Turns out crocodile tears aren’t always fake. The ones Anais Read, senior copywriter and Assisterhood creative lead, shed at Cairns Crocodiles, presented by Pinterest, were real ones. Here’s her takeaways from the conference.
Marketing conferences typically revolve around sales, leads, and outcomes. Swathes of stuffy suits. Handshakes. ‘Networking’. Never quite diving beneath the surface-level small talk or forgettable faces.
But Cairns Crocodiles delivered something different. Something better.
Stepping out onto Gimuy Country, we were hit over the head with colour. It’s hard not to relax seeing outfits that mirror the bright signage and branding. Birks, pastel pantsuits, Gorman galore. This funky-patterned paradise was a refreshing reset from the usual drab.
And it wasn’t just the outfits that were bold. Beneath the playful mood, each topic had weight. Sure, AI came up in conversation. But running through every talk and panel was one singular thread: humanity.
Perhaps it was the location. The temperature. The time away from the office. People were friendlier, which meant conversations delved a little deeper.
To me, it was the speakers. I didn’t expect their vulnerability – opening up to a room full of strangers, not about ads, but about life.
Right from day one, Antoinette Lattouf stunned the room with her resolute stance on honouring your values, no matter how hard those in power try to chip away at them. One minute, we were laughing at a cucumber meme. The next, sitting with the weight of her mistreatment by the media. It hit hard.
Then to have the privilege of hearing Mundanara Bayles speak about the Black Magic Woman podcast and her influence boosting regional radio. To paraphrase, being Aboriginal is a big part of her, yes, but not her only part. She rightly doesn’t want to be seen as a charity – she wants to be respected as a leader. And she deserves every drop of expensive champagne for it.
With an unwavering self-belief in telling the stories she wants to see, Annelise Hickey became my new idol. This proud Polynesian mother knows making shorts doesn’t make you rich. But she makes them anyway because there’s nothing more important than sharing personal narratives and seeing herself represented on screen.
Or Michael Ray who pulled the rug out from everyone with raw, unguarded honesty. His solo parenting journey smashed stereotypes of what it means to be a man. How the patriarchy not only harms women and minorities, but men too.
When the lights went on at the ‘How Do We Rise Without Compromise?’ panel, Jasmin Bedir looked around and sighed: “It’s the same faces again.” Four men showed up. Four. Good on you, guys – truly. But where are the rest of you? There’s a daunting DV crisis on our doorstep and misogynistic podcasters spreading dangerous ideas. What we need is more men unafraid of the necessary conversations – and unafraid to lead them.
“If you’ve got a voice, make it matter. Make it count.”
— Chiquita King, Founder and MD at Cocogun
I saw not one, but two honest acknowledgements of speakers who were child sexual abuse survivors. Everyone fell into respectful silence. The reality in the room was palpable and no one dared draw a breath. Every single person in the audience was united in that moment – not quite sure if we deserved to be let in on such personal experiences… but treasuring them all the same.
It’s what Clive Burcham spoke about – relationships and connection are why we do what we do. Sure, awards and money are nice. But what’s the point if you can’t share it with people? Isn’t that what it means to be human?
My heart swells thinking about the amazing people I got to connect with. Comedian, writer, and poet Shyaire Ganglani, Leah Morris of the Mavens. Stephanie Gwee, CD at TBWA Melbourne. Anastasia Simone from Havas. Innocean’s iconic Jas Bedir of Fck the Cupcakes fame. Tiff Ng of The Social Story. The Aunties’ Phoebe Sloane. So many of these powerful women lit a fuse – a fire in my belly – to do more in the industry. A collective energy plotting to make things better.
Reflecting on this experience on the plane home, Cairns Crocodiles was a breath of fresh air.
We need to fill our lungs more.
