Howell’s eye firmly focused on world view

A POM who worked as media boss for the British Olympic team has been hired to help shine world media attention on the Gold Coast before, during and after the Commonwealth Games.

Mark Howell was media director for Team Great Britain at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and has worked on events including the Tour de France and Volvo world yacht race.

He managed the Greater London Authority’s media centre at the 2012 London Olympics and performed a similar role at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Mr Howell (pictured) moved from the UK to the Gold Coast this year to take up a post as the city council’s Commonwealth Games Unit media co-ordinator.

He is liaising with international media outlets to talk up positive news stories on the Coast in a bid to boost tourism, trade and investment from key international markets.

“I first came to the Coast 17 years ago when Team GB trained here for the Sydney Olympics,” he said. “I can’t believe how much its grown since then, but the Commonwealth Games will be an incredible opportunity to take the city to a whole new level.”

Embedded in the council’s Economic Development and Major Projects department, Mr Howell said Olympic and Commonwealth Games host cities used the events to “amplify” themselves to the world.

“London did this successfully with the likes of Tech City (in East London), which has become Europe’s answer to Silicon Valley,” he said.

“Glasgow was known as a bit of a bleak industrial city built on shipbuilding, but reinvented itself with its ‘People Make Glasgow’ slogan to be seen as a welcoming city and host major events like the MTV awards and world gymnastics championships.

“Gold Coast has the chance to do the same with everything from tourism to the film industry, and the Health and Knowledge Precinct at Parklands.

“The Games are so much more than a two-week sporting event – they’re about amplifying the city while the eyes of the world are on it.”