Canberra Region Tourism Leaders Forum thursday 6 April 2023

Jo White Director and Head of Division of Questacon

• Thank you for the opportunity
• Acknowledgement to the Ngnunnawal people

• There were many things that attracted me to the role, including a passion to inspire the next generation in science technology and mathematics
• Questacon's mission is to inspire people through learning experiences and inspiring curiosity
• Questacon began as a collaboration between the Australian and Japanese governments and the relationship is still strong today
• We also have a presence at the Royal Australian Mint, which is an important relationship for us
• We are working on a big problem; there are a declining number of children going into STEM
• We need to increase the uptake in technology related jobs, it needs to be more inclusive, and we need to think about those career pathways
• Our role at Questacon is to inspire people to take up STEM, including women and First Nations peoples
• Our workforce is highly motivated, creative and passionate - and young, we have many staff between the ages of 20-25, we are a great pipeline for talent
• In addition to our main building we also have touring programs and touring exhibitions, as well as in-school programs. We are in person and virtual
• The centre was built with the idea of receiving 250k visitors per year, and we have been exceeding that number
• The centre offers a self-guided tour, enhanced by wonderful engagement with our staff
• People come for dates, science shows, interactive exhibits - there is really something there for everyone

• Visitors are returning to pre-pandemic levels in 2022
• A feature that came from Covid was a ticketing system, which dealt with overcrowding by introducing staggered timing
• There are three categories of visitors - Schools / Locals / Tourists
• Sometimes there are 12-14 school groups per day, and up to 20 when we hold our night visits - bookings are via the Canberra Excursions portal
• Locals are often families with small children and come quite regularly
• Trends for tourists peak around school holidays, in particular people going or returning to the snow

• Some schools are booking 2 years in advance, which means there is a lag post Covid
• We had our first NT school visit in November
• Questacon by night gives schools private access to the galleries, the shop and they can have dinner - it has been going on for 20 years
• There is good uptake for nights, however still seeing the lag in bookings

• Little explorers are dedicated sessions for under fives - the centre fills with prams!
• We also do accessibility sessions - we are thinking about and providing sessions for those with sensory issues to make our exhibits more accessible, giving them session times that cater to their sensory needs
• Beyond the event program we have special events associated with STEM and science, such as Science Week, and NAIDOC and other special events
• We also offer boutique events (18+) these are small intimate events for adults - the science of gin is an example
• Future Directions - I've been running listening sessions, and learning about how people want to experience the centre - we have a great reputation
• In the future we will put more focus on First Nations information, technology, upgrading things to align to STEM in our content
• We are proud to contribute to the 'national icon' tourism
• I really welcome the governments funding for government institutions, and looking forward to seeing what is decided

Richard Beere Chair & Interim GM Destination Southern NSW

• I'd like to pay respects to Elders past and present and emerging
• I'd like to talk about the Destination Management Plan, and how it overlaps with the Canberra Tourism strategy
• It is a collective roadmap for everyone involved in the visitor economy - individual and collectively
• The region we are talking about is the NSW region including the Southern Highlands, Snowy Mountains, the South Coast, Canberra region and everything in between
• The Canberra tourism economy is very important and connected to the NSW plan

• We aim to plan and get consensus from all the regions

• We are seeing people doing more and spending more - we need to make experiences that cater to them
• Visitors ask the question 'Why should I stay overnight?' if there is nothing open and nothing to do, so we need to maximise the experience with night time value
• In this recovery phase there are some challenges - but despite that we are working on getting things back on track with the aim of encouraging people to do more and spend more

Desitination Southern NSW - "An active advocator and facilitator for the growth and development of the regional visitor economy"

Vision - Southern NSW stakeholders working collaboratively to showcase and develop their sub regions as compelling destinations and contribute to the regional NSW $25 billion visitor economy

• People are talking about 'real' experiences, 'real' nature, 'real' places - we have a role to make sure the product delivers that
• Mountain biking is a great example - we have it in various regions - if we work collaboratively we can offer people that like mountain biking a broad and exciting product across the regions
• When I read the ACT tourism strategy I was pleased that it was trying to do exactly that
• I encourage you to pick up and read the Destination Southern NSW Development Plan

• People are serious about authenticity and reality
• We have new words like Edu-travel and Revenge-travel, and as tourism industry people we have to be aware of and acknowledge these trends and terms
• EV-charging is crucial to not lose out in the market

• Idea: if you have four hotels that don't do breakfast in the morning, what if they all pay one cafe to create that experience - we can inspire and encourage these kinds of things
• Partnerships with Visit Canberra and other regions is great - six years ago the first strategic document we did was a partnership strategy and it's still relevant and still a great partnership today
• I do thank you, Canberra is an important player in my region and it's great to be able to work together

Craig Wagstaff General Manager Canberra FM (now Amplify CBR)

• Thank you David (Marshall) for the work you do each month
• A lot of people may not be aware of the evolution of Amplify CBR - MIX106.3 and 104.7
• I certainly pay my respects to traditional owners and Elders past, present and emerging - our stations were the first to use First Nations language in our broadcasts - and we acknowledge and pay respects in that way each and every day
• We are naturally focused on media and the landscape around it, and creative execution of how we use it
• There is more to commercial media than the commercial aspect in the name - more than the ads - there is a strong emphasis on community engagement, and we are obligated by our media licences to get information out to our audiences to connect, inform and educate them
• There are similarities in characteristics to travel and tourism operators - we are a service, with seasonal fluctuating demand patterns and strict inventory
• We understand the needs of our partners and consider suitability and fit - we can't achieve anything without good fit and a plan

• Media consumption is still growing - it is still a significant component of people's lives

• There is a movement away from print to digital - but the broadcast demand is growing
• There are two newer elements - gaming and socials
• Social - growing and significant part of the use of someone's time - but it is not the sole media product people are consuming
• Amplify CBR - broader than radio - we are in the experience industry just as much as the travel and tourism industry

• It's driven by the ease of access and ease of use - it's live and on demand, provides broad reach, and it works together with digital
• Here are two examples of organisations using audio to create an audible experience - Destination Southern NSW and VisitCBR (we hear a handful of radio ads)
• Inspire locals to take action in their own backyard - access to the closest market
• Social and Digital - gives us access to our audience, opportunity to broaden a campaign, summarise content on socials, bespoke multi-platform content
• We mirror our marketers intensions - source/secure/maintain/develop - both our audience and our partners
• At the end of the day it comes down to access to audience