Sparrowly Group

Finalist!! We are thrilled to share with you some recent awards news. Sparrowly Group have recently been awarded finalists in the: 🏆 Services to the Tourism Industry, NSW Tourism Awards  🏆 Excellence in Professional Services, Australian Small Business Champion Awards 🏆 Employer of the Year, Women in Travel Awards 🏆 Sustainable Champion of the Year, Women in Travel Awards This is a true testament to our hard working team, and a sincere thank you to our clients (current and alumni) who have supported and advocated for us since we launched in 2015 (you read that right, we are celebrating our 10th birthday next year and have big plans). It truly means the world to us. We’re looking forward to celebrating at the upcoming awards ceremonies. 

Last month Giovanna joined colleagues from across the country for the National Economic Development Australia Limited Conference. A wonderfully organised conference with deep insights, excellent speakers and great conversation with delegates. Thanks to EDA for the choosing Sparrowly Group to lead the workforce development stream with Giovanna's presentation on the role of workforce development in place based economic transformation. Her key takeaways to share include: 💡Measure what matters - the Melbourne Doughnut framework provides a community-driven vision that highlights the uneven distribution of liveability, the environmental overshoot required to maintain it, and the interconnected social and ecological challenges, while advocating for innovative, holistic measurement tools to guide sustainable urban development. This perspective invites economic developers to reflect on how cities can redefine growth and well-being in ways that are inclusive, equitable, and regenerative for both people and the planet. 💡Workforce development in economic transformation - workforce development is essential for addressing skills shortages, stagnant productivity, and education challenges, emphasising collaboration among local businesses, educational institutions, and government to build a resilient, future-ready workforce. To truly harness the power of workforce development, communities must shift towards a more integrated approach that not only addresses current workforce gaps but also anticipates future demands, fostering an adaptive ecosystem where continuous learning and cross-sector partnerships are the norm for sustained economic growth. 💡Precincts, clusters, and revitalisation strategies -  successful urban and regional revitalisation requires integrated, place-based approaches that combine community and economic development with social impact. As well as support by strategic data analysis and stakeholder collaboration to create adaptive, sustainable ecosystems that balance innovation with equity. The true measure of revitalisation efforts is how well they foster inclusive growth, ensuring that policies and investments not only stimulate economic gains but also address social challenges, nurturing vibrant spaces that serve diverse communities and future needs. ID 1: Giovanna presenting with the crowd in the foreground. She is standing at lectern. Behind her is a screen with the words - A New Dawn, Industrial Light and Magic. ID 2: Image of the conference plenary with participants seated listening the speaker on stage ID 3: Giovanna standing with client alumni Grier Williamson from Mackay Regional Council at the welcome function. They are both looking at the camera, huddled together smiling with a drink in each of their hands. There are people standing in the background.

Never resting on our laurels, Morgan and Naivedhya from the Sparrowly Group team have been at the NEON Forum by the 24-Hour Economy NSW this week. We recently completed the development of Economic Development Australia Limited's Night Time Economy training module which we will be delivering on Monday, 25 November. Key takeaways from this week's conference and a sneak peak into the dedicated training module: 🌠 Understanding generational change is key. Involve stakeholders into the decision making and the work force to understand what's needed will present business opportunities that sustain. Inclusive spaces and events that not only entertain but also leave a lasting impact are important to this generation. 🌠 Bring culture back into the city. Sydney is more than just the beaches, the bridge and the opera house. Bring local authentic experience to the forefront that local communities are proud of, which will enable new opportunities for a thriving 24 hour economy. Let people tell their story. Enable artists to hone their craft in dedicated spaces and provide performing platforms. 🌠 Focus on collaboration that is government enabled but industry led. Let the creatives and professionals take the lead. It is important to showcase to investors the long term benefit of investing in NTE operators and businesses, through data and advocacy. 🌠 Culture creates value. Not all money in events come from F&B. The narrative is changing. Amazing and unique experiences are key to driving the night time economy. 🌠 Aligning businesses with distinct place marketing can attract niche audiences and prevent cannibalisation. Nostalgia has become a big piece of this. How have people experienced your place in the past and how would they experience it now? Changing perceptions with internal as well as external audiences is often the challenge. 🌠 Neon Marketplace has launched. This is a new B2B website aimed at connecting operators and district coordinators to develop unique offerings. ID one: Nav at the NEON Forum smiling with a thumbs up and standing in front of the event banner with the 24 hour economy logo. ID two: 4 panellists seated on stage presenting. ID three: Morgan smiling at the camera in front of the NEON Forum sign. ID four: Speaker on stage at lectern presenting. Behind him on stage are multiple people dressed head to toe in pink suits. The slide reads " The rise of immersive experiences" ID five: front cover of the Free Guide Hollywood Quarter brochure located in Chippendale, Sydney.

