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There’s a certain irony in watching the world rediscover face-to-face meetings, the very thing many of us swore off sometime between our third lockdown and the eighth “you’re on mute” moment of 2021. Yet here we are, not only meeting again but meeting bigger, bolder and with renewed purpose.

At the front of this revival stands FCM Meetings & Events (FCM M&E), the corporate arm of the Flight Centre Travel Group, which has just expanded and restructured its Australian business to catch the industry’s second wind. And if the enthusiasm in its Sydney offices is anything to go by, the sector’s not merely back — it’s booming.

Growth with purpose, not just headcount

FCM M&E’s restructure isn’t a mere shuffle of business cards. It’s a deliberate recalibration of how the company wants to serve clients in a world that’s rediscovering the power of personal connection.

The company has added a new Customer Solutions Team to work with its established Sales and Account Management arms. The idea is to sharpen focus, trim bureaucracy, and give clients the sort of personal service that can’t be automated, no matter how clever the booking tech.

Simone Seiler oversees the business globally, while Katie Fraser, FCM M&E’s General Manager of Operations and Customer, takes over in Australia.

It’s a leadership trio that knows its terrain. The Account Management Team continues under Flavia Kaucic, while the Sales division, led by Kellie Howard, has already become something of a business-generating machine.

Into this structure steps Nicole Pusic, the newly appointed Customer Solutions Team Leader, reporting to Kaucic and charged with bridging the gap between sales ambition and customer reality.

The meetings comeback – and the money trail

According to the FCM Meetings & Events 2025 Trends Report, corporate gatherings have grown year-on-year since 2022, not by modest margins.

“Ten per cent of companies are planning to increase their investment in 2025,” the report notes, “while 39 per cent will maintain their current levels.” In other words, nearly half of corporate Australia is doubling down on doing business the old-fashioned way — with people in the same room.

And Fraser isn’t one to let opportunity pass by.

“This step allows us to take hold of the growing meetings and events industry with both hands, whilst still offering the best-in-class customer delivery that FCM M&E is known for,” she says, in that practical tone that suggests she already has both sleeves rolled up.

A tri-stream that actually flows

Earlier this year, FCM M&E separated its sales and account management functions, allowing each to operate with greater focus. Fraser says the success of that move paved the way for the company’s latest refinement, the Customer Solutions Team, a bridge between dreamers and doers.

“The Customer Solutions Team will develop tailored proposals, enabling our business development managers to concentrate on pipeline growth, while our account managers prioritise customer retention and expansion,” Fraser explains.

If that sounds like textbook management-speak, Fraser backs it with a dose of reality:

“This new tri-stream structure means our people are truly focused on the priorities at hand and not bogged down in trying to manage multiple competing elements.”

Translated into plain English: everyone knows exactly what they’re supposed to do and who’s buying the next round of coffees.

Structure that works – and works hard.

What’s refreshing is that FCM M&E’s overhaul doesn’t feel like change for change’s sake. The business has kept its familiar local leadership but added enough new names to bring fresh energy.

The new hires read like a “who’s who” of experienced event specialists:

Account Management Team

Flavia Kaucic – Head of Account Management and Customer Solutions
Melissa Squire – Senior Account Manager
Kate Schulz – Key Account Manager
Kelly Allison – Key Account Manager

Customer Solutions Team

Nicole Pusic – Customer Solutions Team Leader
Arcadia Meldrum – Customer Solutions Manager
Zohie Walker – Customer Solutions Manager

Sales Team

Kellie Howard – Head of Sales Australia
Julie McLean – Groups Business Development Manager
Dean Busutill – Groups Business Development Manager
Miriam Evans – Events Business Development Manager
Valentina Tricomi – Events Business Development Manager
Sheri Veenstra – Events Business Development Manager
Rose Giordano – Groups Business Development Executive

It’s not just a larger team but a more strategically aligned one designed so creativity and client service can move faster than corporate red tape.

The big picture – and the bigger opportunity

Fraser makes no secret of FCM M&E’s ambitions. “Our executive team reflects these business priorities,” she says. “We have an obvious and effective leadership structure now, which is already delivering dividends for our customers, our prospects, and the overall success of FCM M&E.”

In corporate terms, that’s about as close as you get to a victory lap. Fair enough, when an events company grows in a market while adjusting to post-pandemic realities, it suggests confidence and resilience.

For FCM M&E, the logic is simple: clients want events that feel crafted, not canned. They want solutions designed by humans who’ve spent years in the trenches, not dashboards built by algorithms that have never been to a conference buffet.

In essence, that is FCM M&E’s point of difference: human intelligence over artificial efficiency, albeit backed by world-class tech.

A revival with rhythm

While many firms are still grappling with remote work culture, FCM M&E is betting on something wonderfully old-fashioned: people like being in the same room.

Whether it’s for the energy of applause, the handshake that seals a deal, or simply the relief of seeing colleagues in three dimensions, corporate events are once again the heartbeat of professional life.

And in that heartbeat, FCM M&E hears opportunity.

By tightening its structure and widening its team, the company isn’t just expanding for growth’s sake; it’s preparing to lead the next phase of the business events renaissance, one itinerary at a time.