MICE Research Goulburn

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FACULTY OF BUSINESS
SCHOOL OF LEISURE, SPORT AND TOURISM
TOURISM MANAGEMENT PROJECT
GOULBURN CONFERENCE
CAPABILITIES:
MARKET
ANALYSIS
AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
PREPARED FOR: Goulburn Mulwaree Council
PREPARED BY: Natalia Krivonogova

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GOULBURN
CONFERENCE
CAPABILITIES:
MARKET ANALYSIS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Natalia Krivonogova
Tourism Management Project
University of Technology, Sydney
Supervisor: Robert Harris
Client: Goulburn Mulwaree Council
Civic Centre, 184-194 Bourke Street, Goulburn NSW 2580
P: (02) 4823 4531
F: (02) 4822 2692
Disclaimer: Findings expressed in this report are the result of research conducted by the
author. Recommendations remain the view of the author and neither the author nor the
University is responsible for any actions taken in response to this document.

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Executive Summary
Business events industry is a one of the focuses of Australian Government at the moment as it
possess significant financial potential. In 2011, all business events expenditure increased by
19% over 2010 expenditure and reached $10 billion. As State of the Business Industry Report
(2012) outlines, the Australian business events industry has recovered from the Global
Financial Crisis and currently expenditure and visitation have returned to pre-GFC figures.
The numerous studies conducted in the last decade including The National Business Events
Strategy for Australia 2020 (2008); New Business Events Infrastructure (2009); etc. underline
the overwhelming potential that exists for Australia. However, regional conferencing is yet
struggling and to be developed to its full scale. For this to happen, the government and its
agencies, DMOs, venue management, event companies and other stakeholders all to play
their part and realize that each relies upon the other for the industry to grow. Building a
successful business events industry depends on effective and efficient destination marketing
and the delivery of the event. Also dynamic demand is the key factor to its sustainability. At
the moment Australian Government has focused on identifying international business event
opportunities. It is yet to recognize that the local market is heavily dependent on locally
planned and developed business events rather than international. Amongst other initiatives
including Regional Sydney Steering Committee formed by DMOs of the key tourism
destinations in NSW to address this issue, current study is focused on examination of the
market and its competitiveness, the limitations and prospects of Goulburn Mulwaree Region
as a business event destination.
Goulburn Conference Capabilities study has covered three (3) areas:
1. Criteria involved in the Decision Making Process;
2. Features of Business events market and it’s environment in Goulburn;
3. Opportunities for targeting Government and Business conferencing.

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction p. 9
2. Client Analysis p. 10
2.1 Client p. 10
2.2 Background p. 10
2.3 Previous Research p. 11
2.4 Client Expectations and Objectives p. 12
3. Defining Problem Being Investigated p. 13
3.1 Primary Problem p. 13
3.2 Additional Barriers to Development p. 14
4. Project Rationale p. 15
5. Objectives p. 15
6. Overview of Relevant Literature p. 16
6.1 Planning Research p. 16
6.2 Feasibility Studies p. 17
6.3 Events Research and MICE p. 17
6.4 Audit of existing facilities and currently held events p. 18
6.5 Strategic management concepts: Market Analysis and Capabilities p. 19
7. Methodology p. 21
7.1 Primary Data p. 21
7.2 Secondary Data p. 23
8. Data Collection Instruments p. 24
9. Ethical Considerations p. 24
10. Gantt Chart p. 24
11. Statement of Resources p. 25
12. Findings p. 26
13. Discussion p. 38
14. Recommendations p. 98
15. Conclusion p. 106
16. References p. 107
17. Appendices p. 111

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List of Abbreviations
B2B - Business-to-business
DMO - Destination Marketing Organisation
GFC - Global Financial Crisis
GMC - Goulburn Mulwaree Council
GMR - Goulburn Mulwaree Region
MICE - Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions
RTO - Regional Tourism Organisation
SMS - Short Message Service
VFR - Visiting Friends and Relatives

