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Hi everyone,
It has been a cracking few weeks and I have finally conceded to my wife that autumn is, indeed, the best season. I was always a fan of spring, but the stable weather, colourful leaves and wonderful produce has swung me into the autumn camp.
Anyway, I’ll hop right into it. This email has some important stuff, and it has been a while since my last one. We have put together a year-to-date update on everything we have been doing. And it’s only when you write it all down that you realise how much we’ve managed to cram into the year. It’s a great document, and I highly recommend you take 10 minutes to read it.
In case you haven’t noticed, we have our annual conference coming up, and I urge you to come. It’s going to be the best yet, with a stellar speaker line-up. Visit Vic also has theirs, hot on the heels of ours.
Tourism Award nominations are open (and close in less than a month) and there’s news on the ATDW front.
We are in full swing with our Destination Management Plan (DMP) work and you have the chance to have input via a survey.
Oh, and the December visitation results came out recently, and our region did very well indeed.
Read on!
The team and I have produced a year-to-date update. It’s super readable and covers a lot of what we have been up to this financial year. I encourage you to read it as it highlights what we do…which frankly is quite a lot.
Big thanks to the team for helping pull this together…and of course for everything they do.
You can read it or download it.
Two HUGE conferences are coming up. The one you absolutely must attend is our annual DMT Conference on Monday 15 May at the RACV Goldfields Resort, Creswick.
We have gathered a group of speakers and panellists who will give you exceptional insights to help you and your business flourish.
Issues like staffing remain, so we have an HR expert to give you strategies to attract and retain the best staff. And if demand softens, you’ll need to consider ways you can increase revenue and manage costs, so Scott Pape, the Barefoot Investor will give us some tips on this. Increasingly, customers are asking questions about your sustainability cred, so we have an expert, Nic Cooper, speaking about making your business more sustainable.
There’s loads more: Carolyn Childs talks about how to better use the regional brand and customer profiles to improve your business, Paul Matthews and Jonathon from Urban Enterprise explore the benefits of a proposed Rail Trail and rail extension, we have an expert panel on the Commonwealth Games, a guru from Visit Vic on Social Media tips and hacks…and even stress management tips from me…as I’ve had a few things to worry about lately.Our good mates at Visit Victoria are also having a conference, Destination Victoria, which takes place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre the two days after our conference (16-17 May).
The program, which features an incredible line-up of speakers, has a strong focus on the opportunities that await Victoria in international markets. So, if you want to learn more about what’s happening in this space – I highly recommend you attend this one as well. They also delve into topics such as AI and ChatGPT, High-Performance Mindfulness and Global Travel Trends.
View the full Destination Victoria program here:
Tourism Awards are easier than ever to enter and, I believe, well worthwhile. Why? First, it forces you to take an objective view of your business and look at what you’re doing well (and perhaps do more of) and what you might do better (and invest more time in).
There is also a marketing and PR benefit. The little award logo carries a lot of weight with prospective customers and it’s something you can shout about to your database if you get a spot on the podium. Some categories have fewer entrants, so it can be easier to get a gong but make no mistake, putting in for a Victorian Tourism Award does require commitment and time.
Nominations close May 22nd.
Our work with Urban Enterprise on the Destination Management Plan (DMP) is in full swing and we aim to have the work complete by July.
Thanks to those that have already filled in our short survey on the DMP. This information helps us identify opportunities for the Daylesford Macedon Ranges region to uncover its economic and tourism potential, along with understanding the specific challenges and barriers for the region across business, tourism and working locally. As an incentive to complete, every survey filled out with contact details will go into the draw to win a Cliffy’s voucher worth $100. Or you can fill it out anonymously. The survey closes this Sunday at 7 May at 6pm.
Click the following button to have your say:
Having a listing on ATDW gives you amazing marketing reach. It’s been free since the early days of Covid, but the annual listing fee of $295 is being reintroduced next financial year. Visit Victoria will send detailed communication regarding ATDW enhancements and the fee reintroduction shortly.
Our region is consistently at the top of regional growth charts when compared to other regions of Victorian, and the year ending December 2022 is no exception. Yes, it’s a few months ago, but the TRA (Tourism Research Australia) data takes some time to compile, so the reporting cycle comes a quarter later. Check out the year-to-date report HERE. I’ll delve into these what these numbers mean at our conference. In the meantime, here are a couple of key stats:
Do check out our report for more.
OK, that’s plenty for one email. See you at our conference!
Cheers,
Steve and the DMT Team