QLD Branch Highlights
AITPM 2023/2024 Year in Focus
Erin Thomas, QLD Branch President
What were your highlights of FY23/24?
There have been two absolute highlights.
Firstly, the AITPM Toowoomba technical seminars every two months on a variety of topics with very diverse speakers, and secondly, the Queensland Branch of Emerging Professionals Network - the number of events has been outstanding.
What was your favourite event(s) of the year?
The hackathon-style event on the topic of ‘Connecting Brisban’s Inner City for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games’ was a fantastic workshop with several teams bringing their creative problem-solving skills to solve big issues for the games. This was very popular with our members, and we want to run another Hackathon soon.
What was the biggest challenge and how did you and your committee overcome it?
The challenge is always to find a diverse group of speakers and interesting topics that are relevant to our members. Volunteers are always welcome - get in touch via the website nomination form or reach out to a committee member!
Which partners, sponsors and stakeholders did you work with to achieve your outcomes?
We worked with branch sponsors PSA, TMR, and the City of Gold Coast in the past year, while industry partners Matric, WSP, Arcadis, Stantec, SMEC, VLC, GHD have either hosted events, or contributed venues.
Welcome and thank you to our two new Branch Sponsors, BDO and Site Traffic who have also contributed to event sponsorship in the last few months!
What are the burning or emerging transport and industry issues that you're seeing in Queensland?
Planning for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games continues to be a hot topic for South-East Queensland, as well as the housing crisis across the whole of Queensland, and how we can plan and deliver the transport network needed to support the expected population increase.
What's been happening with the emerging professionals in your state?
The mentoring program has been a stand-out and it is great to see it continue for its third year. The value both our mentees and mentors receive from this well-coordinated program is fantastic so a big thank you to Tierney George, Emogen Collins, and Xanthia Dubler.
What is the focus for FY24/25?
Working with our partners and sponsors to deliver larger scale events, as well as continuing to deliver our core technical development events.
There is a lot going on in AITPM nationally - what are you most excited about?
The national conference is always the absolute stand-out on the event calendar, with the focus on networking and technical knowledge shares. The event always renews my passion for our industry.
Are there any acknowledgments you would like to share?
Thank you to the whole committee, both long-term and newer members, the Emerging Professionals Network, and a big thank you to Haider Yousif for his contribution to the Toowoomba region. We would also like to thank Kirsty Kelly, Karen Hooper, Georgi Kartsidimas, and Erika Childs for the back-of-house support that makes our events run smoothly every time.
Also … after six years of being heavily involved in the AITPM Queensland Branch through Conference Coordinator, Vice President, and President roles, I’ll be stepping back in the next round of elections to enable others to benefit from the fantastic opportunity that being a part of the committee leadership provides.