In case you missed it: on Wednesday 11 November, members and local operators pulled up a chair at Varias in Stanthorpe for the first night of QWIA’s Bookable Experiences Program.
It was set up as a conversation rather than a lecture, with the tables in a U and questions welcome from the first minute. Adam Penberthy (QWIA President, Ballandean Pub, Dear Vincent Wines) opened with the thinking behind the new strategic plan: Queensland wine businesses are tourism businesses too, and the run to the 2032 Games is the time to get ready for the visitors it will bring.
The Trade, Tourism and Brand sub-committee then introduced the program. Its first step is a simple one: getting your experiences online, so visitors can find them and book without having to call you. As Stacey Allan (Sancerre Estate, View Wines) put it on the night, a bookable experience can be as small as a $10 tasting, paid for online before the guests arrive. And the line from the night worth repeating: nobody wants to be someone’s Plan B.
The program’s map walks a business from getting started to trade ready, one step at a time. Tick off what you already have, and what is left is your next bit of road. It is online now, and it works on your phone.
Next up is a hands-on workshop on Tuesday 8 December: bring your laptop, sit alongside people who have done it before, and leave with your bookings set up. Details and bookings to follow here soon.
Thank you to everyone who came, to Varias for having us, and to Queensland Country Tourism for its support of the night.
Created with QWIA AI. Reviewed and approved by a person before publishing.
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