Cairns Crocodiles, presented by Pinterest, has unveiled its own MOGO, or musical logo, complete with crocodile roars, crocodile breaths and a surprise live performance featuring soundsmith extraordinaire Rajeev Raja and six local musicians.
Developed with Mumbai-based sonic branding agency BrandMusiq, the sonic identity debuted during a surprise opening ceremony moment at Cairns Crocodiles 2026 before becoming the soundtrack to the three-day festival.
The launch marks a significant step in the evolution of the Cairns Crocodiles brand and positions the festival among the first major creativity events in Asia-Pacific to develop a dedicated sonic identity.
Now, the industry can relive the launch, with footage from the reveal available to watch on the Cairns Crocodiles YouTube channel below.
Cairns Crocodiles co-founder and CEO of The Misfits David Hovenden said the move reflects the festival’s ambition to build a more immersive and memorable brand experience.
“At Cairns Crocodiles, we’ve always believed that a brand shouldn’t just be seen, it should be heard and felt,” Hovenden said.
“As we looked at building a truly multi-sensory identity for this growing event, one element kept calling out to us: sound.”
The collaboration was born after BrandMusiq founder Rajeev Raja took to the Cairns Crocodiles stage in 2025 to speak about the power of sonic branding.
“BrandMusiq created the term MOGO, meaning musical logo, and after Rajeev’s session ended, we knew Cairns Crocodiles needed its own MOGO,” Hovenden said.
The project was developed over several months, with BrandMusiq working closely with the Cairns Crocodiles team to uncover the personality and emotional cues at the heart of the brand.
“Cairns Crocodiles isn’t just a conference or an award show, it’s an experience,” Raja said.
“We worked with the team to understand the brand and, at its core, it was all about transporting people into a different world the moment they step in.”
The crocodile itself became a key creative ingredient in the final composition.
“The crocodile is a powerful symbol of Cairns. It’s iconic, it’s bold and people love it,” Raja said.
“So we asked ourselves: can the crocodile become part of the music?”
That question ultimately led the team to incorporate crocodile-inspired sonic elements, including crocodile roars and crocodile breaths, blending them into the final composition.
The MOGO made its debut on day one of Cairns Crocodiles 2026 following the opening welcome from MC Maz Farrelly.
Pippa Chambers, content director of Cairns Crocodiles, said the sonic identity was designed to deepen the delegate experience and create a stronger emotional connection with the festival.
Rather than appearing on the agenda, the reveal was kept under wraps as a surprise for delegates. Attendees were first taken behind the scenes of the creative process through a sonic breakdown film and conversation on stage between Hovenden and Raja, before experiencing the Cairns Crocodiles sonic identity brought to life live on stage.
What followed was a high-energy performance featuring Raja alongside Michael Rivett (tenor saxophone), Tommy See Poy (keyboard), David Pyke (trumpet), Steven Simon (yidaki/didgeridoo), Naoki Kimpara (drums and percussion) and Ash Petersen (guitar). The live performance was brilliantly pulled together by the fabulous Allison Mackey.
As the track built to its finale, delegates were encouraged to clap along and recreate the crocodile breathing sounds woven throughout the composition, transforming the launch into an interactive celebration of creativity, music and Far North Queensland culture.
Following the launch, the MOGO featured throughout the three-day festival, soundtracking keynote sessions in the Cairns Convention Centre, content at Hemingway’s Brewery, session welcomes and other key moments across the event.
“The delegate experience is at the heart of every decision we make. Our job is to create memorable experiences, not just a conference agenda, and the MOGO delivered exactly what we hoped for; a high-energy, unexpected moment that brought the room together, set the tone for three days of creativity and showed just how powerful a shared creative experience can be,” Chambers said.
Watch the on-stage behind the scenes moment below.
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