30 October 2020

Danielle Cleary is carving a niche for herself

| Neha Attre
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Danielle Cleary, Kristen Davidson

Danielle Cleary (right) with Kristen Davidson at Canberra Fair Take Flight. Photo: Supplied.

When Danielle Cleary started volunteering, little did she know that one day it would lead her to launch a successful business of her own.

A mother of four, Danielle started volunteering as her children grew older. She wanted to give back to the community and juggled her time between her family, existing building industry business and volunteering commitments at local sporting clubs.

Volunteering opportunities included assisting Danielle’s daughter’s local netball club with presentation celebrations and sponsorship, as well as Thoroughbred Park’s 2014 Face of Canberra Racing and Black Opal Stakes Day Fashions on the Field.

“I grew up on the racetrack as both my father and father-in-law are racehorse trainers. The love of horses and fashion motivated me to work with Thoroughbred Park,” she said.

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“When my daughter turned four years old, I took her to a casting for the position of Flower Girl in The Canberra Wedding Fair. After a few years of participation and becoming part of the parade crew, the organiser asked me if I would like to coordinate the parades and assist with exhibitor bookings. I accepted the opportunity which gave birth to Danielle Cleary Events and I received my first paycheque from The Canberra Wedding Fair.”

Danielle, founder and owner of Danielle Cleary Events, has since assisted marketing ideas and created memorable campaigns and events for clients including the Canberra Raiders, Patissez, the Cerebral Palsy Association, the Nick Kyrgios Foundation, Red Robot Industries, GIO Stadium, Think Place Global and the Australian Federal Police Legacy.

Danielle Cleary

Danielle (left) at the AFP Legacy Ball. Photo: Supplied.

One of her proudest campaigns was working alongside the Canberra Raiders on their inaugural Forever Green past player reunion event.

“I was asked to collate a database of the ‘old boys’ and invite them back for a special reunion event that I named ‘Forever Green’ which implied that whether you have played one game or 100 games, you will be forever green,” she said.

In 2019, Danielle became the proud new owner of the Canberra Wedding Fair, an established Fair for over 10 years. She has recently rebranded to a more wholistic Fair, the Canberra Fair – ‘inspiration for any occasion’. Co-hosting with Russell Evans from Experience Eats, Experience Canberra, together they are presenting a collaboration of new ideas and concepts incorporating some of Canberra and the surrounding regions market leaders in weddings, events, food, travel and lifestyle.

Danielle and Ken Nagas at GIO Stadium State of Origin. Photo: Supplied.

Danielle continues to support her local community with the Danielle Cleary Events Model Host Search, a 12-month mentorship, offering the winner ‘on the job’ flexible learning experience and exposure to industry professionals, in a creative and encouraging environment. She’ll then be running the Canberra Fair Take Flight competition, a celebration of business startups and innovation in Canberra – a field in which she has great first-hand experience.

Find out more, visit Danielle Cleary Events.

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