Last week, Justine attended the Australia Regional Tourism Convention 2024 in the beautiful city of Mackay. Over the three days, Agritourism, workforce, sustainability and the future of tourism were key topics for discussion. Justine also delivered an Ask An Ambassador session about how to make everyone in your region an Ambassador. Justine’s key takeaways: 🥬 Agritourism experiences are high on the list for international visitors of ‘must dos’. They want authentic, hands-on experiences in our regions. 💪🏻 There are workforce challenges now and into the future, and we need to prepare for the predicted shortfall of hospitality and tourism workers. Challenges are getting the right people in the right place at the right time. We need to look at doing things differently, for example, maybe looking at ways AI can help automate some of our back-end work to free us up to deliver the service that our visitors want and expect. 🌪️ Destinations are now 75 times more likely to be hit by a disaster. preparation is key, and getting your network around you now and knowing who you can call on in times of disaster is paramount 🍃Regenerative tourism is an evolution, not a revolution. Look at reworking the visitor journey to incorporate education and advocacy. It’s not about having large numbers, it’s about getting visitors who are the right match for your location and then getting them to spend more time, spend more money and have repeat visitation. 🚁 In the not-too-distant future, we could all be travelling in pilotless drones, and a trip to London could take only 2 hours. We will be looking to AI to organise all our travel as our personalised AI will know our likes and dislikes and be able to book a trip that is perfect for us. These are only some of the amazing insights for a must do convention. #ARTC24 Image ID: (clockwise from bottom left)Justine with some of the fantastic people at the ART convention, some of the insights, colourful street art in a local alleyway, a large tree lined park in Mackay.

It’s been a great start to the Economic Development Australia Limited conference in Melbourne talking all things wellbeing framework and a more holistic approach to measuring economic growth. Giovanna will be opening the Workforce Development stream today presenting on Place Based Workforce Development. Looking forward to connecting with colleagues from around the country and speakers over the next two days. ID: Giovanna smiling at camera holding at the conference and in the background is conference signage.

It was wonderful to work with Destination Central West NSW (DNCW) on one of their foundational projects as a newly formed Destination Network. The Central West region boasts fertile farmlands, rich history and culture, vineyards, canola fields, and grazing plains, offering visitors unique farm-to-table experiences that showcase local produce. Our Agritourism Development Program created an Agritourism Blueprint and Action Plan to foster product development in the region and delivered masterclass workshops that supported over 60 operators in their agritourism journey. Thank you to the team at DNCW in Sean Haylan (MAICD), Kate Catterson and Natasha Vukelja Markert for partnering with us and we look forward to seeing agritourism continue to develop across the region.

We're looking forward to spending time in Mackay, QLD this week for the 2024 Australian Regional Tourism Ltd (ART) Convention taking place from 9-11 October. Justine Sinclair will be flying the Sparrowly Group flag and we can't wait to share her key takeaways. We're excited to reconnect with our industry colleagues and learn from other inspiring regions and industry leaders #ARTC2024

We have been honoured to be a proud supporter and advocate of Cocky Guides since we first connected in 2019 as part of our accessible and inclusive tourism research paper development. It has been a great honour to see Cocky Guides grow and evolve since then. Thank you to the team of James (Buck) McFarlane and Kellie Hayes for letting us be part of your journey in launching Sensory Tourism Australia. We supported the team through export ready mentoring to develop and launch their first international accessible and inclusive tourism product. We look forward to continuing to work with the team and seeing this experience excel.

Yesterday Naivedhya Khatri, Federico (Fed) Moreno and Justine Sinclair had a great time connecting with the tourism industry at the NSW Visitor Economy Forum hosted by Destination NSW. There were so many fabulous speakers and presentations so here are our top three takeaways! 💡💡💡 🖼️ Culture and Tourism need to find their synergy. Traditional cultural institutions such as NSW Art Gallery are starting to implement tourism strategies, signifying the growing importance of collaboration between the arts and the visitor economy. ⚡ We have to tell our stories and constantly innovate to remain relevant. The day started and ended with excellent reminders to embrace change, try new things and to tell compelling stories to remain relevant to whoever our customers are. 📈 Stay on top of the trends! Fiftyfive5, part of Accenture Song presented a detailed breakdown on the key emerging trends in travel, namely: Travel is a must, travellers are searching for wellness experiences and regenerative or meaningful experiences, AI is being used more than even at all stages of travel, travellers want novelty and surprise back and travellers are travelling solo more often or in more diverse groups.

**A great opportunity for regional areas in NSW to become EV friendly.** Transport for NSW is on the lookout for sites in regional areas to host electric vehicle (EV) chargers. The NSW Government is investing $199 million to expand the EV charging network, and they're inviting regional businesses and councils to register their interest in hosting these chargers. If selected, the EV charging companies will handle everything—installation, operation, and maintenance—all you need to do is provide parking spaces and access. Fill out an obligation-free site host expression of interest form ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gg7k-SuE