A 21 year old Sydney songstress and a Northern Territory based indigenous rock/reggae band will be among the Australian entertainers performing to a star studded line-up in Los Angeles tomorrow night at the 2015 G'DAY USA Gala featuring the AACTA International Awards, presented by Qantas.

The newly revamped annual event is a celebration of Australian talent in the United States, with former Home and Away" turned Thor actor Chris Hemsworth announced as this year's G'DAY USA honoree.  His award will be presented by actress Scarlett Johansson.

The Gala program includes a tourism summit and is seen as an opportunity to grow the close business and tourism ties between Australia and the USA, which is a key part of Qantas' role as the national carrier.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the US is a key market for the airline and G'DAY USA provided a platform to strengthen ties between the two countries.

"Qantas is proud to support an event that celebrates the tremendous success of Australians in the United States as well as opening doors for others," Mr Joyce said.

"G'DAY USA is an opportunity to deepen business ties, promote tourism and export the best of Australian talent.  Our participation reflects the deep history between Qantas and the US as well as our role as national carrier in showcasing Australia to the world."

Qantas is flying in the ten members of indigenous band East Journey and vocal star of the Qantas "Feels Like Home" campaign Martha Marlow to join other Australian acts performing at the event including, indie pop band "Sheppard", pop vocal group Human Nature, singer songwriter Nathaniel and Grammy nominated Australian Hip Hop producer M-Phazes who will DJ the evening. Among the audience will be Nicole Kidman, Rachel Griffiths, Mel Gibson, Tim Minchin and other heavyweights of the Hollywood entertainment industry.

Qantas Ambassador, and two-time Academy Award Nominee and Two-time Golden Globe winner John Travolta, will also attend the Gala to present one of the AACTA International awards.

John Travolta said, "G'DAY USA featuring the AACTA International awards celebrates all that is great about Australia, the enormous talent of the Australians who do so well here in the US. I see it every day when I am working and I can tell you, it's no secret that Aussies have practically taken over Hollywood."

While the focus of the gala event will be on the glitz and glamour of the red carpet and AACTA International and GDAY USA award recipients, Qantas Chef, Neil Perry AM will be putting the spotlight on Australian food producers, working with acclaimed US chef Tom Colicchio to produce a carefully crafted "LA street food" menu featuring some of the best Australian seafood, lamb and beef.

"This event is not just about creating a special menu for a party, it's about Australian producers having the opportunity to spend time in the US and get introductions to potential business partners and wholesalers," Mr Perry said.

"G'DAY USA has proven to be a sweet spot for companies like Vittoria coffee and Thomas Foods, both which have won lucrative contracts to supply US based companies off the back of their involvement in GDAY USA and we expect to see more of that after this year's event."

Qantas continues to invest in its US operations with a number of recent product and operational enhancements including:


  • The opening in late December of the brand new world class Qantas First Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport, which followed the opening of the new oneworld Business Lounge and will be followed soon by an additional expansion to the Business Lounge.

  • Additional services between Sydney and Los Angeles over the peak holiday period to cater to the extra demand for travel between the two countries. Qantas added more than 2000 seats to the market during December.

  • Increase in services from Melbourne to Los Angeles from a daily service to ten per week, from 21 January.

  • Adjusted flying schedule from 1 February to be the only airline to offer customers the convenience of a morning, midday or evening departure from Australia to the US. A new one-stop service from Brisbane to New York via the Los Angeles gateway from 1 February.

  •  The introduction of direct A380 services on the Sydney-Dallas/Fort Worth route.

  •  New York designers Kate Spade and Jack Spade amenity kits in Business.


For more information on Martha Marlow visit www.marthamarlow.com

For more information on East Journey visit www.eastjourney.com.au



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