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List of Appendices
Appendix A: City of Goulburn, NSW.
Appendix B: Event Management Plan Contents
Appendix C: Facilities Directory (GMC, 2013)
Appendix D: Interview Questions
Appendix E: Interview Checklist
Appendix F: Information Sheet and Consent Form
Appendix G: Observation Record Form
Appendix H: Gantt chart
Appendix I: GMR Tourist Accommodation profile (Destination NSW, 2011)

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List of Figures
Figure 1: The distribution of events by type (large and small scale).
Figure 2: The distribution of MICE event in venues.
Figure 3: Observations on the market growth.
Figure 4: Origins of the existing demand.
Figure 5: Criteria used by companies when considering a venue or destination to hold a
business event.
Figure 6: Market challenges.
Figure 7: The structure of business travel and tourism (Source: Adapted from Swarbrooke
and Horner, 2001)
Figure 8: Promotional activities in business tourism (Source: Adapted from Swarbrooke and
Horner, 2001)
Figure 9: ZMOT concept (Source: Adapted from McDonnell, 2009)
Figure 10: Elements of business tourism product (Source: Adapted from Swarbrooke and
Horner, 2001)

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List of Tables
Table 1: Advantages and disadvantages of primary data resources.
Table 2: Classification of currently held events.
Table 3: Market advantages.
Table 4: The main types of corporate events.

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1. Introduction
The purpose of this report is to assist Goulburn Mulwaree Council in achieving their
goal of attracting tourists and business investment to the region through development
of its corporate business events industry. This study attempted to gain an insight of
the industry’s current state by reflecting on its key players’ performance and
perceptions about the market. Particular focus is paid to targeting government
institutions and major franchise businesses with local offices to hold their
conferences, seminars and other types of corporate business events in Goulburn. This
report outlines the criteria for destination selection utilised by events organising
companies and examines the limitations that Goulburn would face in attempts to
develop its corporate business events market further. A significant part of the research
is dedicated to Goulburn’s existing corporate business events market analysis.
Besides, the study examines currently utilised managerial strategies identified by
industry representatives and also the level of support provided at present. Finally, this
report concludes with further development recommendations addressed to the key
stakeholders, including the local government and the industry key players, which are
aimed at assisting and guiding the growth of conference market in the area.

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2. Client Analysis
I. Client
Goulburn Mulwaree Council (GMC)
Civic Centre, 184-194 Bourke Street, Goulburn NSW 2580 (see Appendix A).
The Mayor of Goulburn Mulwaree Council is Clr Geoff Kettle and the liaison is Jacki
Weatherstone.
E-mail: Jacki.Weatherstone@goulburn.nsw.gov.au
P: (02) 4823 4531
F: (02) 4822 2692
Goulburn Mulwaree Council is located in the Southern Tablelands of New South
Wales, 200 km from Sydney and 95 km from Canberra (GMC Management Plan,
2012). The area covered by the council is 3,232 km2 with a population of
approximately 27,100 people (GMC Council Management Plan, 2012). Goulburn
Mulwaree Council is the local government responsible for the provision of services
and maintaining the welfare of the area. Generally speaking, the council works
towards ensuring the Goulburn area is an attractive destination for tourists and
investors. It aims to maintain a sustainable, vibrant community; protecting, enhancing
and enjoying its rich social, environmental and economic heritage. Council’s primary
objective, however, is to provide the best possible service to the residents of the
Goulburn Mulwaree area.
II. Background
During the last couple of years the Council, according to their official web-site, has
been intensively promoting the area’s facilities and features to attract visitors, new
residents and investment to the region. They have put together a strategic marketing
team to develop long-term strategies and address the existing constraints for growth.
Since, the team formed as a part of Visitor Information Centre has been the first point
of contact between visitors, businesses, new residents and the Council.

