Gold Coast Bulletin sits down for a good chat with incoming Tourism boss Annaliese Battista
INCOMING Gold Coast Tourism CEO Annaliese Battista will soon be in charge of the city’s $5 billion industry. So just how will she spruik our city to the outside world?
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INCOMING Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista — charged with growing the city’s $5 billion visitor industry — talks strategies, plans, cruise ships, Meter Maids and “Glitter Strip” with Ryan Keen.
GCB: It’s a cushy number isn’t it, coming to run Destination Gold Coast? It’s not like it’s Destination Ipswich.
AB: Ha ha. There is no such thing and I guarantee I’ll be working very hard. The Gold Coast has a very strong offering and that means we have a lot to build on. Yes, it’s a job in paradise so the competition is ferocious, locally and internationally, and we need to stay on top of the game. We need to be flexible and adaptive — and modern destination marketing is about staying ahead of the curve because just when you think you have your game 100 per cent the competition sneaks up on you. It really is both a science, a full-time proposition and hard working one at that.
GCB: Tell us about your existing role in charge of economic development and activation for the City of Perth and how it sets you up to lead Destination Gold Coast?
AB: City of Perth is obviously a larger city, about two million people. My role includes emphasis on economic development through visitation, tourism and events. There is a big emphasis activation — and a growing emphasis on a precinct-based approach — profiling individual neighbourhoods and what they have to offer. From the tourism point of view that’s especially important because it leads to staying and paying. For my sins I look after the media and communications team, stakeholder engagement, marketing, digital media and campaigns, business support, sponsorship and arts, culture and heritage. In summary, the role is to develop strategies and plans with key stakeholders that develop the local economy and in turn the local community — fantastic role.
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GCB: With a real focus on the role tourism plays in that?
AB: Yes and in common with the Gold Coast is a focus on spend and what markets deliver the best return on investment and quite often that is day-trippers and domestic tourism.
GCB: Give us your CV in short?
AB: This will age me straight away but I have just over 20 years experience in marketing, destination marketing, 15 years in management and leadership roles. I’m used to looking after diverse portfolios — along with marketing, communications and engagement I’ve also looked after team members as diverse as engineers and data managers.
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GCB: What attracted you to lead Destination Gold Coast?
AB: I wasn’t actively looking. A colleague sent it to me, said ‘You would be perfect’ — he’d previously worked as project manager on the Gold Coast light rail. You usually look at a role and think it sounds fantastic and I’d like to go for it and then tailor all of your skills and experience to make yourself sound like the best person for the gig. When I read all about what Destination Gold Coast was looking for … it’s quite a niche skillset. I think I’d be the kind of person they are looking for.
GCB: Your experience of the Gold Coast?
AB: I love Burleigh Heads, swimming at the beaches, my husband and I will do just about anything on a board. I spent seven years (as a reservist) in the air force and spent time at Amberley and did the trip along the coast from Melbourne to Brisbane or Canberra to Brisbane regularly. Southern Queensland is my favourite place in Australia, it’s just beautiful. The Gold Coast to me offers the best of everything Australia has to offer — the sea, the sunshine, fantastic people, major attractions like theme parks, shopping and night-life, food and beverage offering. And it’s just the beauty of place — on the doorstep of the city you have the Hinterland region and it’s absolutely stunning and where else in the world do you get that?
GCB: Your vision for the city?
AB: The Gold Coast epitomises all of the fantastic things about Australia, it is Australia. My vision for the Gold Coast is it’s the pre-eminent choice for tourism within Australia and internationally in key markets. Something I’m looking forward to doing is providing clear direction and leadership. That includes developing a clear vision and strategy for delivering return on investment with the key stakeholders. A guiding principle of mine is we build the city of the Gold Coast by growing our tourism economy — 46,000 jobs are linked to the tourism economy. We can build on that, that actually builds the community and builds liveability so everybody wins if the economy is strong. On the Gold Coast that means tourism.
GCB: You were asked by Destination Gold Coast’s hiring panel for two key strategies?
