Head of Product and Innovation

Scenic Hotel Group

Ali has lived and breathed hotels and the hospitality industry all her working life. Ali’s strength is centred round her ability to foster and build strong partnerships, her customer and industry business focus and strong results driven mindset. She has held senior management positions and is actively involved with regional tourism organisations around the country and worked closely with Tourism New Zealand directly.

The famous “West Coast Hospitality” is in Ali’s blood. Ali had a financial interest in the popular Mahinapua Pub for around 20 years from the early 1980’s through to the early 2000’s. She has also served 18 years on the board for CINZ, BEIA, was on the advisory board for the Queenstown Convention Bureau and is still on the PCOA Advisory Board for the accommodation sector.

Presentation topic

Business Events. What are they, why are they important and how we can make it work together to meet the clients’ expectations.

General Manager New Zealand & Business Events

Tourism New Zealand

Bjoern has a strong background in commercial partnership, business events and the tourism sector. His career in destination marketing includes multiple roles at Tourism New Zealand, including General Manager Domestic, General Manager Americas & Europe, and currently General Manager New Zealand & Business Events.

Originally from Germany, Bjoern has worked across multiple international markets including the UK, Europe, North America, Brazil, and Argentina. In his current role as GM New Zealand and Business Events, Bjoern is responsible for Tourism New Zealand’s experience marketing, International Business Events, and commercial partnerships including Tourism New Zealand’s subsidiaries Qualmark and i-SITE.

Bjoern is a proud resident of Titirangi in West Auckland, and in his free time enjoys exploring the West Coast Beaches, following his kids at multiple sporting events, and travelling around Aotearoa New Zealand.

Presentation topic: International Markets

Destination and Tourism Manager

Development West Coast

Patrick’s role at DWC is to develop and implement the regional destination management plan; formulating what will be the region’s roadmap for economic, cultural, and environmental development. Bringing together communities, Iwi, government, and local businesses to build the region’s reputation and mitigate the risks to our communities and our environment whilst attracting new residents, businesses, and visitors.

Dolomite Point Redevelopment Project

Phil lives south of Westport on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island having moved there in 2005 after years working and travelling abroad.

Phil has an environmental and project management background, with 25 years’ experience both in New Zealand and overseas. He completed a BSc (Geology and Geography) in New Zealand and a MScEng in Australia and is self-employed, operating as Dextera Limited with his wife, Diana.

Phil has had a life-long love affair with the outdoors and nature and how people interact with it. This led to involvement in the development and operation of several multi-use trails on the West Coast, running visitor facilities (guest lodge), and involvement in tourism infrastructure development, most notably the Dolomite Point Redevelopment Project in Punakaiki, Te Tai o Poutini. These experiences have afforded significant insight into the success and failure factors of such undertakings.

Presentation topic: This presentation will share the genesis, objectives, and timeframes of the Dolomite Point Redevelopment Project in Punakaiki – one of Te Tai o Poutini’s most significant visitor developments in recent times.

General Manager Tourism and Trade

Christchurch International Airport Limited

Scott Callaway is General Manager Tourism & Trade at Christchurch Airport. He has led the airports relationship with airlines and tourism and trade bodies within New Zealand and off-shore for the past ten years.

Scott is a proven tourism executive with an extensive range of national and international experience, having worked previously with Air New Zealand, Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa, the AJ Hackett Bungy Group, and for international advertising agencies Carat Inc., and The Event Group, both in New Zealand and the United States.

Scott began his career in tourism in Christchurch with the Mount Cook Group, responsible for the companies resort areas including snow sports operations in 1985.

Presentation topic: Connectivity

Nature Economy Project Lead

Development West Coast

The overarching purpose of the Nature Economy Project is to identify ways in which conservation, environmental restoration and the protection of native biodiversity has the potential to support the diversification of the West Coast economy.

Zak commenced his role in June 2022 bringing twenty years of experience in facilitating environmental education, adventure education, tourism guiding and leadership development to the DWC team. Zak holds a degree in Sustainability and Outdoor Education and manages a photography business. Zak has lived with his family near Hokitika for the past 12 years.

Presentation topic:

Zak will share examples of how the Nature Economy project is working with nature to stimulate employment, provide conservation related training opportunities, enhance visitor experiences and build the West Coast’s regional identity in relation to conservation.

Director

RM Designs

Bernie founded RM Designs in Christchurch circa 1997.

The company collected key clients during its early years including DB Breweries, TAB, Unichem and Stirling Sports.

RM made serious expansion into commercial architecture in 2007 and has since completed many projects of significant scale.

Post earthquake they implemented ECI on several projects, where a collaborative approach brought key parties around the table very early in the design process. The early positioning of the company around Design for Manufacture Principles, has dovetailed nicely into the Early Contractor process..

The company is proud of their work on the coast which includes Rainforest Retreat, Seven penny, Monteiths Brewery, and more lately Pounamu Pathway Mawhera.

He believes “No one of us, is as smart as all of us”

Panel discussion: Unlock Project Efficiency

Early Contractor Involvement and The Integration of Design for Manufacture

Director

The Marketing Club

Originally from the UK Julia has been a Business Growth Advisor and Marketing Mentor for 15+ years. In New Zealand she runs a successful marketing agency training and implementing the latest marketing strategies using AI tools, for ambitious business owners.

Presentation topic: How To Make Your Business Standout As A Visitor Destination.