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Goulburn Visitor Information Centre, which is owned and operated by Goulburn
Mulwaree Council, aims to provide quality information, advice and referral services
to the residents and new entrants of the community (GMC Council Management Plan,
2012). It is stated that council’s responsibilities also include assisting local businesses
to become more competitive. This applies to the corporate business events industry as
well, which has recently been seen as a significant opportunity to facilitate growth in
the region. Besides, the Council seeks and encourages partnerships between
businesses, government and regional organisations to support local operations and
reach a higher level of welfare of the local community (GMC Council Management
Plan, 2012).
There have been multiple projects undertaken with the common aim of promoting
Goulburn, its facilities and surrounding, as an appealing destination for visitors and
business investors. These include: the recent advertising campaign Goulburn
Australia, which is aimed at re-branding Goulburn as a destination; New Business
Attraction Project and Treechanger Attraction Project both focusing on bringing in
new residents and diverse businesses to the region (GMC Web-site, 2013). These
projects, as well as the proposed Economic Development Action Plan for Goulburn
Mulwaree region, provide a coherent perspective on the client’s intentions and future
vision for the region and will assist the current research of the potential for further
development of the corporate business events industry in Goulburn. Moreover, there
is an enterprise, named The Goulburn Group (TGG), which is a non-for-profit group
also actively supporting the promotion of Goulburn’s destination image and
reinforcement of the area’s economy through close partnership with the Council and
its projects mentioned but not limited to the ones above.
III. Previous Research
According to the client, there is no previous research on the corporate business events
market; therefore this study is the first attempt to gain an understanding of the existing
market state and the opportunities for hosting corporate business events in Goulburn,
with the aim of identifying the most effective target markets. It was suggested that a
number of local government organisations could represent a potential target audience

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due to the proximity of their offices and also the industry trends. This report is
expected to assist with launching further research initiatives to develop
Government/Business market segment of the corporate events industry.
IV. Client Expectations and Objectives
As mentioned previously, the GMC’s main motivation is to create a stream of new
visitors, investments and facilitate growth in the region. The current study has been
design to help the client to achieve the above goals through investigation of
Goulburn’s conference market capabilities. This study is the very first exploration of
the issue and collection of primary data; it represents an in-depth research of the
conference and business events market in the area. It is designed with an ambition to
be utilised for future research and development initiatives on the issue. For this study
to be successful it is essential to achieve an understanding of the current state of
corporate events market and its capabilities to address it appropriately. Besides, the
research attempts to assess the practicality of developing this market and suitability of
the current facilities in the area for the existing demand. In addition, this report
comprises a number of recommendations to ensure effective targeting of the existing
and suggested market segments.
The client is seeking to gain a coherent understanding of the corporate business events
market state and conditions, focusing on Government/Business market segment in
particular, and an outline for effective targeting of the identified segment. Evidently,
addressing these expectations will also serve the overriding aim of the Council - to
attract new businesses and professionals to the region and in such way stimulate the
local economy. Therefore, the goal of this study is to produce a market analysis for
corporate business events held in Goulburn and address strategic targeting of the
Government/Business audience currently seen as an opportunity for development. The
research attempted to identify Government organisations and other businesses that
will be interested in holding corporate events in the area and also produce a list of
recommendations to approach them. Finally, it was planned to produce a thorough
report which local event organising companies and hosting venues could use as a
guide to the market and also base their appeals for support, partnership and
collaboration with in the whole tourism industry.

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3. Defining Problem Being Investigated
Goulburn Mulwaree Council is currently facing the challenge of having the local
conference facilities underutilised. It has been an on-going issue for several years now,
thus GMC has put significant effort and funding into marketing of the region and its
facilities. However, there is an evident lack of market research and general
investigation of this issue. Therefore, the client required a study which will include an
assessment of the existing conference facilities in Goulburn, analysis of the corporate
business events market and also recommendations on the development of this market
further.
I. Primary Problem
IRIS Research findings show that economic development of Goulburn Mulwaree area
has been one of the top rating issues for the local community since 2006 (GMC
Economic Development Plan, 2008). As a result, GMC commissioned an Economic
Development Plan in 2008, which revealed numerous socio-economic indicators and
measures which shown the designated area was in decline. Therefore, some of the
designed initiatives based on the results of that Economic Development Plan include
establishment of the Council’s Economic Development & Tourism Advisory
Committee and supporting, as already mentioned, Treechanger Attraction Project,
New Business Attraction Project, Goulburn Wetlands and Goulburn Australia re-
branding campaign, all developed and commissioned in 2010 (Goulburn Mulwaree
Council Web-site, 2013). These projects overall were targeted at creation of an
appealing image of Goulburn Mulwaree region and attracting people and business as
an attempt to combat some of the region’s declining socio-economic indicators
identified in the 2008 Economic Development Plan.
The primary problem which this project is trying to address is the relatively stagnant
socio-economic growth experienced by the region over the recent years. The client is
considering development of government/business conference market segment as an
opportunity, because it is in its early stage and potentially represents a significant
source for investment inflow and skilled labour migration to the region.

