So was the weather. After a wet start to summer, Sydney had on its best frock today. Sparkling blue skies, a classic scene with a backdrop of the Opera House and a dazzling blue harbour.
Oprahmania was astonishing to see first hand. Helicopters, media frenzy, adoring fans, long but patient queues, huge stage set, pumped and ready crowd. Enter the queen of talk shows in bright orange taffeta, and the roar began. If you ever had any doubt about the unique force of live events, they would have melted away on that hot forecourt today. No wonder Oprah works with a live audience. The crowd energy powered the show.
Hard bitten veterans of the tourism industry, there as guests, were moved to tears. Yes, true. Swept away with the emotion of the crowd, there was barely a dry eye to be seen as Oprah gave generously to a family of a dad with cancer, to a deserving school, and then capping it off with a present to all of us just for being there. All 6,000 of the audience will receive a commemorative pearl necklace. Yes, each and every one of us. And if the rumours are right, another impressive gift awaits for 6,000 more tonight.
But back to tourism. If I’d written the copy for her myself, I would have said it was over the top – tone it down a bit. But Oprah just went for it. “Australia – you just rocked our world”. It has been “beyond our wildest dreams”. Her 300 special guests from the US have been treated to a smorgasbord of experiences from The Rock (which Oprah decided to see for herself, along with the Barrier Reef and Melbourne), Tasmania, the Hunter Valley, Kangaroo Island … the list goes on. And yes, it is all on tape, being edited onsite by her post production team who have taken over an entire floor of the Sydney Intercontinental. Everyone’s been very busy, and it looks like paying off.
“It’s been the biggest adventure of my life”, Oprah told us. Big call, but we ate it up. Oprah has credibility amongst her huge worldwide fan base and she has certainly endorsed Australia. Stepping up onstage, she said “now I understand, we truly are at the end of the yellow brick road.” And just in case you were in any doubt, she underlined with “to the rest of the world watching right now – you’ve got to come to Australia”.
I’m not an Oprah fan, I don’t watch the show. But I was fascinated and impressed by today’s event. This woman has presence and the power to connect to her audience. She hypes when she has to, but she also speaks in a conversational tone which seems to reach out to the individual in the audience rather pushing an on stage “performance”. Quite a gift. It was a huge stage set, massive audiovisual, giant screens, but on the stage itself, just a couple of chairs and a small table. The logistics were impressive, the organisation professional, the guests carefully selected, but the focus came down to one single individual and her ability to carry the crowd. She made it look like a walk in the park.
“Australia, you’ve just rocked our world”. Well, Oprah, you’ve just rocked ours. I haven’t seen our industry so energised for years. It’s got to be worth it for that alone. In January, millions will watch the shows. We shall have to wait to see what it delivers in more visitors.
As Oprah told us she said to the Australia Minister for Tourism: “aren’t you glad I like it?”. Glad isn’t the word I’d use ….
Featured image credit (Sydney): Ockra/iStock
