Trailblazing jockey and author Michelle Payne will be sharing her life story on hardship and  triumph to an exclusive crowd at the Storyfest Business Lunch held at the Gold Coast  Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday 7 May, 2021.  

Payne rose to fame and quickly became an Australian icon after being the first female jockey to  win the Melbourne Cup in 2015. Since her life-changing win, she went on to write a best-selling  book Ride Like A Girl which was then brought to life in a film directed by Rachel Griffiths.  

The remarkable annual event is no stranger to having some of Australia’s most notable names  attend, but Somerset Storyfest director, Andrea Lewis said the audience will be stunned  listening to Payne’s deeply compelling and inspirational story.  

“Michelle Payne will be in conversation with journalist Richard Morecorft and sharing her life  story from facing hardship, love and loss, becoming the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup,  her writing career and developing the movie Ride Like A Girl,” Ms Lewis said 

“We’re really looking forward to hearing about Michelle’s story right from the beginning and  her trial of being a young female working in what is primarily a man’s world.”  

The Storyfest Business Lunch is an unique event to network and have your business showcased  in front of progressive business owners from the Gold Coast, Brisbane and surrounding areas.  

Prior to the lunch, from 10.30am to 11.30am, Somerset Storyfest also presents the Better  Business Session. 

This session is available to the wider Gold Coast community and will be led by Business of Brand  (BoB) founder, Tim Dwyer and strategic marketing and communications agency, Hashtag Group  director, Nicole Marino.  

The pair will share rare industry insight into the world of marketing, the economic outlook for  businesses over the next 10 years and the key trends that will change the way we do business. 

Experienced marketing and communications strategist and director of Hashtag Group, Nicole  Marino will be sharing her more than 15 years experience of helping brands grow.  

“The key to successful marketing is to identify your key messages and goals and make sure you  are employing the right tactics to reach optimum target audiences in order to achieve your  communication objectives,” Mrs Marino said. 

“Whether it’s through brand management, public relations, using social media and influencer  marketing, event management and/or content creation. I’m really looking forward to explaining  this further to the wider Gold Coast community.”  

Individual tickets to the Business Lunch are $159 with tables of 8 for $1200. All funds from this  event go to support disadvantaged children literacy programs. The festival will be held next  year from 12 to 19 March, 2022.  

Tickets to see Michelle Payne in conversation at the Storyfest Business Lunch can be purchased  on www.Storyfest.com.au. Register your interest for the Better Business Session here.  

For more information on Somerset Storyfest Writer’s Festival, visit www.Storyfest.com.au