Conference a success

More than 120 delegates from throughout Southern Queensland attended the seventh South Queensland Tourism Industry Conference at Abbey of the Roses in Warwick last week.
Held over three days, attendees included representatives from Tourism Queensland (TQ), local government, visitor information centres, local tourism organisations, regional tourism organisations and tourism business operators.
The Australian Rodeo Heritage Centre was the chosen venue for the networking function where delegates were treated to a live bull riding demonstration and Granite Belt wines supplied by Lucas Estate.
For the first time, ‘Conversations with TQ’ forum was included in the conference. The TQ team presented Tourism Queensland’s 2011-12 strategic direction and delegates had the opportunity to engage in round table discussions with TQ’s leaders of publicity, international marketing, digital marketing and industry innovation.
A number of workshops were offered during the conference; topics included ‘Merchandising with Flair’ for Visitor Information Centres, ‘The Secrets of Selling Off-Peak Bookings’, ‘Social Media – Turning Relationships in to Revenue’ and ‘Regional Events Funding’.
“We were thrilled to see the development of mid-week business opportunities including the packaging of Hand Made In Country workshops with Granite Belt accommodation. This is a great example of real-life outcomes from passionate tourism operators working together,” said Krista Hauritz, interim general manager Southern Downs and Granite Belt Regional Tourism and Toowoomba GoldenWest South Burnett Tourism.