AB: One is an “always on” approach which means 24-7 activity and the way you do that is through existing events to new events and communicating effectively what’s on on the Gold Coast. A large component of that is through digital mediums. I don’t want to sound like a marketing you-know-what but there is a concept called “beacons and breadcrumbs” and it’s a combination of large events and festivals — really iconic and exclusive to the Gold Coast, and smaller activations that surprise and delight visitors, surprises around every corner. The other thing that is important is a 24-7 “always on” digital activation. Digital activations are in fact a really large component of attracting and retaining visitors, and getting them to stay and spend more which of course is my bread and butter.
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GCB: You’ll have a team of 50 here — how does that compare to your team at City of Perth?
AB: I have about 70 over here so it’s slightly smaller but I’ll guarantee it will be a lean, mean team that delivers.
GCB: A major national Destination Gold Coast booklet marketing campaign last year focused on the city’s burgeoning food and beverage offering, lifestyle and evolving cafe culture. It was criticised by some quarters for scant reference to the Gold Coast’s famed theme parks. Destination Gold Coast chairman Paul Donovan has pointed out the need to “shift the dial” on what else the city had to offer. Mistake to leave theme parks out of a national campaign like that?
AB: I would have to see the insights/research that led to the development and implementation of the campaign, as well as the KPIs, how the success was measured and whether the KPIs were achieved. In other words, I’m not in a position to judge.
GCB: How important is it for the Gold Coast, which has many famed attractions already, to renew with big-ticket, talking-point items such as a cruise ship terminal, or gondola?
AB: The Gold Coast’s existing attractions (natural and built) are world class. It is important the sector maintains an open mind and open dialogue on visionary, game-changing projects that may benefit the Gold Coast in the future. Business casing and economic modelling is critical not just for infrastructure projects, but for major events as well.
GCB: Favourite part of the Commonwealth Games?
AB: Can’t go past the opening ceremony. I’m a sucker for all the singing, the dancing but also I loved the swimming.
GCB: Just as well you didn’t say you liked the closing ceremony because that answer would have tanked.
AB: There was room for improvement there.
GCB: What do you think about commercialising the beaches with pockets of restaurants, bars along the coastline foreshore?
AB: I don’t have a view because it’s something Destination Gold Coast has to engage with stakeholders closely on to understand what the consensus view is and debate the pros and cons of that. I’d need to understand a bit more about it.
GCB: The Gold Coast is known for it’s night-life but past 3am you can’t get a drink under the Labor Government. Does that surprise you given the Gold Coast is home to visitor hubs Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach?
AB: In Perth, you can’t get a drink past midnight except for nightclubs. Certainly there needs to be a balance between the different tourism markets — there are some markets which would want to have a drink past 3am and others in which it’s not really their thing.
GCB: The phrase Glitter Strip is one we at the Bulletin love to roll out and which M Donovan would love to wipe from the vocabulary. Your thoughts?
AB: If Paul Donovan doesn’t like it, then it is obviously my arch-nemesis as well. But I think Australians come up with colloquialisms like that and most are born out of affection and sense of self-deprecation so I don’t think it’s evil, but you need to have a look at how that presents us, particularly to international tourists. I don’t think it’ll become one of our marketing terms, put it that way.
GCB: Meter Maids? Yay or nay, got a view?
AB: Not yet. That’s a tricky one. On one hand they are an institution but on the other hand you always have to review what’s appropriate for the time and whether or not it’s an attraction and adds to the landscape. If it does, great, if it doesn’t then look at alternatives.
GCB: Chris Hemsworth or Johnny Depp?
AB: Chris Hemsworth.
GCB: Bernard Tomic or Nick Kyrgios?
AB: Have to be Bernard Tomic, he’s a Gold Coaster.
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GCB: Thanks for your time — anything you’d like to add?
AB: Just I’m really thrilled to have gotten the position. It’s not only an outstanding career progression for me, it’s an important responsibility for continuing to grow the $5.2 billion tourism economy for the benefit of the community, city and state. I have a strong passion for economic growth as a driver for building the community and I can’t see a better opportunity for doing that in Australia than the Gold Coast.
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