Bringing hundreds of guests, vendors, speakers, performers, volunteers and crew together across two venues creates a formidable event management challenge.
For the Million Women Movement (MWM), delivering its flagship Thrive event also means checking in about 450 guests within a narrow 30-minute window, keeping a large event team informed and coordinating two very different days of activity.
The organisation has selected Circolo to provide the event project management and ticketing platform for its 2026 event, which will be held on the Gold Coast on 17 and 18 October.
Million Women Movement co-founder Julie Thompson said Circolo would help the team bring ticketing, guest management, run sheets, tasks and operational information into one connected workspace for the events.
“There are a lot of moving parts,” Julie said. “We have two separate days at two completely different locations, with vendors, equipment, catering, parking, dancers, speakers, bump-ins and a crew of about 20-30 people.”
The Million Women Movement primarily supports female-led businesses, while also welcoming men who support women in business. Its mission is to help one million female-led businesses become fully supported by the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The movement helps women build connections, develop stronger business systems and pursue opportunities arising from major projects, including contracts and tenders associated with Brisbane 2032.
“We want to see more women getting access to the support, structures and systems they need to grow,” Julie said.
“We are helping female business owners build relationships and partnerships, but also develop the processes that will move their businesses forward.”
The first day, held at Palm Beach Community Centre, is expected to attract between 150 and 200 people. It will feature speakers, business showcases, networking opportunities and around 25-30 vendors.
“Day one is about providing useful information, helping people understand where they may gain access to contracts and creating opportunities for networking and partnerships and developing business relationships,” Julie said.
The second day will bring around 450 people together aboard the YOT yacht for a more relaxed program focused on networking and celebrating the achievements of women in business.
Circolo solves the check-in problem
Circolo’s integrated ticketing and mobile check-in features will play a critical role in managing the arrival of hundreds of guests.
Julie said check-in had been one of the event’s biggest operational challenges in previous years.
“We need to check in about 450 people within a very small window, potentially just half an hour,” she said. “Ticketing and check-in have been a bottleneck for us in the past because we haven’t had the right system to make the process seamless.”
Circolo allows multiple team members to scan digital tickets using mobile devices, helping organisers distribute guests across several check-in points. Live attendance information also gives the event team a clear view of who has arrived.
Beyond ticketing, the Million Women Movement plans to use Circolo to coordinate its team, volunteers, suppliers and event schedules.
The platform combines tasks, deadlines, guest information, forms, suppliers, budgets and digital run sheets. This provides organisers with a central source of information throughout the planning process and on the event days.
That capability is particularly important after an outdated run sheet created confusion for the event team in a previous year.
“An incorrect run sheet was handed out to the team and crew in a previous year, creating confusion and backend frustrations, we are excited for the live feature of Circolo’s planning and project management” Julie said.
“This year, we want to ensure the team, volunteers and people on the ground are better organised and feel confident during the event delivery.”
Circolo’s digital run sheets can be updated centrally, giving authorised team members access to the current schedule. The system reduces the risk created by distributing static spreadsheets or printed documents that become outdated when timings, speakers or responsibilities change.
Tasks can also be assigned to team members with deadlines and supporting information, helping everyone understand what needs to be completed, when it is due and who is responsible.