100% Pure New Zealand lesson provides a vision for the future.

Some of you may know that I moved to the amazing Sunshine Coast a while ago, doing that sea or seed change type of thing, but when I arrived here to what is an amazing tourism destination, I was extremely disappointed to find regional tourism in absolute disarray, with bickering, arguing, divisiveness and back stabbing, appearing to me to be more the order of the day than anything else and definitely not working together with a common goal.

It was therefore very reassuring indeed to hear that a number of visionaries in the region with the support of Tourism Queensland were determined to dispose of what appeared to me to be the dysfunctional former Sunshine Coast RTO and establish a new and much more focussed, targeted and business orientated destination organisation and at a function at the Hyatt Regency Coolum last night all was revealed, well some of it.

With the recent appointment of the highly experienced and qualified Michael Denton, former CEO of Queensland Events Corporation for 11 years before moving to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet to establish the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Bid Directorate, with prior to that Managing Director of the Gold Coast Events Company and Executive Officer with the Department of Tourism, Sport and Racing, a member of the former Maroochy Tourism Industry Advisory Board and currently sitting on the Griffith University, Industry Advisory Committee for its Department of Tourism, Leisure, Hotel and Sport Management, being widely accepted, there was some substantial concern regarding some of the board appointments, in that they would not reflect or represent the needs of the industry.

My view on that is that at last, the Sunshine Coast RTO or as it is now called DMO - destination management or if you like, destination marketing organisation has a professional skills based board that understands business, with the strongest propensity ever, along with the appointment of the CEO and team, to make the Sunshine Coast the Australian tourism destination leader it deserves to be.

With Mr Denton saying he is enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead, but that he is also fully aware of the current tourism climate and the need to unite the region's industry for greater gains, with many challenges to be faced, he last night thanked the Board for putting its faith in his ability to deliver on this new and exciting role.  With Denton only a few weeks into the job he has already made nearly all of the key appointments and last night he introduced those already in place.

The most telling indicator last night of the future direction of the organisation was the attendance as key note speaker of former Tourism New Zealand CEO George Hickton, who is credited over his ten years at the helm of what has become one of the leading destination marketing and brand companies in the world and especially for the creation and execution of the outstanding 100% New Zealand campaign.

[Sunshine Coast Destination Ltd  Board members are pictured including Julie Anne Schafer [Chair], Des Power, John Hall, Trevor Grigg, Grant Dearlove, Barrie Adams  and Rodger Powell are pictured with George Hickton second from left and Michael Denton, third from the right. Image credit viewnews.com.au]

Mr Hickton's messages were clear for the Board, CEO and industry in that he believed that the formation of this new organisation was a fantastic opportunity, which would never be realised unless the industry, the Board, CEO,  team and industry worked together. 

He likened the process that the DMO and the industry was about to go through to a journey that would provide the confidence and comfort to be in a substantially better place in ten years time, describing the phases as birth, growing pains and growing up and that organisation like the DMO should not be forced to be all things to all, but remain focussed and committed to its vision and direction and above all its brand.

In quotes, he summarised the marketing direction he believes the DMO needs to pursue, by saying,, " You don't change peoples perceptions by advertising, you change them by telling the truth", adding. "You can't build a brand by consensus", a lesson that could be a tough one for the Sunshine Coast, with political interference, consensus and attempts to satisfy all appearing to having been very much the model in the past, rather than focussing on the brand and the consumer  - without doubt this giving Mr Denton a challenging furrow to plough.

Mr Hickton also provided the DMO and the industry with a salient warning, quoting David Ogilvy who said, "Any damn fool can put on a deal, but it takes genius, faith and perseverance to created a brand".

Using his 20 year knowledge and love of the Sunshine Coast as a regular visitor and with his New Zealand brand experience, in closing, he said that he likened the Sunshine Coasts' relationship to Queensland or even Australia as similar to Queenstown and the overall New Zealand brand, with that analogy also potentially applicable to the relationship between Noosa and the Sunshine Coast.

Perhaps the most telling comment and lesson and advice for the DMO, the Sunshine Coast Regional Council, local tourism organisations and the industry made by Mr Hickton was about the industry consultation that took place regarding the creation of the 100% New Zealand brand, saying simply, "There wasn't any", adding that he and his team were paid to do a job.

Now that might be a difficult pill for the council and industry to swallow, but if the Board, Mr Denton and ultimately the industry are going to succeed and for the general health and future success of the Sunshine Coast's tourism industry, like all medicines that do good, they often don't taste that palatable.  This pill though is one it looks like one Mr Denton is going to have to make them swallow.