Visual Connections announces new appointments

Visual Connections has announced two new appointments at the supplier association.

Shireen Da Costa has been appointed Exhibition & Events Manager for the Association, taking over the role from Jenny Harris, who stepped in last year as Events Consultant, to commence planning for Visual Impact and who will continue to act in an advisory role for the coming months.

Da Costa has extensive experience in the events space, most recently as National Conference Manager for the Housing Industry Association (HIA). She has previously held roles as an Event Manager at Tourism Australia and a Marketing & Events Coordinator at IDC Australia. 

Karren Challoner-Miles, Visual Connections CEO, says the appointment will provide a strong foundation for the ongoing development and evolution of Visual Connections trade shows, including Visual Impact and PacPrint exhibitions, as well as other events such as the ASGA Awards.
“Visual Connections has been fortunate over our history to have a very strong events team, and we are delighted to have someone of Shireen’s calibre join us to take our events into a new era,” she said, adding “Shireen is very well qualified and will be an ideal addition to our team – it’s great to have someone with such solid skills and experience, as well as the fresh perspective and new ideas she will undoubtedly bring to our events.”

Julia O’Keefe, an experienced conference and events professional, joined the team on 3 February and takes primary responsibility for coordinating the program for the inaugural Visual Impact Conference, which will co-locate with the trade show in Sydney in September.

O’Keefe brings extensive experience in the events and conference industry and will be working closely with Da Costa and the rest of the Visual Connections team to develop the program for the three-day conference.

“We are delighted to have Julia join us as our dedicated Conference Programmer, adding her specialist expertise at this critical time,” Challoner-Miles says. 
“Her skills ideally complement those of our existing team members, and we know that her experience will be invaluable to ensure that this inaugural conference delivers world-class information, insights and ideas to help industry businesses survive and thrive into the future,” she says.

Jenny Harris, who rejoined Visual Connections as Events Consultant to undertake initial planning for both events, will step back after a handover period with both new team members.

“We have been so fortunate to have Jenny back on the team for the past few months – she’s just slotted right in, with her deep experience and the great relationships she has not only within our team, but across the industry,” Challoner-Miles says.

“We are enormously thankful for her willingness to step in to get these projects underway, and even more grateful that she has agreed to be on call should we need advice or assistance over the coming weeks and months.” 

Visual Impact Conference & Expo 2026 will be held at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park, from 2-4 September 2026.