AGENDA
Below is a detailed agenda for this year’s conference. There may be updates from time, to time so check in occasionally for the latest details.
To download an overview of the program agenda, please click here. Please note that this document is subject to change.
CONFERENCE TIMINGS OVERVIEW
To assist with your travel timings, please be aware of the following activities. If you are arriving via the Melbourne Tullamarine Airport Domestic Terminal, please allow 50 to 60 minutes travel time from the airport to the conference venue.
RMS Update
Monday 18 October - 10:00am to 12:00pm
NewBook Update
Tuesday 19 October - 10:00am to 12:00pm
Advanced Social Media Workshop
Tuesday 19 October - 1.00pm to 2:00pm
Registration Desk & Exhibition Hall Opens
Tuesday 19 October - from 2:30pm
Opening - BIG4 Welcome Event
Tuesday 19 October - 4.00pm to 7:00pm
Day One - Plenary Sessions & Workshops
Wednesday 20 October - 8:30am to 2:00pm
Group Activity & Dinner - BIG4 Sandstone Point Holiday Resort
Wednesday 20 October - 2:0pm to 8:30pm
Day Two - AGM, Plenary Sessions & Workshops
Thursday 21 October - 8:30am to 4:30pm
Gala Awards Dinner
Thursday 21 October - 6:30pm to 11:30pm
DAY 1 - MONDAY 18 OCTOBER
Pre-Conference Workshops
There are three pre-conference workshops available prior to the official conference opening. If you intend to be on the Sunshine Coast earlier than 18 October, you might like to consider these options.
RMS Update
Mudjimba 2
NewBook Update
Mudjimba 3
You can register to attend this session when you register for the conference. If you have already registered for conference and have now decided to attend this session, please call our conference organiser 212F on 02 8572 8871.
Advanced Social Media Tips and Strategies
Mudjimba 2
In this session, you will learn the fundamentals for running paid advertising campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. This includes how to set up campaigns, best practice for creative, targeting audiences, determining your budget, and measuring your results. You will also learn some simple ways to create high quality, engaging content for your organic social media channels.
Mudjimba Ballroom
4:30pm to 5:30pm
Exhibition Hall - The Wandiny Room and surrounding areas
Neat Casual
Mudjimba Ballroom
5:30pm to 6:00pm
Exhibition Hall - The Wandiny Room (Sectioned-off area).
Neat Casual
Exhibition Hall - The Wandiny Room
The Welcome, Exhibitor Opening, and Cocktail Party will be the first opportunity in two years for many in the network to catch up.
BIG4 Chairman James Atkins will welcome everyone to the 2021 BIG4 National Conference, after which we will move to the Exhibition space for introductions to this year’s broad selection of quality industry exhibitors and sponsors.
This will be followed by drinks and canapes in our exhibition hall, including an opportunity for first-time BIG4 Conference attendees to meet and chat with BIG4 board members and NSO staff. Take this opportunity to catch up with friends and mingle with the many conference exhibitors, BIG4 Directors, NSO staff, and Life Members.
Following the BIG4 Welcome and Exhibition Opening Event is a free night and an opportunity to continue to socialise with friends, dine in house, or check out the restaurants and bars in nearby Maroochydore.
Local dining options for this evening - Click HERE.
DAY 2 - TUESDAY 19 OCTOBER
Exhibition Hall - The Wandiny Room from 8:30am
Minyama 1
From 8:30am
Sean Jenner BIG4 CEO
Together with BIG4 NSO Management Team
Sean Jenner and the BIG4 executive team will review the challenges and wins of the last 18 months, acknowledge the network’s achievements, and provide insight regarding plans and direction.
Minyama 1
11:00am - 11:55am AND 12pm-1pm
Speaker: TBA
The amount of data from FCOM parks’ PMS and the analytics that are now available from BIG4’s data warehouse and business intelligence tools is staggering.We now have the capability via your BIG4 BDM and ultimately the BIG4HUB to provide access to multiple analytics. In this workshop, we dive into the insights and reports that BIG4 can now provide to parks, what the numbers mean, what is relevant to your business and how you can use this data to assist in decisions to positively impact your bottom line.
Minyama 2
11:00am - 11:55am AND 12pm-1pm
Speaker: TBA
Planning well in advance is key to success in marketing and social media activity.This session looks at the process of pre-planning while integrating BIG4’s marketing and social activity to ensure parks can engage and benefit from the turbo-charged exposure that the NSO promotional and campaign opportunities provide.We will look at the upcoming BIG4 campaign plan, optimising reach, exposure, bookings, and website traffic and provide guidance on how to engage, with tips for parks on the kind of deals and content that work best.
We now have the capability via your BIG4 BDM and ultimately the BIG4HUB to provide access to multiple analytics. In this workshop, we dive into the insights and reports that BIG4 can now provide to parks, what the numbers mean, what is relevant to your business and how you can use this data to assist in decisions to positively impact your bottom line.
