THE future of Tasmanian Agritourism was the topic of the day at the Opening the Conversation event last week.
Over 100 farmers and participants of the Opening the Gate program came together at Brickendon on Friday to learn, workshop and network. Opening the Conversation was run in alongside agriCULTURED, a four-day event held in the North which offered learning experiences tailored for agri-food and industry professionals and practitioners.
Project Lead of Opening the Gate Allison Clark said Opening the Conversation brought blossoming agritourism businesses from across the state together to learn from experts in the industry.
“Twelve months on from our start and we have a room of 100 people talking about how they can connect, collaborate and continue the momentum of what’s been enjoyed by everybody over the past year,” Ms Clark said.
“We have the opportunity to bring everybody together from around the state to learn from one another, whether they’re starting their agritourism journey or they’re looking to elevate what they already have.”
The event featured key speeches from guest speakers. Brand Tasmania CEO Todd Babiak spoke on delivering Tasmania’s ‘brand promise’ while Regionality Managing Director Rose Wright spoke on the imagined future of Tasmania’s agritourism.
Rural Alive & Well, Ashgrove Cheese, Clover Hill Winery and Flinders Island Aviation also delivered speeches and were present in panel sessions. “Really what we want from today is to build from what we have learned from today,” Ms Clark said. “We will be able to workshop it in much more detail in future sessions.”