GET READY TO ENJOY THE TIME OF YOUR LIVES

WELL, here we are 2329 days since the Gold Coast won the right to host the 21st Commonwealth Games and just seven days to go until the opening ceremony.

It’s hard to believe that on this day next week the largest event in Queensland’s history will begin as our city becomes the focus of the sport and festival worlds. It also means that you and I have just seven days to make sure we have everything in place for the best possible Games experience.

For spectators that means things like making sure we’ve printed off our tickets – please don’t forget to do that – and taking only what we need with us to avoid delays getting through security.

If you haven’t already, check the conditions of entry at gc2018.com.

Whether or not you’re going to a sport or Festival 2018 event, make sure you have a travel plan. Everything you need to build that plan and get you around the city during the Games is at getsetforthegames.com

If you are one of our 15,000 wonderful Games Shapers, it’s time to get really excited and get ready to welcome the world with the biggest smiles our guests have ever seen.

I was at the Games Village when the first athletes arrived on Sunday.

To see how excited they were checking in to their top-class home away from home was an amazing experience and something I’ll remember forever.

Their excitement was infectious and just to have them in their colourful team kit so excitedly walking the Village streets and boulevards just gave everything life. It made it crystal clear to me that we are all indeed in for the time of our lives.

As I sign off from this final weekly column, I

TO SEE HOW EXCITED THE ATHLETES WERE CHECKING IN TO THEIR TOP-CLASS HOME AWAY FROM HOME WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE

would like to extend a sincere thanks to the Gold Coast Bulletin and editor Ben English for the opportunity to share the news of the GC2018 preparations with you over the past year.

The organisation of any major world event has its challenges, but we’ve been able to address so many of them through these pages and we are very grateful to have been able to do that.

To each and every reader, as I regularly and so honestly say, we are definitely on time and on budget and I look forward sharing the dream of GC2018 with you all.