In mid-2025, we supported Destination Gippsland with the Turning Disruption into Opportunity Keynote Presentation at their annual Tourism Industry Forum to help tourism businesses proactively adapt and innovate their businesses to remain resiliant, profitable and agile.

The Brief

With 80 attendees, 50% of whom had not previously attended a forum before, and a mix of industry and local government, the brief for our Keynote was to support the Industry Forum theme, which was all about turning disruption into opportunity to build a stronger, more resilient visitor economy.

Jaclyn worked with Destination Gippsland to craft a keynote specific to the region's tourism business and organisations, that unpacked the big shifts shaping tourism right now:

• Climate change
• Workforce shortages
• Changing visitor values
• Digital disruption and the need for businesses to adapt quickly

The keynote was crafted in a way that encouraged all attendees to think beyond survival, invest in the core of their business, align with purpose, and use disruption as a springboard for innovation.

One of the standout themes Jaclyn focused on in the keynote was the rise of the conscious traveller - today’s visitors are looking for experiences that reflect their values; sustainability, connection and authenticity.

From zero-waste hospitality to agritourism ventures and local food stories, the keynote featured practical, local case studies demonstrating how businesses doing good are also doing well. This showed how easy it is for businesses to start or progress their innovation in their own businesses and organisations.

Facilitated Discussions

Following the keynote, Jaclyn facilitated roundtable discussions featuring issues and challenges faced at a local level, and building on the many great speakers of the day, with everyone participating in addressing the problems and sharing knowledge as to how to move forward in an ever-changing environment.  Topics explored during the facilitated session included:

Skilled Workforce

• Delegates shared innovative solutions to build a stable tourism workforce, including staff sharing, mentoring, micro-credentialing, and stronger education pathways.
• The lack of worker housing and training support emerged as key barriers, with a call for collective industry-local government action.

Business Resilience

• Participants discussed preparedness for power outages, disasters, and unexpected shocks.
• Recommendations included investing in generators, digitising crisis plans and addressing mental health and business continuity planning as part of core operations.

Driving Demand in the Off-Season

• Ideas included packaging unique experiences, leveraging festivals, and local storytelling.
• The need to build campaigns that embrace the character of Gippsland’s winter and attract visitors year-round was a common theme.

Digital Capability

• Tools like WhatsApp, Canva, Meta Business Suite, and ChatGPT are increasingly being used, yet skills gaps persist.
• Delegates suggested formalising peer mentorship and regional digital toolkits to lift the digital baseline.

Understanding Today’s Visitor

• The forum closed with an exploration of the modern traveller’s needs: meaningful, values-aligned experiences.
• Businesses are committed to reviewing customer feedback, strengthening storytelling, and building partnerships with local artisans and producers.

 

Key Outcomes

• Participants left the keynote with practical actions and inspiration for their own businesses that they could apply immediately.
• Destination Gippsland co-created projects and ideas from industry to progress current pressing issues in the region that DG could support and implement in their region.
• The shared commitment and energy were positive, solutions-focused, and collaborative. While the challenges are real, so is the potential.
• The big takeaway? Gippsland can lead the way as a destination that’s not just reactive but proactive; one that evolves with change, leans into its strong partnerships, and delivers innovative, values-aligned experiences that benefit industry and the community alike.