A popular component of the program was the afternoon concurrent sessions, to recap these again we’ve included a summary of the points provided back to the whole group by Sam, Tash and Aaron:
Skills & Training with the South Coast Centre of Excellence
- A lot of TAFE courses are free and have a minimum of only 8 participants. If you have a requirement and you know another business has the same requirement – get on the front foot and contact TAFE and they can react to this and get the course up and running.
- It’s an Employees market – be the best employer you can to attract and retain your staff.
- Well being is one the main considerations for careers now-a-days. This is where regional areas have the advantage over metro businesses. It isn’t all about the high pay anymore, people value being able to get to work within 5 -10 mins, going to the beach before or after work – these are tools for employers trying to attract workers from metro areas can use.
- Successful businesses are actively employing and investing into the staff. If you don’t invest training, education or mentoring then you will be left with no one to be able to pass / sell the business onto so it makes financial sense in the long run to invest into your staff.
- There are 300,000 FULLY FUNDED Tourism and Hospitality positions available in NSW through TAFE. This may not be available ever again – everyone needs to take advantage of this!
Agritourism with Giovanna
- Agritourism is the intersection of agriculture and tourism, by connecting visitors with on farm experiences.
- New planning reforms are now available to allow new activities on farm, through simplified approval pathways including exempt and complying developments.
- Leverage resources and networks available to you, including the National Agritourism Framework developed by Australia Regional Tourism.
These and other useful resources are available on the agritourism page of the DSSS website here
- When considering developing new product or experience, consider what is your reality – do you have the space, interest and desire to diversify, plus what is feasible and what is viable? Then ‘test and learn’, if it’s not working how can you change it or are you best to drop it completely?
- Seek out of the box partnerships, examples discussed include corporate group days where they pay you to come and work on your farm! Or partners such as Local Land Services to plant native species on your farm for regeneration.
Business Readiness with Aaron and Jet
- Everyone is a marketer because marketing = relationships. The two things you need to remember is: Who am I? Who am I relating to?
If you can effectively answer those two questions you’re well on your way to a good relationsh- … marketing strategy!
- Authenticity and generosity are key. You can’t always be sell sell sell, you need to keep things balanced by giving back. Whether that be in the form of informative pieces, giveaways etc.
- The NSW First program is an invaluable resource. Learn how to effectively Develop, Promote & Sell your tourism product. Access webinars, booklets, case studies and more! The DSSS and DNSW teams are here to help guide you along your tourism journey.
- Ditch the email enquiry form and ensure you are online bookable. Being online bookable doesn’t just help your business, it helps the destination as a whole. The more product that is visible to a visitor who is deciding where to travel, the more likely they are to book!
- Get on the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW)!!! If you’re already on there – great, but it doesn’t stop there. Keep things fresh by updating your listing with new imagery, exciting copy and by taking advantage of the ‘Deals’ functionality.
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