Emerging Tourism Leaders Summit
Your Path, Your Impact
| 8.30am | Registrations open |
| 9am to 10.45am | Plenary keynote sessions |
| 10.45am | Morning tea: Grab a snack and coffee and head into VTIC’s Choose Tourism Careers Expo. |
| 11.15am to 12pm | Workshop sessions (choose one from three options) |
| 12pm to 12.45pm | Workshop sessions (choose one from three options) |
| 12.45pm to 1.45pm | Lunch: Take your lunch into the Choose Tourism Careers Expo to explore your next career move and chat directly with prospective employers. |
| 1.45pm to 2.30pm | Workshop sessions (choose one from three options) |
| 2.30pm to 3pm | Afternoon tea: Grab a snack and coffee and head into VTIC’s Choose Tourism Careers Expo. |
| 3pm to 5pm | Plenary keynote sessions |
Mel Neil
CEO & Founder – Mind Insurance
With a passion for enabling an ever-growing number of people to access the science of human flourishing, Mel Neil has been coaching and consulting for over 20 years. Using her strengths-based approach, she designs and delivers custom leadership and performance programs for clients in the public and private sectors. Mel has developed the Happiness Lab and Academy platforms in response to the demand for a space in which individuals can engage with the science of human flourishing and apply their learning to improve the areas of their life that they choose to change.
Nic Cooper
Founder – Wild Adventures Melbourne (WAM)
Founder – 7 Generations Tourism
Immersed in tourism since the age of 11 (1995), Nic witnessed the good, bad and ugly of tourism, so set out to start a business that was part of the solution, not the problem. Nic is the founder of Wild Adventures Melbourne (WAM), an industry leading regenerative tourism business. WAM winning the 2025 National Banksia Sustainability Awards (Tourism & Destinations Award) proving that a micro business, having a maximum positive impact, on a micro budget, is a business model that can help transform tourism in Australia and beyond.
Joey Saunders
General Manager – Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tours
Joey is the General Manager of Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tours, a business built from the hard work of our Elders. He’s in his current role because the Elders believed in him and wanted the world to learn the truth of their culture. Tourism is the platform they use to honour their legacy and share living Gunditjmara stories with people from all over the world. The best advice he’s ever been given came from his Elders. They’d say, “You already know the way.” and it reminded him to trust himself, even when he didn’t have all the answers and if he didn’t know something, they’d say, “There’s no shame in asking and there’s no wrong in giving it a go.”
Sarah Harrison
Campaign Manager – Tourism New Zealand
Following her Master of Tourism, Sarah has built her experience in consumer and trade destination marketing. She loves the passion and camaraderie in this industry.
Best advice she’s received: the travel industry is small, and the best networking opportunities happen outside the office (and often out of hours). So go to the events, stay for the networking drinks, organise coffee meetings, and build your network (you never know where those contacts may end up!).
Fiona Sweetman
Fiona fell into tourism, as she realised she could learn, she just needed different tools that that of a classroom. She thrived on her travels, connecting with new languages, people and her sense of curiosity. Someone seeing something in her that she had not considered helped her start her own tourism career, though her habit was already in place. Today she is working to connect the lifestyle of caravanning to the Victorian visitor economy. She believes that sense of place is amplified through local pride, and informed context. Sense of place is the reason we travel, and travel is a precious way to learn. #theValueOfTourism offers more in lessons and connection than just profit.
Isabel Hurley
MC & Global Product Manager for Curriculum Tours – World Challenge
Isabel works for a travel company called World Challenge and she’s the Global Product Manager for Curriculum Tours. She moved into the trade and wholesale sector two years ago after being the coordinator for ATE at Visit Victoria and discovering the “underbelly” of tourism. She loves this industry because it allows us to make a meaningful impact on people (in her case students and local communities) and you meet incredible like-minded people along the way.
Alex Dugdale
Director – Lift Up Leadership
Alex focuses on transforming frontline managers into effective leaders at his organisation LiftUp Leadership. Leveraging two decades of sales, customer success and leadership development experience, he supports people in defining and achieving their leadership goals while empowering their direct team to perform at their best. Alex has Global Fortune 500 Company experience, consulting C-Suite and has trained hundreds of leaders in more than 30 countries specialising in helping managers build and forge their leadership philosophy.
Daniela Ruiz G.
Tourism Sustainability Manager – Carbonhalo
From bold early advocacy, Dani champion sustainable tourism—driven by lived experience and a belief that travel should enrich communities and regenerate ecosystems and local economies.
One of the things she’s most proud of is how she’s been able to integrate her passion for sustainable tourism and inclusion within all her roles in the industry, no matter what my title was. During her time at Tourism Tasmania, she was very vocal and passionate about how we can integrate sustainable tourism practices into our everyday jobs. She eventually successfully pitched to be Tourism Tasmania’s inaugural Sustainability Officer. She introduced carbon measurement and reduction initiatives, laying the groundwork for more environmentally responsible practices.
Madeleine Sawyer
Sustainable Destination Development Officer – Tourism Midwest Victoria
As a proud advocate of tourism as a profession, Madeleine has taken on roles across the industry in the accommodation sector, the caravan and camping industry, in research and industry development. She is passionate about the important role that the visitor economy plays in telling the story of a region, culture and people, all the while enriching the lives of the community when developed and managed in a sustainable manner. In her current role at Tourism Midwest Victoria, she is working to empower and advocate these benefits for the Ballarat region through tourism product and industry development.
Jack Trainor
Senior Account Manager – Booking.com
Jack has always had a strong passion for Tourism and while he started out his career in E-Commerce and Fintech, he always knew he was going to make his way back to the industry he loved. Jack has been with Booking.com for 3 years and has supported hundreds of accommodation providers across Oceania to grow their business. Today, Jack supports the top holiday rental companies across our region and prides himself on helping everyone to experience the world.
