TURNING THE ORDINARY
INTO EXTRAORDINARY:
THE RISE OF THE BIG GROUP
TURNING THE ORDINARY
INTO EXTRAORDINARY:
THE RISE OF THE BIG GROUP
KEYNOTE SESSION
Speakers: Bruce and Chyka Keebaugh
Facilitator: Tony McGinn OAM
Date and time: Thursday 22 May 2025, 11:30am - 12:15pm
SESSION OVERVIEW
In 1990, a very young Bruce Keebaugh, post a degree in Hotel Management, was given an office and a phone from his Dad. He then spent 500 dollars at Pink Panther Printing on some very fancy letterhead titled “BIG & Small Catering and Event Management”.
Starting at “A” for advertising in the Yellow Pages (a pre millennial book of opportunity) he hit the streets - soon after Badjar, BDBO, Clemenger, George Paterson, all the way down the alphabet to Young & Rubicon became clients.
But without food and flowers, it’s tricky to run a catering company - thank goodness, the incredible Chyka Siney, London Cordon Bleu chef & Constance Spry floral trained dynamo started cooking the meals in her mother kitchen!
The Big Group was born…
Today, The Big Group stands as one of Australia’s largest privately owned catering and event management companies. Renowned for their imagination, perfectionism, experience, passion, and BIG thinking, The Big Group continually transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary on every occasion.
Bruce Keebaugh and his wife, Chyka Keebaugh, will share the story of their family business success, highlighting their journey through diversification, creative vision, and the importance of partnerships. They will also discuss the innovative strategies that keep them at the forefront of the industry and enable them to take bold risks.
SPEAKERS
BRUCE KEEBAUGH
Co-founder, The Big Group
BRUCE KEEBAUGH
Co-founder, The Big Group
Bruce Keebaugh co-founded The Big Group, a global event and hospitality company that provides extraordinary experiences at scale. With offices in Melbourne and Sydney, The Big Group is dedicated to offering memorable destinations, high-touch hospitality, and creative experiences for every occasion.
Driven by a genuine passion for hospitality, Bruce has helped cultivate an environment where everyone is invited. He believes Australia has a world-class event economy with the potential to grow even further. This belief has inspired him to take a giant leap in transforming the industry, partnering with people and places to leverage the best of cities and create value beyond the ballroom.
His commitment to elevating the industry has resulted in a company that champions innovation, collaboration, and exceptional service.
Chyka
Keebaugh
Co-founder, The Big Group
The other half of The Big Group creative duo is Chyka Keebaugh.
Chyka has a reputation for being one of the most creative and innovative event stylists in Australia. Her ideas and talent have featured in numerous design, fashion and interior magazines over the years.
Before meeting Bruce and establishing The Big Group, Chyka started her career as a cadet with the iconic Australia Hotel. Here she learnt all aspects of the hospitality industry. With a burning desire to travel and see the world Chyka embarked on a journey which saw her live in London and study at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu, which is known as being a worldwide leader in gastronomy, hospitality and management.
On her return to Australia, Chyka worked as a senior steward for Peter Rowland Catering. It was here that she met her husband to be, Bruce Keebaugh.
Facilitator
Tony McGinn OAM
Principal, The McGinn
Partnership
Tony McGinn OAM is a highly accomplished entrepreneur and business leader, best known for founding MCM Entertainment Group at 22 in 1983. Over more than three decades, he grew MCM into a $50 million group with 150 employees. MCM offered diverse services, including entertainment events, media content, advertising sales, digital marketing, and digital media services. Tony served as the CEO of MCM for 33 years, expanding the business across the APAC region, Europe, and the US.
Throughout his career, Tony built and led several successful Sales and Business Development teams, working closely with multinational clients such as Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Philips, Universal, Samsung, Disney, Turner, and Vodafone. He also collaborated with all major media outlets, advertising agencies, and a wide array of national marketers in Australia, establishing himself as a key figure in the industry.
One of Tony's most significant achievements was founding, building, and executive producing The Million Dollar Lunch® for The Children’s Cancer Foundation. Over 10 years, this event became Australia’s premiere fundraiser. Today, after its launch in 2005, The Million Dollar Lunch has raised $28.68 million with near-zero costs over 19 years. In recognition of his outstanding charity fundraising efforts, Tony was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2015.
After selling MCM's businesses to Southern Cross Austereo in 2016, Tony took a year-long research sabbatical in 2017 to develop The McGinn Partnership, a consultancy focused on transforming sales and business development performance to achieve ambition for SMEs and mid-market companies, many of which are Family Businesses. He officially launched The McGinn Partnership in November 2017. He also became a Group Chair of Vistage (previously TEC), where he serves as a CEO coach and peer advisory group facilitator.
Tony is an Accredited Family Business Advisor who focuses on delivering business growth and is an FBA Forum Group Facilitator in Melbourne.
all sessions
Explore all the sessions on offer at this year’s Family Business Conference: Asia-Pacific. Each session has been thoughtfully crafted to provide you with real-world tools and takeaways for navigating change in the world of family business. Featuring a range of expert keynote presentations, family business stories, interactive workshops and parallel sessions, every session is designed to equip you with strategies to navigate current challenges, embrace future opportunities, and achieve sustained success for your family business.