There is little doubt in my mind that plenty of people woke up last Thursday morning around the world asking themselves whether they had ever heard of Brisbane or Queensland before.
In my experience, when speaking to people overseas in the past, they are certainly familiar with Sydney and Melbourne, but Brisbane is more often than not a complete mystery to them.
To state the bleeding obvious, that is about to change in an unprecedented way.
Through the power of sport, the Olympic Games will drive a 10-year runway of opportunity to 2032 and underpin a 10-year legacy post the Games for the next generation of Australians.
The world will have returned to some sense of normality by the time that the Games commence and any apprehension regarding international travel will be well and truly in the rear view mirror.
As an industry, we will have an unparalleled opportunity to showcase our premium food and fibre products to the world.
The many visitors who will be flocking to our shores will take home many cherished memories, and hopefully a new-found appreciation for the mouth-watering delights that we all take for granted.
The Games will also provide exactly the shot in the arm and stimulus package that Queensland requires to get our economy back on track as it has taken an absolute pounding over the last 18 months.
This aligns well with the new bid city protocol that seeks to deliver lasting benefit to the host city, not a post-Olympics hangover.
In Brisbane's case, the Games will also be outsourced to the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Toowoomba, so the Olympic love will get shared around the south east corner, and I am certain that the halo effect will inevitably flow to other parts of the state too.
The world's attention will be parked on our doorstep for a fortnight so the ag sector needs to start its planning now to ensure that no opportunity is missed to grab the biggest possible wedge of the Olympic pie.
We also need to factor in the many lead-in and test events that precede the Games as an opening to flaunt our wares.
Now we just have get to work on adapting the Olympic motto to 'Faster, Higher, Stronger, Queenslander'. That, however, might take a bit more work!
- Trent Thorne, agribusiness lawyer
