have a new set of tools at their fingertips, with Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) launching its Queensland Event Ecosystem Playbooks to help strengthen the state’s events industry.
Unveiled by Queensland’s Tourism Minister, the Hon Andrew Powell MP, at the EventsQ industry gathering on Friday 6 November, the Playbooks bring together practical advice and resources to support event organisers across the state.
Aruga was proud to partner with TEQ to develop From Awareness to Attention: Event Marketing & PR, drawing on our longstanding experience in tourism, destination marketing and major events to help organisers make smarter marketing decisions, attract audiences and turn interest into attendance.
Designed for everyone from professional event teams to volunteer committees, the Playbook combines practical advice, checklists, templates and ideas that won’t break the budget.
Here are five of our favourite takeaways.
- Your event needs a story before it needs a marketing plan.
Before choosing channels or writing media releases, get clear on what makes your event worth attending. You’re competing with everything else people could do with their time and money.
Try this: Ask three people to explain what makes your event special. If you get three different answers, there’s work to do.
- You don’t need to be everywhere.
The best marketing channel isn’t necessarily the newest or most popular. It’s the one that reaches your audience and encourages them to act.
Try this: If you could only use three channels to promote your event, which would you choose and why?
- Sell the destination, not just the event.
Your event gives people a reason to travel. Your destination gives them more reasons to stay. Showcase the local experiences that turn attendance into a memorable trip.
Try this: Build a simple visitor itinerary featuring somewhere to eat, stay and explore.
- Your event isn’t automatically news.
Journalists need stories, not announcements. Look for the remarkable people, surprising statistics, unusual experiences or distinctive locations that make your event interesting.
Try this: Ask yourself what’s new, surprising or genuinely worth sharing. That’s where your media angle starts.
- Event day isn’t the finish line.
The days after your event offer opportunities to celebrate success, share content, gather feedback and build anticipation for next year.
Try this: Create a ‘Future You’ shot list before event day, capturing the imagery you’ll need to market next year’s event.
Ready to turn awareness into attention?
These five lessons are just the beginning.
The full Playbook guides organisers through the event marketing journey, with ready-to-use tools including a one-page marketing plan, campaign lifecycle planner, marketing channel cheat sheet and media relations resources.
We’re proud to have worked with TEQ to make our industry knowledge accessible to the people bringing Queensland’s extraordinary events calendar to life.