A new Cairns Extra meetup has been revealed for Cairns Crocodiles, presented by Pinterest, with the Friends of Rhonda Crocs Meetup set to bring the industry together for drinks, connection and conversation on day two of the festival.
Taking place on Wednesday 13 May from 4.30pm to 6:30pm at Hemingway’s Brewery (home of the News Australia track), the Friends of Rhonda meetup offers a relaxed, inclusive space for the industry to come together at the end of the day.
Founded in Melbourne/Naarm, Friends of Rhonda is a networking group for queers in advertising, known for creating welcoming, high-energy environments where people can connect, share perspectives and have a good time doing it. Hosted by Jules Stretch — aka Mum the Drag Queen — the Friends of Rhonda meetup will bring that same spirit to Cairns, with drinks, opinions and plenty of laughs.
You can see all the Cairns Extra events HERE.
“Cairns Extra is all about creating those moments around the main programme where real connections happen,” said Rosie Oakshott, managing director, B&T and Cairns Crocodiles.
“Whether it’s over breakfast, at an organised lunch, on a yacht or at a drinks meetup like Friends of Rhonda, these experiences are designed to bring the industry together in a more relaxed, human way — and that’s often where the best conversations start.”
Cairns Extra meetups are a series of unique, bespoke events that take place around the three days of content — from breakfasts before the event kicks off, to bespoke luncheons, or even cocktails and yacht gatherings — all designed to bring people together beyond the stage and create more opportunities to connect. Some Cairns Extra events are open to all and others, delegates must register and expression of interest.
Just before the Cairns Extra Friends of Rhonda Crocs Meetup, Stretch will also host G-RUIN – Industry Retro & Roast (3:50pm–4:30pm), a live, unfiltered session where she is joined by Elle Bullen, Partner at Hellions & B&T Women in Media Creative of the Year ’25; Shyaire Ganglani, ACD at Leo Burnett and stand-up comedian; Seamus Fagan, assistant creative director at Leo Burnett and co-head of Online AWARD School; and Alex Sol Watts, executive director of strategy & social at Poem, to tear into their own work, posts and pet projects.
Inspired by the spirit of Gruen, the session invites creatives to put their work up for public critique, creating a rare moment of honesty, humour and industry self-reflection before the conversation spills into the meetup.
Check out the full agenda here and buy tickets here!