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II. Additional Barriers to Development
While the conference market presents opportunities to stimulate local economy and
regional community revitalisation, it has development barriers which must also be
accounted for. According to the client, the most affecting barrier is the lack of
statistical data on utilization of the facilities. It has been emphasized that there is no
specific entity established to gather data on business-related events and such held in
the region. Therefore, the client has limited understanding of the demand and supply
traits in the industry, including usage volumes, frequency and quality of the service
provision. Undoubtedly, these characteristics are essential for designing appropriate
strategy for further development of the conference sector (Bird & McEwan, 2012).
For example, according to Lynch (2009), having information on existing supply
network is necessary to correctly determine whether more facilities are required and
the Council should encourage and approve regional development of new conference
facilities or there is a surplus of hosting venues already. Besides, it is essential to
determine types of organisations which are already utilising Goulburn’s facilities to
hold their corporate business events and which are most likely to begin doing so
(Davidson, 2006). This knowledge will also help to discover if any particular
improvements are required in order to capture this market segment (conducting
satisfaction level assessments). The discussed information is currently not being
collected and, nevertheless, represents crucial knowledge for any research to be
conducted on this issue.
The client also recognises some insufficiencies in existing facilities to cater for this
market; however this area remains unexplored, again, due to the limited data and
professional knowledge. Therefore, the client is unable to determine which of the
facilities pose the biggest hindrance to existing and potential customers who intend to
use Goulburn’s venues for their conferencing. Perhaps, it also played as a strong
deterrent for active involvement and support of the Government.

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4. Project Rationale
As Goulburn Mulwaree Council is aiming to develop Government/Business
conference market segment, they seek to obtain a report on the current state of the
market, suitability of its existing facilities and recommendations for developing this
market further. Current research has been designed for the purposes of addressing the
issue and helping the council to achieve its primary goal of creating an attractive
social and business environment for potential entrants.
5. Objectives
1. Research the current state of Goulburn’s MICE market segment and determine
the current market share.
2. Evaluate Goulburn’s capabilities to accommodate for the MICE market segment.
3. Identify to what extend the present strategies are aligned with current capabilities.
4. Provide recommendations on the opportunities for development of Goulburn’s
MICE market further and Business/Government organisations as a niche for this
market segment.
Goulburn
Market
analysis
Capability
Approach
Prospects

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6. Overview of Relevant Literature
The current section highlights the topics and concepts on which this report will focus
as well as the fields of study and literary review to be used to establish, inform and
accomplish the report objectives.
I. Planning Research
Firstly, it was essential to identify the parameters and research techniques which are
available and from these to assess the appropriate operating methods for this project.
From a review of the following publications the range of potential methods for
research was established and methodology developed. These resources were essential
for the development of report structure, research design and data analysis techniques.
Altinay, L. & Paraskevas, A., 2008, Planning Research in Hospitality and Tourism,
Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.
Bormann, E. G., 1969, Discussion and Group Methods Theory and Practice, (2nd ed.),
Harper and Row Publishers Inc., New York, USA.
Gibbs, G. R., 2002, Qualitative Data Analysis: Explorations with NVivo, Open
University Press, Berkshire, UK.
Hollway, W. & Jefferson, T., 2000, Doing qualitative research differently, SAGE
Publications, London, UK.
Polonsky, M. J. & Waller, D. S., 2005, Designing and Managing a Research Project:
a Business Student’s Guide, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Taylor-Powell, E. & Renner, M., 2003, Analyzing Qualitative Data, University of
Wisconsin, Wisconsin, USA, viewed on 23rd of July 2013,
<http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/g3658-12.pdf>
Veal, A., 2011, Research methods for leisure and tourism: a practical guide,
Financial Times Prentice Hall, Harlow, Essex, UK.
Weitzman, E. A. & Miles, B., 1995, A Software Sourcebook: Computer Programs for
Qualitative Data Analysis, SAGE Publications, USA.

