TOURISM SYMPOSIUM Future proofing the tourism industry research insights Thursday 16 August 2018 UQ Brisbane City 293 Queen Street, Brisbane 1.
Tourism Symposium Future proofing the tourism industry In this full-day program, discover one of two critical issues affecting tourism addressed by our world-renowned academics: the workforce or digital transformation. Through panel discussions and workshops, we will identify and explore strategies to overcome these issues, drawing from global best practices, research and participant collaboration. In the workforce stream, we will discover ways to attract and develop staff, motivate young employees, and explore the impact technology has on the workforce. We will also identify future changes to industry and employee needs. In the digital transformation stream, we dive into the technological innovations that improve organisational processes, including building new business models, automation and the use of big data to customise experiences. We will also explore the use of augmented reality and artificial intelligence in customer experience design. Reserve your place Visit execed.business.uq.edu.au/ tourism-symposium to purchase tickets. Ticket prices: $225.00 + GST 2.
Symposium program (choose from the workforce or digital transformation stream) 8:00 8:30am Registration 8:30 8:45am Symposium welcome and overview Belinda Pritchard - Director, UQ Business School Executive Education Associate Professor David Solnet - Tourism Discipline Leader, UQ Business School 8:45 9:30am Plenary session: Future Challenges of the Tourism Sector 5-min Pitches Industry speakers: Adjunct Professor Mark Olsen Brisbane Marketing Liz Ward Tourism Tribe Stephen Joyce Rezgo 9:30 10:30am Concurrent sessions Session 1 (workforce stream) Managing and motivating youth, Gen Y, and other different worker segments Maria Golubovskaya PhD Candidate and Youth Employment Researcher, UQ Associate Professor David Solnet UQ Dr Richard Robinson UQ Tourism and service-centric industries generally rely on young people to fill many of the front line, customer facing positions. The UQ Workforce Research Team has undertaken a number of research projects on young workers, including PhD candidate, Maria Golubovskaya s research project focusing on youth in the workforce. This research aims to understand how young people experience work differently to adults, and how industry can more effectively manage, motivate, engage and retain young workers. This session will showcase the results of Maria s research as well as research on generational differences/tensions and attracting and retaining alternative socio-demographic cohorts. Session 2 (digital transformation stream) Smart tourism in the information age Liz Ward Tourism Tribe Fabienne Wintle Tourism Tribe Kimberley Goulter Tourism and Events Queensland Jamie Leach Open Data Institute In the information age data is a commodity that is quickly disseminated and easily available. Social media influencers, big data, open data, biometrics, sensors and trackers are creating new opportunities for marketing, benchmarking, understanding and personalising tourism experiences. Smart tourism businesses and destinations are harnessing this information to ensure their future prosperity and competitiveness in a global marketplace. This session will showcase tools and examples that exploit the power of information to drive business productivity and destination competitiveness. 3.
10:30 11:00am Morning tea 11:00 12:00pm Concurrent sessions Workshop 1 (workforce stream) Maria Golubovskaya PhD Candidate, UQ Associate Professor David Solnet UQ Dr Richard Robinson UQ This session will put research on youth, generation Y and alternative socioeconomic groups into practice, as well as introduce and discuss a toolkit designed to support the employment of other groups in the workplace. Workshop 2 (digital transformation stream) Liz Ward Tourism Tribe Fabienne Wintle Tourism Tribe Using scenarios, the workshop will demonstrate how data and content are valuable assets for tourism businesses and destinations and ultimately drive delivery of marketing and guest experiences that meet customer expectations in the experience economy. 12:00 12:45pm Lunch 4. 12:45 1:45pm Concurrent sessions Session 3 (workforce stream) Masterclass on Future workforce challenges Associate Professor David Solnet UQ Dr Richard Robinson UQ Adjunct Professor Mark Olsen Head of Tourism and Property Investment, Brisbane Marketing Driven by recent data and projects on both a national and global scale, this session will highlight the current major challenges and changes confronting tourism organisations and their workforce, focusing on the short and medium terms. This session will also provide insights and opportunities designed to improve workforce attraction, retention and motivation. Research evidence on how to manage and motivate different occupational groups will be presented, along with expert industry support presenters highlighting best practice. Session 4 (digital transformation stream) Emerging Tourism Technologies Stephen Joyce Rezgo Professor Sara Dolnicar UQ Marcus Rehlaender VR NOW Over the next decade, artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual and augmented reality, peer-to-peer platforms and the Internet of Things will challenge established business models and create new opportunities for tourism businesses and destinations. Despite these opportunities, the uptake of new technologies has been slow and requires navigating several challenges and barriers. This session will provide insights into the opportunities and challenges of using emerging technologies to cocreate value for smart travellers.