AFTERNOON
Team Building Activity and Dinner
BIG4 Sandstone Point Holiday Resort
2:00pm and 8:30pm
This offsite event promises to be something of a highlight with an exciting opportunity to visit outstanding BIG4 Sandstone Point Holiday Resort and explore the park while engaging in fun, drinks, and dinner.
Nestled on the shores of Pumicestone Passage in Moreton Bay, BIG4 Sandstone Point Holiday Resort is a premier find. It teems with family-friendly facilities, including a kids’ water park, jumping pillow, playground, playroom, movie room, tennis court and more alongside a variety of excellent accommodation.
The property offers superb facilities in gorgeous natural surroundings on the doorstep of Bribie Island and its spectacular beaches.
The visit will commence with welcome drinks and afternoon tea followed with a team building activity at 4pm that will have you exploring the park and engaging in fun team activities.
Dinner will be held at Sandstone Point Hotel, next to the resort, from 6pm and there will be plenty of time to socialise, with coaches departing from 8pm for return to Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort.
DAY 3 - WEDNESDAY 20 OCTOBER
Exhibition Hall - The Wandiny Room - from 8:30am
Minyama 1
From 8:30am
(Closed Session - BIG4 Full Co-Op Member Park owners and staff) Join us for our Annual General Meeting and Members’ Forum. There will be some formalities related to the AGM followed by a Members’ Forum where delegates are encouraged to participate with any questions for BIG4 directors and NSO senior management.
Update from New Zealand: David Ovendale – TOP 10 Holiday Parks
It’s been a while since we had an update from our cousins across the Tasman. With the last 18 months like nothing any of us have experienced before, we look forward to welcoming our friend David Ovendale (hopefully in person) to share their challenges, wins, and thoughts of the future for the holiday parks sector in NZ. We are sure there will be much that resonates with parks here in Australia.
Plenary Panel Session
COVID-19. What have we learned; what do we need to keep doing?
The COVID-19 pandemic had made the last 18 months very challenging indeed. It has made us change how we do things, how we interact, how we manage health and safety, how we use technology and how we reach and respond to guests as well as how we look to the future.In this panel session, we will be joined by representatives of the state caravan and camping associations, Tourism Australia, and BIG4 park owners.
The panel will explore what we have learned in the last 18 months, particularly the things that are useful to adopt, opportunities that now present themselves, and what the future might look like as international borders start opening.
AFTERNOON
Workshop 3 : Marketing in an increasingly digital world
Standing out in the digital space
Minyama 1
11.40m to 12:40pm AND 1.55pm to 2.55pm
Holidays from the pets’ viewpoint. Ever wondered what’s it’s like as a pet being hauled around the country by you owners, a constantly changing backyard, new faces, new smells and often days on end in a car. We hear from veterinarian Dr Fiona Patterson to get a glimpse of holidays from the pets’ perspective and what they actually need.
Plus we will have a panel of BIG4 park owners who will discuss Pets in Parks hot topics and explore some of the key issues, like whether to take pets at all, and the key do’s and dont’s if you do.
Workshop 4: Developing and managing great guest experience
Minyama 2
11.40m to 12:40pm AND 1.55pm to 2.55pm
We will hear from parks that are applying a systematic and managed approach to tailoring and delivering key moments and touchpoints during guests stay ‘journey’ to ensure they leave with a smile and a great story to tell about their experience.
Closing Keynote: Ben Crowe, Performance Mindset Coach
Minyama 1 - 3:30pm - 4:20pm
Ben Crowe - Performance Mindset Coach
Best known as the mentor of tennis champion, Ash Barty, Ben Crowe will take us on a fascinating journey into managing mindset for success in business and life. His life purpose is to help people do things better, and be better for it.
EVENING
BIG4 Gala Awards Dinner
The annual BIG4 Gala
Awards Dinner is not to be missed. This wonderful evening of gala glitz, fine
dining, and awards recognises outstanding achievements across the BIG4 network and
celebrates BIG4’s wonderful and enduring culture of co-operation and
excellence.
The evening’s formalities
culminate with the announcement of this years’ winner of the coveted Des and
Margaret Watts Supreme Award for Excellence. This perpetual award celebrates
excellence at the very essence of being a BIG4 park and has been provided by
BIG4 founders Des and Margaret since 2000.
There will be plenty of
time for socialising and dancing, and no doubt the dance floor will again be the
place to be once the formalities are done and the music gets going.
MC for the evening will be our favourite Aussie swimming champion, Giaan
Rooney.
Event Details
6:30pm to 11:30pm
Minyama 1 & 2
Black Tie/Formal Wear
Contact Us
Should you have any questions about the conference please contact our 2021 BIG4 National Conference Event Partner: