Visual Connections has made two new appointments to its Events Team, as momentum grows for major events including Visual Impact and the Australian Sign and Graphics Association (ASGA) National Sign and Graphics Awards, all coming up in Sydney in September.
Shireen Da Costa has been appointed exhibition and events manager for the Association, taking over the role from Jenny Harris, who stepped in last year as events consultant, and who will continue to act in an advisory role for the coming months.
Da Costa, who commences her new role this week, has extensive experience in the events space, most recently as national conference manager for the Housing Industry Association. She has previously held roles as event manager with Tourism Australia and marketing and events coordinator at IDC Australia, among other roles.
Karren Challoner-Miles, CEO, said Da Costa’s appointment will provide a strong basis for the ongoing development and evolution of Visual Connections trade shows, including Visual Impact and PacPrint exhibitions, along with other events, such as the ASGA Awards.
“Visual Connections has been fortunate over our history to have a very strong events team, and we are delighted to have someone of Shireen’s calibre join us to take our events into a new era,” Challoner-Miles said.
“Shireen is very well qualified, and we are already really enjoying having her on the team – it’s great to have someone with such solid skills and experience, as well as a fresh perspective and new ideas to add to our events.”
Meanwhile, Julia O’Keefe, an experienced conference and events professional, was welcomed to the team in February as conference programmer for Visual Impact.
O’Keefe runs her own events business, Eventful Planning, and also recently completed a part-time role as events manager with Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds.
“We are delighted to have Julia join us as our dedicated conference programmer, adding her specialist expertise at this critical time,” said Challoner-Miles.
“Her skills ideally complement those of our existing team members, and we know that her experience will be invaluable to ensure that this inaugural conference delivers world-class information, insights and ideas to help industry business survive and thrive into the future.”
Jenny Harris, who re-joined Visual Connections as events consultant to undertake initial planning for both events, will step back from her role after an initial handover period with both Shireen Da Costa and Julia O’Keefe.
She will, however, remain available to support the new team with her expertise and experience as they take over the reins.
“It has been absolutely amazing to have Jenny back for the past few months – she’s just slotted right back into place, with her deep experience and the great relationships she has not only within our team, but across the industry,” added Challoner-Miles.
“We are enormously thankful for her willingness to step in to get these projects underway, and even more grateful that she has agreed to be on call should we need advice or assistance over the coming weeks and months.”
Visual Impact Conference and Expo 2026 will be held at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park, from 2-4 September 2026.
The 2026 ASGA National Sign and Graphics Awards will be at the same venue on Thursday 3 September.