2:00 2:45pm Concurrent sessions Workshop 3 (workforce stream) Highlighting a series of recent research findings nationally and in Queensland, this session uses a problemsolving approach to brainstorm solutions to the many workforce challenges alluded through the preliminary sessions in this stream. Workshop 4 (digital transformation stream) Associate Professor Pierre Benckendorff UQ The workshop will identify key emerging technologies and their potential impact on the tourism industry. These insights will then be used as a basis for building an action plan for future research. 2:45 3:15pm Afternoon tea 3:15 4:15pm Concluding panel session Merging workforce and digital technology streams Facilitated by Mark Olsen, Head of Tourism and Property Investment, Brisbane Marketing In this concluding panel discussion, key ideas from both streams will presented and intersections noted. Mark Olsen, Brisbane Marketing, will facilitate an open discussion between expert panellists and participants to discuss the outcomes of the day as well as identify key findings and provocative thoughts for the future. Panel will include a blend of industry experts and academics from both streams. 4:15 5:30pm Symposium close and networking drinks 5.
Speakers Associate Professor Pierre Benckendorff Associate Professor Pierre Benckendorff is an award-winning educator and researcher specialising in visitor behaviour, technology enhanced visitor experiences and tourism education. Over the last decade, Pierre has been actively involved in a number of academic and industry research projects totalling over AUD $1 million in grant funding. He has also held several teaching and learning leadership positions at The University of Queensland and James Cook University in Australia and has served as a judge for the Queensland Tourism Awards as well as the Australian Tourism Awards. His passion for travel and tourism has taken him to some of the world s leading theme parks and airports, the major cities of Europe and North America, the African Savannah and the bustling streets of Asia. He has also travelled extensively throughout Australia and New Zealand. Professor Sara Dolnicar Sara Dolnicar was born in Ljubljana (Slovenia), grew up in Vienna (Austria) and now lives and works in Brisbane (Australia). She holds a Masters and PhD degree from the Vienna University of Economics and Business and a Masters degree in Psychology at the University of Vienna. After completing her PhD she worked in the School of Tourism at the Vienna University of Economics and Business where she also served as the Secretary General of the Austrian Society for Applied Research in Tourism. In 2002 she moved to Australia to take up a position in the School of Management and Marketing at the University of Wollongong. Sold on a life in Australia, Sara moved to Brisbane in 2013 where she currently works as the Research Professor in Tourism at UQ Business School. Sara s core research interests are the improvement of market segmentation methodology and the testing and refinement of measures used in social science research. Because her key research interests are not tied to any particular application area, Sara has had the luxury to investigate a range of different applied research areas, including sustainable tourism and tourism marketing, environmental volunteering, foster carer and public acceptance of water alternatives and water conservation measures. To date, Sara has (co-)authored more than 300 refereed papers, including more than 140 journal articles and led a total of twelve Australian Research Council (ARC) grants. In 2011 she took up a prestigious ARC Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship. Maria Golubovskaya Maria is an Associate Lecturer and a PhD Candidate at the University of Queensland. Her research interest is the impact early work experiences have on shaping youth development. The research utilises foundational principles from service management, developmental and positive psychology to improve understanding about the attitudes and behaviours of young service workers. Maria is part of a highly competitive Global Change Scholar Program that is designed to produce research leaders who will drive the changes required to build the sustainable future. She is also a Qualified Management Accountant as certified by CPA Australia. She is passionate about education, and is very involved in a range of academic activities, including teaching, student coaching and research support. Kimberley Goulter Kimberley Goulter works in Tourism and Event Queensland (TEQ) s Strategy, Innovation and Performance team and has spent the last 10 years of her career working in tourism development and marketing. Her varied roles have allowed her to work with a broad range of tourism and event operators, regional and local tourism organisations and local councils across Queensland. Most recently, Kim s role within TEQ s Global Marketing Group has enabled her to help lead the organisation s shift towards experience based marketing, which has involved the evolution and implementation of Queensland s Experience Framework and Best of Queensland Experiences program. 6.