How to attract more visitors to your West Coast venue. Using AI tools, how do you ensure your venue or attraction shows up on the phone of potential visitors? How do you stand out, have a clear message and get seen in the right place, by the right audience?

5-Day FREE Ai Content Challenge

Chair

Destination Management Plan Reference Group

Mark has over 20 years of experience in Senior Executive roles in large and small organisations, with a focus on investment, housing, economic development and tourism related entities. This has included stints as Chief Executive of Destination Rotorua and Nelson Regional Development Agency. Mark has been associated with the NZ tourism and economic development sector for many years and fulfilled a number of management and Governance related roles at local and national levels.

"I have developed a passion for the Destination Management approach to the sustainable development of visitor destinations and feel humbled and privileged to have been asked, earlier this year, to contribute to the Te Tai Poutini Destination Management Plan Reference Group as an independent Chair. "

Presentation topic: Destination Management Plan (DMP) Update

Minister for Mental Health, Minister for ACC, Minister for Tourism and Hospitality, Minister for Youth, Associate Minister of Health, and Associate Minister of Transport

Matt has been the MP for Waimakariri since the 2014 election. He previously worked in mental health in both New Zealand and the UK, before returning home to work at the Canterbury District Health Board. Matt went to St Bede’s College before completing a BSc (Hons) in Social Policy, an MA in Healthcare Management from Kingston University in London, and an MSc in Global Politics from Birkbeck College, University of London.

Director

Smart Project Management

Sam Summerton is the founder of Smart Project Management, established in 2019, building on over two decades of experience in the construction sector. Starting as a carpenter, Sam progressed to roles such as Site Manager and Project Manager, overseeing large-scale projects across New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Notably, he was the Project Manager for Pounamu Pathways and is currently working on the Grey District New Build Library.

Sam founded SMART PM to make a positive impact on the construction sector, with a focus on delivering trusted solutions, fostering strong relationships, and generating benefits for all stakeholders. He holds a degree in Applied Management, majoring in Project Management, and leads a team at Smart PM that combines deep industry knowledge with technical project management expertise. Sam is teaming up with Bernie O'Fagan of RM Designs to discuss strategies for unlocking project efficiency.

Presentation topic: Unlock Project Efficiency

Early Contractor Involvement and The Integration of Design for Manufacture

Sales Director Asia

Christchurch International Airport Limited

Born and bred in China but now calls NZ home. She had 13 years of inbound tourism experience in NZ plus 6 years of business management & business development consultancy work in China, marketing NZ as a destination and NZ businesses to China and wider Asia countries. Swallow Joint Christchurch Airport in 2017 on returning to NZ with family. Since joining CIAL she has been working in an advisory role to the CIAL Executive team and NZ tourism operators to maintain and develop economic trade relations with China.

Presentation topic: The Future Chinese Traveller

Tourism – China Market

Development West Coast

Taylor is originally from mainland China and moved to New Zealand in 2015. His tenure in the tourism industry began with establishing and spearheading the Chinese department for a prominent tourism operator based in Marlborough.

Over the years, he has been involved with remarkable transformations in regional awareness and visitor influx. In recent years, Taylor has become an independent advisor specialising in the Chinese tourism market, extending his expertise to various regions across the South Island. Taylor is dedicated to promoting the allure of the Untamed West Coast in the Chinese market by collaborating with neighboring regions.

Taylor is committed to assisting the West Coast in navigating the dynamic landscape of the Chinese tourism industry, fostering awareness among visitors, promoting regional dispersal, and facilitating partnerships with key industry stakeholders.

Presentation topic: The Future Chinese Traveller

Lead Data Scientist

Vistr

Mo is passionate about the power of data and a strong advocate of data-driven decision making. He has deep expertise in tourism and hospitality data and is known for his strong data storytelling skills.

Vistr worked closely with DWC to develop the West Coast Insights Dashboard to provide meaningful insights to the organisation and its stakeholders. This work has set a standard for best practices across Aotearoa, leading Vistr to partner with over half of the Regional Tourism Organisations and Tourism New Zealand.

Presentation topic: Unlocking Tourism Data to Exceed Visitor Expectations

How To Use The Destination Insights Dashboard

Partner

One Picture Group

Nathan is a social anthropologist and an experienced qualitative strategist who is naturally drawn to understanding people and cultures, and unlocking the insight behind their differences and points of commonality to reveal opportunities for the clients he works with. He has a strong understanding of ‘The Visitor Mindset’, both domestic and international, through the projects has led and run for TNZ, RTOs and airports. He has also helped shape the country perception framework run by New Zealand Story, which keeps his finger on the pulse of the international consumer.

Nathan was hands on in the projects that he intends to share at this hui, so he will be literally speaking on behalf of the visitors we need to win and value – and what it is we need to show them so they wont just visit once, but will see the Coast as a place full of stories they are eager to share.

Presentation topic: How Will We Get Visitors to Explore Further, and Tell People About It

Chair

Promoting Buller Incorporated

With over 20 years of experience spanning both public and private sectors, Jessie has developed expertise in marketing, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and community and economic development. Her career has taken her through diverse industries from tourism to viticulture and with a results-driven work ethic and high level of creativity, she brings a breadth of experience and sound problem-solving skills to every project. The most recent one being the Buller Identity Project initiated last year and about to commence this month. Jessie's excited to be part of this project and delighted to be invited to the panel, hoping to further conversations around how West Coast districts can help support the strong West Coast brand and positioning, collaborate and align to the Destination Management Plan.

Panel discussion: Tourism Opportunities through a West Coast Network