The Brisbane Advertising Association (BAA) brought the colour and energy of Rio to The Star Brisbane for its annual Christmas Lunch on Friday, 5 December, raising more than $12,000 for The Pyjama Foundation.
The event, themed “BAAnival”, gathered over 650 members of Brisbane’s advertising and media community for an afternoon of sequins, samba and fundraising, continuing a tradition that has shaped the local industry since 1989.
A celebration with purpose
Run entirely by a volunteer committee, the BAA has long served as the heartbeat of the Queensland advertising scene, uniting the industry each year to honour peers, reconnect and support charity partners.
This year’s partner, The Pyjama Foundation, empowers children in foster care with vital learning support and confidence building. Through UnLtd, the industry also contributed hundreds of Christmas gifts in the lead-up to the event.
“BAA is proud to bring our community together in such a meaningful way each year,” said BAA president Emily McDonald.
“BAAnival captured the energy and creativity of our industry. It’s a celebration with purpose, reminding us of the power we have when we come together.”
Emma Davis, QLD GM of UnLtd, added that the support “continues to amaze us”, noting the direct impact the raised funds will have on children in out-of-home care.
Bronwyn Sheehan, CEO and founder of The Pyjama Foundation, said the partnership helped raise awareness, recruit volunteers and drive fundraising throughout the year.
“The Christmas Lunch donation of over $12,000 will help us recruit, train and match even more Pyjama Angels in 2026.”
Honouring Kat Droulers
The afternoon included a tribute to Kat Droulers, whose contribution to the industry and broader community continues to resonate.
Ten sponsors supported the event, including David Jones Amplify, Channel Factory, Val Morgan, Blis, SBS, Spotify, News Corp, Vevo, LiSTNR, Beyond, and AOSco. Partner contributions came from UnLtd, Klyp, Spot, Charity, Ridefree, Noosa Heads and Oyster Bay.
The crowd embraced the “BAAnival” brief with bold costumes, live entertainment and interactive activations such as glam bots, photo booths and a buzzing charity prize wall.
According to Nick Smithwick of David Jones Amplify, “The event brought together a passionate and collaborative Brisbane advertising community. Seeing everyone light up at the Glam Bot activation was a real highlight.”
Carla Mathisen, head of sales Brisbane at SCA, said supporting BAA is a way to “give back to the industry that supports us”. As a past president, she added it remains “special to stay connected to an event that unites our media community.”
Vevo’s Blair Kelly described the event as distilling “the essence of the unique community-orientated Brisbane media market,” while SBS Media’s Brad Roberts said it would be “hard to imagine our community without BAA… and especially BAA Christmas.”
AOSco sales director Jesse McIntyre summed up BAAnival simply: “A vibrant, full-colour sensory overload. The theme set the tone for a genuinely fun day.”