Stephen Joyce Stephen has been working as a travel & tourism technology consultant since 1995. In 2007, his company launched Rezgo, a cloud based software as a service tour and activity booking engine for small and medium sized tour operators. Rezgo was developed to provide small local tourism businesses with the capabilities to harness their potential and take full advantage of new and emerging technologies. He was the Chair of the Open Travel Alliance for five years and is passionate about travel technology and distribution. Stephen speaks regularly at conferences around the World. He is always happy to share his experiences and knowledge and contributes frequently to leading travel technology media websites and publications. In addition to his tourism initiatives, he is an active participant in ongoing business improvement in his community and was a Past-Chair of the Board of Directors of the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors for the Coho Society, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Pacific Club for three years. Jamie Leach Jamie assumed the role CEO of the Open Data Institute Queensland (ODI Queensland) in May 2018. Jamie Leach has an extensive background in senior business development, general management, commercial banking and wealth management roles, as well as creating successful web-based startups. Jamie has been employed in prominent roles by some of the world s largest companies, leading high-profile projects for GE Capital, Westpac and Investec in additional to her service to the Department of Defence and the Australian telecommunications industry. Her high-profile background in the financial industry served her well in operating and growing a number of Brisbane Start-ups. David Morgans David Morgans is Director Experience Development at Tourism and Events Queensland. David is responsible for guiding the corporation s experience development and marketing framework, destination management strategies and the development of the key experience sectors including ecotourism and Indigenous tourism. David joined what was then the Queensland Tourist and Travel Corporation (QTTC) in 1997 and over the last 20 years has held a range of positions including Director Product Development, Director Market Development, Director Sustainable Tourism and Manager Environmental Tourism. Mark Olsen Mark is a 25 year veteran of the tourism industry, having had nearly 10 years at Tourism and Events Queensland in project delivery, transport and ecotourism, followed by 10 years leading the team at EarthCheck as GM of Consulting Services. Having been involved in strategy development and project delivery in 11 countries in a wide range of sectors, Mark has experience in everything from origination through to development approval and is currently the Head of Tourism and Property Investment at Brisbane Marketing. Marcus Rehlaender Marcus is the Creative Director at VR Now. 7.
Dr Richard Robinson Richard previously practiced as a chef, predominantly managing foodservice operations in the prestige club, heritage facility and hotel sectors, before joining UQ in 2005. He has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in hospitality and tourism management and professional development. His expertise and scholarship in teaching and learning are recognized by awards and advisory appointments at state and national level. His research projects, often funded by competitive local, national and international awarding bodies, explore tourism and hospitality workforce policy and planning, skills development, identifying foodies consumer behaviours and designing and evaluating education programs. He holds a UQ Research Development Fellowship, to investigate gaining and sustaining employment for disadvantaged youth. Associate Professor David Solnet David Solnet is an Associate Professor of Service Management in the UQ Business School. He is recognized internationally for his research, teaching and consulting, all focused on managing and leading service organizations, with particular emphasis on managing the employee-customer interface. His research focuses on service climate, service culture, employee engagement, Generation Y as service workers, and the relationships between management practices, employee attitudes and firm performance. David is a sought after consultant to industry and government, principally as managing director of Solnet Advisory Services, a management consulting firm specializing in business improvement programs, financial analysis, service quality improvement and management development programs. He comes from a restaurant background, with over 18 years of experience including senior management roles in the USA and Australia. He has consulted to many organisations, including Merlo Coffee, Cactus Jacks Restaurant Group, Aromas Noosa, Ricky s River Bar, Locale Ristaurante, Pier Nine Restaurant and Oyster Bar, Mitchell Ogilvie Menswear and Baguette Restaurant. Liz Ward Liz has pioneered many first-time digital transformation initiatives that have had lasting impacts including starting up the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) and being its CEO for over ten years. Today, Liz is Managing Director of Digital Coaching International a network of experts who assist businesses through digital transformation of their marketing and operational processes. Liz is able to pull together a team of tourism experts with the relevant, specific experi-ence to meet the clients needs. Liz is also co-founder of the innovative online learning community, Tourism Tribe, which launched in July 2015 and is already providing online coaching and support to eight hundred tourism operators around Australia and the world to make digital work better for them. Tourism Tribe was awarded in the Queensland. Fabienne Wintle Fabienne is a web marketer with exemplary experience in web development, training and tourism e-marketing and has run her own digital consultancy for the past eight years. 8.
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