A partnership between the Institute of Excellence and the Young Tourism Network.

Delivered as individual workshops or as a masterclass series with Despina Karatzias, Institute of Excellence.

Book your place for all three marketing masterclass sessions here. To book individual sessions

• Session 1 – LinkedIn content that gets noticed
• Session 2 – Meta business basics
• Session 3 – Leveraging short form video

Tickets

Ticket type	Individual sessions	Masterclass Series
Student YTN member*	$18	$45
Industry YTN member	$25	$70
Non-YTN member	$50	$120

* student members will need to book using their student email

About the Series

You’re already working in tourism or about to. You know the industry. You show up every day. But online? You’re barely visible.

This series changes that.

Three breakfast masterclasses. Three platforms. Every session is hands-on, practical and output-driven for you to leave with real content created, published and live on your profiles before you walk out the door. Not theory. Not notes. The real thing.

And across all three sessions, you’ll learn how to use each platform to promote and amplify events happening in your organisation building content before, during and after that drives attendance, extends reach and puts you at the centre of the story.

SESSION 01: LinkedIn content that gets noticed

7.15am to 9am (workshop 7.30am to 8.45am)

Tuesday 1 September 2026

Crowne Plaza Melbourne Carlton, 701 Swanston St, Carlton VIC 3053

LinkedIn is the most powerful professional platform in the world and most young tourism professionals are barely using it. This session shifts participants from passive users to confident, visible contributors who know how to show up, speak up and get noticed by the right people.

This session will team you how to leverage LinkedIn for your business and your own channels. How to build engagement, and chase mentions/links/tags and build audience. What participants walk away with:

• A published LinkedIn post built around a real project or workplace moment
• A simple content framework for consistent, professional visibility
• How to engage in conversations, comment with purpose and build presence beyond just posting
• How to write and publish a LinkedIn article, longer form content that builds authority and expertise
• How to use LinkedIn to promote and amplify events happening in your organisation, before, during and after
• Confidence to show up on LinkedIn as an emerging tourism professional, not just a job seeker

SESSION 02: Meta Business Basics

9am to 10.30am (workshop 9.15am to 10.30am)

Tuesday 15 September 2026

Melbourne CBD TBC

Facebook and Instagram are where tourism lives but having a profile isn’t the same as having a presence. This session gives participants the foundations to build a professional personal brand on Meta’s mainstream platforms, engage meaningfully in industry conversations and understand what the platforms can and cannot do for them.

What participants walk away with:

• A content plan built around their workplace or area of interest
• A published Instagram or Facebook post created in the room
• How to build a professional personal brand on Facebook and Instagram, showing up consistently across mainstream platforms
• How to engage meaningfully in the conversation commenting, responding and becoming a recognised voice in tourism communities
• How to use Facebook and Instagram to promote events, event listings, Stories, countdown posts and live coverage that drives attendance and engagement
• Understanding of Meta Business Suite, content pillars and what actually performs in tourism
• Understanding the limitations of Meta, algorithm dependency, reach restrictions, platform risk and why it should never be your only channel

SESSION 03: Leveraging short form video

7.15am to 9am (workshop 7.30am to 8.45am)

Tuesday 29 September 2026

Holiday Inn Melbourne Bourke Street Mall & Hotel Indigo Melbourne Little Collins

Short-form video is the fastest growing content format in tourism — and the most underused by professionals in the sector. This session takes participants from hesitant to capable: scripted, filmed, edited and published before they leave the room.

What participants walk away with:

• A short-form video scripted, filmed and edited using just their phone
• A repurposing strategy to publish across Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts simultaneously
• A repeatable video content process they can use for their employer or personal brand
• How to capture and create short-form video content around events in your organisation — from promotional teasers before the event to real-time coverage and post-event recaps that extend the life of every moment
• Why employee-generated content matters the benefits to you as a professional, to your organisation’s brand and reach, and to the broader tourism industry’s visibility and appeal

About your facilitator Despina Karatzias

Despina Karatzias has spent more than two decades helping tourism professionals and small business owners do one thing better than anyone else: show up with confidence and convert that presence into results.

As Founder of the Institute of Excellence, she delivers practical, hands-on training that skips the theory and goes straight to the doing. Every session is built around the platforms early-career tourism professionals need to master right now: LinkedIn, Meta and short-form video.

Recognised with the Outstanding Contribution by an Individual award at the 2022 Victorian Tourism Awards, Despina brings industry credibility, digital expertise and a practitioner-led delivery style that meets you exactly where you are and gets you moving.

“My session with Despina specifically focussed on LinkedIn to create visual content to enhance my website and blog posts. This was an excellent two hours, money well spent.” Ellen Balke, Insight 2 Results

“From Canva to website, she explained calmly and succinctly, now I’m in the digital arena! I learned so many tips and tricks that are making it so much easier to navigate my way around these social media tools.” Meg Cotter, Wyndham Learning Festival

Accessibility Information:

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible event environment.

The venue is accessible via lift, with accessible toilets available within the event space. 

If you have accessibility requirements or require assistance to attend, please contact us when registering for the event so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Register Here