The best speed dating in Australia

Australian Travel Mart

I have not tried it before, but there is a first time for everything. Speed dating. You are put in a room with potential matches, allowed a limited time of talking with each other, then at the signal move onto the next prospect.

Yesterday I attended the Australian Travel Mart at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

I was matched up with 21 prospects from all parts of Australia and allowed 15 minutes discussion with each. The end result? No single prospect ended up being the one and only good match. All 21 were equally appealing for a long term relationship.

Let me explain, I along with other Media people, gathered in a room with 87 Tourism professionals sitting at numbered tables. There were people representing regions, attractions, tours, hotels & resorts, airlines, and tourism agencies. We were given the opportunity to spend 15 minutes with 21 of these pre-selected people throughout the day to learn about their latest news and developments.

Nick Wayland

My 21 dates were with Tourism Noosa, Jupiters Hotel & Casino Gold Coast, Tourism and Events Queensland, Mt Buller Alpine Resort, Chatterbox Marketing, East Gippsland Marketing, Queenie's Food Tours, Peninsula Hot Springs, The Lancemore Group, Spicers Retreats, QT Hotels & Resorts and Atura Hotels, Choice Hotels Australia, Auswalk Walking Holidays, Daydream Island Resort and Spa, Fraser Coast Opportunities, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, Norfolk Island Tourism, Southern Great Barrier Reef, Whitsundays Marketing, Cruise Whitsundays, and the last but not least on the day Bunyip tours.

Australian Travel Mart

The day was not all talking and listening, as much appreciated breaks were provided for morning sand afternoon teas and lunch. This was a sit down lunch presented by Tourism Australia. The meal consisted of an:
- Entree called a Taste of Victoria, which was a tasting plate to showcase the best in seasonal Victorian produce,
- alternate served mains of Pan seared eye fillet with beef jus, sweet corn puree, fondant potato, watercress and a shallot salad, and Barramundi fillet, roasted beetroot, baby spinach, cumin and lemon,
- and a drinks choice of Pineapple juice, cranberry and basil punch, Strawberry, apple, and mint lemonade, or Blood orange and chilli spritz, Tea & Coffee

The day concluded and we moved to the ATE15 Media Program Cocktail Party at the nearby Hilton South Wharf Hotel for further networking with the other Media and Tourism participants.