Ian Grimwood
Lead Facilitator & Consultant – Ian Grimwood Consulting
Ian is leadership and engagement consultant for students & early career professionals. He has worked with emerging leaders for almost two decades and loves following their career journeys. He proudly follows the careers of the people he has mentored and interacted with.
David Do
Learning & Development Manager – W Hotels
David has had an exciting hospitality journey so far from working with brands like Disney to Crown Resorts and now Marriott International, he has worked in roles across front office, sales, marketing, and reservations. He is now the Learning and Development Manager at W Melbourne Hotel. He is responsible for facilitating the onboarding and brand immersion/culture training for all talent at the hotel.
Shaun McKeogh
Organisational Development Consultant – Attractions Academy
Shaun is an international expert in themed edutainment and tourism attractions. He develops OD initiatives, training, and service quality systems, championing safety, service excellence, guest and employee engagement. This industry matters because we create lifelong memories.
Darryl Newby
Co-founder – Welcome to Travel
Darryl is in the business of making memories by running tours in Australia for travellers aged 18 – 35 years old who want to connect and have unique experiences. He is proud of the stories of Welcome to Travel travellers. There have been marriages, babies and people have even had the logo tattooed on them.
Elle Reinehr
Client Relationship Manager (MICE) – MCG Events by Delaware North
Elle was the Inaugural winner of the Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) Future Leader Award, and is responsible for driving greater use of the MCG on Non Match Days from the Business Event and Tourism sector – with a focus on National Association and International Incentive markets.
Ingrid Fraser
Director of Public Policy & Advocacy – Australian Travel Industry Association
Ingrid is a public policy and advocacy specialist passionate about helping the travel industry thrive, and building the workforce it needs for the future. She represents the industry on key national travel and tourism advisory bodies. Globally, Ingrid is a Deputy Director of the World Travel Agents Association Alliance.
Sam Tooley
Stakeholder Engagement Manager—Tourism – Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA)
Sam has over 20 years of industry experience in roles as Managing Director at White Sands Events, Industry Engagement Specialist at Destination Sydney Surrounds South and as Stakeholder Engagement Manager at the Canberra Region Tourism Industry Council. Sam was awarded the Winner of the NSW Tourism Industry Association’s Tourism Star Award in 2024 for the Centre of Excellence. Since joining SaCSA, Sam has been heavily involved in developing the Tourism, Travel and Hospitality Workforce Plan Update 2025. The Report focuses on industry challenges and provides insights on managing the future of the industry.
Brendan McClements
CEO – Visit Victoria
Brendan has been CEO of Visit Victoria since December 2019. He has extensive leadership experience across government and commercial sectors, including major events, sport, financial services, and food and beverage. Brendan was previously Global Head of Events at TLA Worldwide and CEO of the Victorian Major Events Company, where he helped bring major events like the 2015 Cricket World Cup, International Champions Cup, Melbourne Winter Masterpieces, and White Night to Victoria. He has also held senior roles with the International Cricket Council, Cricket Australia, Norwich Union, Carlton & United Breweries, and Basketball Australia. Brendan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media Studies from RMIT University.
Joyce Watts
Founder and CEO – Tot Hot or Not
Joyce is the founder and CEO of Tot Hot or Not, Melbourne and Victoria’s biggest family travel platform and a niche local media company. Her journey from corporate law to tourism was fueled by a passion for connecting parents, carers and kids with amazing experiences and places so that they can have more fun together! Tourism matters to Joyce because it connects people with communities and creates joyful, lifelong memories.
Lisa Patroni
CEO – VTIC
Lisa is a strategic leader in tourism, events, and public land. With over 25 years’ experience, she drives innovation, cultural transformation, and stakeholder engagement. Lisa is known for aligning vision with impact and shaping a resilient, inclusive, and forward-looking visitor economy for Victoria.
Liz Hamilton
Director of Projects – Food and Drink Victoria
Liz Hamilton is an experienced project and business development manager who has worked within the Victorian visitor economy for 15+ years, 10 years of which have been at Food + Drink Victoria. Liz is a well respected and connected member of the wider Victorian food and drinks industry with extensive knowledge of Victorian wine, event and hospitality tourism. Her position as Director of Projects ensures she is well-placed to oversee the development and delivery of Food + Drink Victoria programs and events including the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
Your Questions Answered
Yes! We are offering regional Victorian’s tickets at member prices. Get in touch with your local regional tourism board for the offer code.
You can also get in touch with us via info@youngtourismnetwork.com.au.
We’ve designed the pricing with students in mind so we don’t have a discount on the ticket price specifically for students.
If you’re a student with one of our education provider partners, we do offer a discount to sign up as a member. Talk to your education provider to see if they are a partner!
You heard right!
First things first – after the Summit, join our speakers and exhibitors for drinks at the venue, followed by the after party at Melbourne Public. Summit ticket holders and YTN members will enjoy a free welcome drink on arrival.
We’ll be announcing more details soon.
- By tram – take route 96 tram and disembark at stop 32 (Casino/MCEC/Clarendon St)
- By train – get off at Southern Cross station and walk down along Spencer Street.
- Map of the venue & where to find us.
Yes!
Crowne Plaza Melbourne are offering the Young Tourism Network 15% off their best available rates. See how to claim your discount in your confirmation email for your ticket.
We are happy to work with you to do this, please get in touch with us via email info@youngtourismnetwork.com.au and we can organise an invoice for you.
It can be tricky to approach your manager about attending professional development opportunities. We’ve put together a template for you to use to approach your workplace about attending the Summit and asking for it to be paid for as part of your professional development.
You can use this template as a base to apply for any professional development down the track too!
Applying for Approval for Professional Development Opportunities.docx
