Beattie and Gold Coast 2018 chief executive Mark Peters were joined by David Zolkwer, from brand experience agency Jack Morton Worldwide, producers of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, to unveil their plans to the CGF for the first time.

Until now, the only part of the Opening Ceremony that has been publicly revealed is that it will feature 400 surf live savers.

They will be part of a cast of 4,000 who will perform of front a crowd of 40,000 at Carrara Stadium that will include Prince Charles. 

"There's nothing more Australian than that," Beattie told insidethegames.

 "There will be a real wow factor to the Opening Ceremony.

"There will be quite a lot of good surprises."

The British-born Zolkwer is one of the most experienced producers of major public events in the world.

Among the major events he has worked on are the Opening Ceremonies for the 2002, 2006 and 2014 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Melbourne and Glasgow respectively, 

He also worked on the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games in Athens and Beijing.

Gold Coast 2018 chief executive Mark Peters, though, is promising an Opening Ceremony on April 4 that will capture the spirit of a city widely known for its surfing beaches, high-rise dominated skyline, theme parks and nightlife.

There will be a big role for representatives of the indigenous Yugambet language group.

They participated in the handover of the Queen's Baton at Buckingham Palace in London in March. 

"We are looking to create a theme that reflects the Gold Coast and its energy," Peters told insidethegames.

"The Commonwealth Games as an event has a unique niche - it is known as 'the Friendly Games' - and we have to reflect that.

"What you will see is something very inspirational."

The only slight hitch that Gold Coast 2018 has encountered is the lack of male volunteers so far to take part in the Ceremonies.

They are "oversubscribed" with females but the shortage of men mean they plan to visit local sports and social clubs to to find males willing to star in a show that it is predicted will have a global audience of 1.5 billion. 

"I have no idea why men on the Gold Coast are so shy," said Beattie.

"We have a lot of women who are enthusiastically participating in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies but frankly we need more men.

"I just say to you guys, you don’t have to be able to dance, you don’t have to be able to sing, we will train you.

"This could be the beginning of a great career."

The Closing Ceremony is due to feature a 10-minute handover segment to the hosts of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Birmingham is the only bidder and is expected to be awarded the event officially next month.

Peters, though, said they had not spoken to anyone from Birmingham 2022 about taking part in the Closing Ceremony.

The star of the Gold Coast 2018 handover at Glasgow three years ago was Jessica Mauboy, a former runner-up of Australian Idol and now one of the country's most successful female artists.

Birmingham has produced some of Britain's biggest musical stars, including Duran Durban, UB40 and the Electric Light Orchestra.