Schmooze or lose in summit showdown
DELEGATES to Kevin Rudd’s 2020 Summit have been deluged with
invitations to parties as a cavalcade of lobby groups and national
arts institutions seeks to capitalise on the influx of the powerful
and well-connected into Canberra.
But organisers say taxpayers will not be forced to foot the bill
for the dinners, drinks and art exhibitions.
The last-minute flurry of social organisation comes as
speculation mounts that the event may lose some of its star power.
Cate Blanchett was yesterday still awaiting the overdue birth of
her third child, with no sign of impending labour.
If Blanchett %26#151; who is apparently still determined to attend
if she can %26#151; is forced to withdraw as co-chair of the arts and
culture session, it is thought her understudy may be former
journalist and academic Julianne Schultz, the founding editor of
Griffith Review.
Among the institutions and groups hoping to network with the
high-powered delegates are the National Portrait Gallery, which
plans to put on cocktails for all summit attendees on Friday night
in its exhibition space at Old Parliament House.
The National Farmers’ Federation was first in on the act,
inviting rural and regional stream participants to a barbecue
dinner on the Saturday.
And the National Gallery of Australia is also frantically trying
to organise its own function for the creative stream delegates to
view its latest blockbuster exhibition, Turner to Monet.
NGA assistant director of development and marketing Shanthini
Naidoo said it was a chance to raise the profile of the gallery
with potential supporters.
“Obviously, if we have the opportunity to host the leaders in
the arts world here we would see that as a wise investment,”
she said.
