His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AC, Governor of South Australia

On 1 September 2014, His Excellency was sworn in as Governor of South Australia. It is understood that His Excellency is the first Vietnamese-born person who has ever been appointed to a Vice-Regal position in the world. He is patron of more than 200 organisations. His Excellency was awarded the Australia Day Medal in 1996 for outstanding service to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and has been awarded the Centenary of Federation Medal for service to the advancement of multiculturalism. His Excellency was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in 2010 and a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 2016, for service to the community of South Australia. He has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from both Adelaide University and Flinders University.

Tourism in South Australia: By the Numbers

This presentation will provide an overview of the tourism industry in South Australia, including recent trends and where the sector may be heading into the future.

Michael is a founding director of Lucid Economics and has 20 years of experience in economic development, tourism, property and industry/economic research that spans three continents. Michael works with both public and private sector clients using economic and financial analysis to inform strategy development, investment decisions and government policy.

Michael’s tourism consulting experience is two-fold; working with investors regarding the development of tourism projects as well as working with State and local governments in terms of policy and strategy for tourism development. Michael regularly provides advice and analysis to tourism investors, developers and operators in terms of market/demand assessments, feasibility, due diligence as well as economic impact and need assessments to support development approvals for projects. Michael routinely conducts analysis on hotel and resort developments, caravan parks, eco-developments and other tourism products, attractions or specific events. Michael also works with government providing tourism/visitor market profiles, tourism product gap assessments, tourism strategy as well as economic impact assessment and cost-benefit assessment for tourism projects, which is often reviewed by Treasury (State or Federal).

Rising from the Flood – Bringing a Community Back from Disaster

Jamie will discuss his experience to relocate Grantham to higher ground in less than 12 months following devastating flash flooding in 2011. Facing the real chance of becoming a ghost town, this small regional town went through a unique and unprecedented recovery effort to give its people a safe future and keep a grieving community together.

Born in the Central New York town of Auburn, Jamie Simmonds was awarded an athletics scholarship to Pennsylvania State University where he graduated in 1997. Jamie moved to Australia in 2001 and spent most of his early career working in Local and State governments. He was appointed the Project Director of the multi-award winning ‘Strengthening Grantham Project’ and successfully directed the relocation of the town of Grantham following catastrophic flash flooding in 2011. Jamie now works in the property development industry and lives in Brisbane with his wife and two children.

The Future of the Tourism Industry Now and Towards 2030

When times of crises are forced upon us, how do we respond, adapt and lead for the better? It’s essential that we grasp an understanding of the megatrends impacting the future and how to innovate, so that we can respond and maximise the opportunity rather than hunker down. To engage with people and connect with communities, we need to understand the trends. In this session, social researcher and demographer Mark McCrindle will deliver great content of Australia demographically, socially, generationally, and attitudinally.

Mark McCrindle is a social researcher with an international following. He is a recognised thought-leader in tracking emerging trends influencing society. As Principle of McCrindle a renown demographer and futurist, he has developed his reputation across two decades as an award-winning social researcher, best-selling author and social commentator.

Finding the Road Out

The median Australian is 38 years old – and thus most of us have little or no memory of the last recession. The challenge now is how we work our way out of the damage the economic plunge has caused, starting with understanding the path we were on before the recession to help find the road out.

Michael Pascoe is one of Australia’s most experienced and thoughtful finance and economics commentators with more than four decades in newspaper, broadcast and on-line journalism. Michael is now contributing editor for The New Daily, a regular commentator on radio and television, and a speaker who brings perspective and rare humour to the “dismal science” and its collision with politics.

The Importance of Digital in Tourism Marketing

Brent Hill will cover where the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) has taken things with digital, where they intend to go going forward and how operators can be apart of this.

In Brent’s time with the SATC he helped build South Australian tourism into an $8.1 billion industry. He has been responsible for building up southaustralia.com to now attracting 7.5 million visitors annually and generating over $1 million leads to operators annually. Brent has delivered the well-known and award-winning campaigns ‘Rewards Wonder’ , ‘Tell Us Where’, ‘#BookThemOut’ and ‘Welcome Back’ and helped Adelaide achieve recognition as one of the top ten regions to visit, as well as ‘#1 Rising Destination’.

Thriving with Challenges and Change

A motivating and engaging overview of what the latest research and theory says about creating robust mental health, resilience, and peak performance. Participants will leave with three specific tasks to enhance their growth as effective self-managers of their personal well-being.

Dr Tom Nehmy is an award-winning clinical psychologist with a passion for preventing psychological problems witle also enhancing resilience and wellbeing. His university research produced the world’s first prevention program to prevent the onset of symptoms of depression and anxiety while also reducing risk for eating disorders. Tom currently works with companies, schools and professional organisations to help them build psychological skills for mental health, wellbeing and resilience.

Premier Marshall

Steven Marshall is South Australia’s 46th Premier. He was elected to the South Australian Parliament as the Member for Norwood in 2010. His electorate has since been renamed Dunstan. In 2013, Mr Marshall became the Leader of the Liberal Party and the State Opposition. He led the Party to victory on March 17, 2018. Mr Marshall is responsible for Tourism, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Defence and Space Industries, the Arts, Veterans’ Affairs and Multicultural Affairs. Prior to entering public life, Mr Marshall worked in the manufacturing industry, running his family’s furniture manufacturing business Marshall Furniture from 1997. Mr Marshall was born and educated in Adelaide, South Australia. He completed his secondary schooling at Immanuel College before studying at the University of South Australia. He graduated with a Business, Marketing degree. He also received an MBA from Durham University. Mr Marshall is a patron and ambassador of numerous sporting and community organisations.

Eoin Loftus

Eoin (Owen) Loftus has over 27-years’ experience in the South Australian tourism industry and is CEO of Culshaw Group of Companies incorporating SA owned & operated Majestic Hotels and numerous commercial property investments. Within the Majestic Hotels portfolio are Majestic Roof Garden Hotel in Adelaide, Majestic Old Lion & Tynte Street Apartments in North Adelaide, Majestic Oasis Apartments in Port Augusta and Majestic Minima Hotel in North Adelaide. Currently constructing the new $50M M-Suites hotel accommodation in North Adelaide.

MC Jessica Adamson

Jessica Adamson has forged a reputation as one of the state’s finest journalists after 24 years in television news. She is a presenter, facilitator and one of South Australia’s most sought-after MC’s. Jessica’s upbringing on the family farm at Hallett, in the Mid North of South Australia, gave her a solid background in rural affairs. Jessica’s media career began at the Stock Journal Newspaper after she completed a Journalism Degree at the University of South Australia. Jessica joined 7NEWS in 1997 and was the 7NEWS crime reporter for more than a decade. Jessica’s extensive reporting roles at Seven include the Sydney and Beijing Olympic Games, the Tour de France, the Beaconsfield Mine disaster, the drug trials of Michelle Leslie and The Bali Nine, the Bali bombings and the devastating Boxing Day tsunami, where she spent time reporting from the devastation in Banda Aceh. In 2015 Jessica was announced the Best Broadcaster of the Year at the SA Press Club Awards. Jessica has won a number of other awards in her time at Seven, including SA Journalist of the Year (2006). She is a passionate ambassador for CanTeen and a board member of the Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation, Sids and Kids SA.