Le Festival (Brisbane French Festival)
Name and position?
Betty Moinet – Director of Le Festival – Brisbane French Festival
Tell us about your business/organisation?
Le Festival is Brisbane’s Francophile community sharing their passion for France with Australia during a 2 ½ day festival. The French community, enriched by Australia’s multiculturalism, wants to facilitate exchange between our cultures. We want to inspire Australians to share our passion and join us in toasting the best of Australia and of France. We try to provide an inclusive immersion into French culture. Music, food, culture, education and lifestyle “à la française” are showcased during this event.
What is your role at your organisation?
I am the only non-volunteer within the organisation (after 5 years as a volunteer at Le Festival). So my role is to give professionalism to a community event run by a not-for-profit association. I need to be there at all times to make sure we deliver a great event every year, improving on quality to meet higher expectations and always be innovative. So my role is to lead 20+ committee volunteers, channel their energies and creative ideas, work on our main vision, keep an eye on all our goals and fix problems if need be.
What are your key skills and responsibilities?
This will sound very basic but we need to deliver on time and within budget, an event that always creates higher expectations. What I like best about this job is to work with volunteers. I am impressed by how much people give. Only passion drives them and they create miracles every year. They all work with their hearts: It is fascinating and priceless! On the other end, I have to work with many very professional partners, sponsors, suppliers…So human skills would probably be the key skills to this job.
How many people work at your business?
We have one director, 5 management committee members and more than 20 committee members. During the event around 300 volunteers join the party.
What is your favourite place in the precinct?
I just love any combination of Brisbane River view and great food and/or a good healthy glass of wine. So maybe the QAG Cafe and GOMA Restaurant.
What do you want BSB members to know about you or your business?
We are working on a major review of our event. Le Festival will be the kick off of the first French week in Australia, right here in South Bank. So we are looking for partners to make our dream become a reality. We will be painting Brisbane “Bleu, Blanc, Rouge” for a week of conferences, masterclasses, exhibitions, movie nights and even “French” specials in all places willing to participate.
What is something people wouldn’t know about your business?
We drink wine and eat cheese during our meeting (really!). That is probably why we have representatives of Australia, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and Germany. That’s international langague.
What has recently happened at your organisation?
We have finally started to meet our South Bank neighbours. And the vibrancy of the cultural precinct is amazing. We have recently met inspiring people who have such a diversity of backgrounds and experiences. Every time we present Le Festival and our “French week” project we go back enriched by the conversations. It is very promising.
What have you learnt lately?
That all children should study (international) History to learn lessons in order to avoid repeating mistakes.
What do you hope to achieve in your industry?
We have the ambition to become the most iconic French festival in Australia. We would like Le Festival to become the peak French celebration in Queensland. Le Festival should illuminate Brisbane with French culture, it will provide an authentic immersion experience, it will be the premier showcase of all things French. Le Festival can be a major event on Australia’s cultural calendar, it will celebrate the passion, warmth and spirit that is France.
What inspires you?
Anything that conveys a feeling of peace (a fresh wind in summer, a nice word someone says, the smell of bread in the oven, ...a million of things actually)
What are your words of wisdom?
Every year at the last committee meeting before the festival kicks off, I remind us all of the 4 toltec agreements (so relevant during an event):
Be Impeccable With Your Word.
Don't Take Anything Personally.
Don't Make Assumptions.
Always Do Your Best.
