From a distance

I'm back

Back in the UK and like a lot of trips after piling through a huge pile of emails my trip down under now already a memory.

It is perhaps now in the cold light of day - and it is cold in the UK, had to defrost my car this morning - a good time to consider the best way to use the destination.

Without doubt Australia is a tool to be used to reward people who deliver an ultimate performance - the investment and time to get someone there is more than significant and this shapes what we need to do with them once they are there.

Creating a programme therefore needs about reinforcing the sense of place, a sense of guests understanding the joy of their achievement. We need to tick boxes and keep ticking them - so Bridge Climb, lunch at Opera House, Harley's to Bondi, Dinner in the Tower are all big yes's.

What we need to manage is how to make the bits in between also special and special to the individual (without busting the budget) . We already try to create space for 'free time' in programme structures to allow people to explore in their own friendship groups. We also make many more guides available than normal to try and deliver a more personalised experience - what would be really cool would be to try and find a way for people not to be shown the city by 'guides' but to 'hook up' with like minded people who show them the city more as a 'mate' rather than a 'guide' - the closest I have experienced is in Montreal where a (ok it was) guide took us to a place in the city where he used to buy his morning bagels when he was at Uni in the city - it made the experience more personal - we became a part of the experience rather than spectators.

The Australian people are open and warm, here probably more than anywhere else in the world it should be possible to achieve this goal.

What we can't have is anything that is mediocre or can be found elsewhere in the world (and much closer to home) - so a fancy aquarium - no, having breakfast with Koala's - yes.

From a distance Australia is a long way with many amazing places to see in between, it is a big ask to get people to go - the journey has to be worth while - an ultimate destination for ultimate performance.

Peter