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II. Feasibility Studies
When addressing Objectives 2 and 4, it was necessary to begin from assessing the
state of the existing demand and supply and produce a small feasibility examination
of the potential benefits vs. costs of developing the corporate business events market
beyond. The following literature has been looked at to increase expertise in the field.
Ali-Knight, J. & Chaambers, D. (eds), 2006, Case Studies in Festival and Events
Marketing and Cultural Tourism, Festivals and Events Economic Impacts Vol.2, LSA
Publications, Brighton, UK.
McRae, D., 1996, The Integration/Inclusion Feasibility Study: A summary of the
findings and recommendations, NSW Dept. of School Education, Sydney, NSW.
Overton, R., 2008, Feasibility Study manual: Write your own feasibility study, Sydney
Business Center, Paradise Point, QLD.
Tonge, R., 2000, How to Conduct Feasibility Studies for Tourism Projects, Gull
Publishing Pty. Ltd., Coolum Beach, QLD.
Tourism South Australia, 1993, Development Guide for the Preparation of Feasibility
Studies for Tourism Projects, Tourism South Australia, Adelaide.
III. Events Research and MICE
There are many components involved in event development, from the fundamentals of
where to hold it, to the finer aspects of planning and marketing. The following
references were used to identify the spheres of focus relevant to event planners, their
decision-making and applied destination criteria (see Figure 5). These are the main
sources for the insights to the industry and its structure, which also helped to gain
basic understanding and terminology used in the industry.
Allen, J., O’Toole, W., McDonnell, I. and Harris, R., 2011, Festival and special
Events Management (5th ed.), John Wiley & Sons, Australia.
Appleby, P., 2002, Organising a conference: how to plan and run a successful event,
Oxford, UK.

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Dickson, G., Robinson, P. & Wale, D. (eds), 2010, Events Management, CAB
International, Oxfordshire, UK.
Frew, E. & Robertson, M. (eds), 2008, Events and Festivals: Current Trends and
Issues, Routledge, NY.
Leiper, N., 2004, Tourism Management, (3rd ed.), Pearson Education Australia,
Frenchs Forrest, NSW.
Pride, W.M., Elliott G., Rundle-Thiele S., Paladino A., Ferrell O.C., 2006, Marketing:
Core Concepts and Applications, John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd, Milton, QLD.
Shone, A., 2010, Successful event management: a practical handbook, Cengage
Learning, Hampshire, UK.
One of the main concepts utilised throughout the research is called MICE, which
stands for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions - the most common types
of corporate business event combined together to refer to this segment of the industry.
The following academic resources were chosen to gain a better understanding of this
segment and its operations in Australian environment.
Bureau of Tourism Research, 1998, Measuring MICE Industry Infrastructure,
Research report n.1, Bureau of Tourism Research, Canberra.
Davidson, R., 2006, Marketing destinations and venues for conferences, conventions
and business events, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, England.
Johnson, L.,1998, MICE – Size and Economic Impact of the Meetings Sector, Bureau
of Tourism Research, Melbourne, Australia.
IV. Audit of existing facilities and currently held events
An audit of Goulburn’s existing events, venues and other facilities is required and
developed mainly based on the booklets published by GMC and Visitor Information
Centre, and also the information provided on the web-site, as well as some additional
information brochures on proposed developments in the region (See Appendix C).

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Goulburn Mulwaree Council, 2013, Goulburn & Surroundings: Conference, Event
and Function Directory, viewed on 1st of May 2013,
<http://www.igoulburn.com/site/files/ul/data_text12/1611009.pdf>
Goulburn Visitor Information Centre, 2013, All attractions, viewed on 1st of May
2013, <http://www.igoulburn.com/Attractions-in-Goulburn-Australia/ViewAll.aspx>
Goulburn Mulwaree Council, 2007, Goulburn Mulwaree Economic Development
Plan, viewed on 1st of May 2013,
<http://www.goulburn.nsw.gov.au/images/documents/goulburn/mig/7157-
Goulburn_Mulwaree_ED_Plan.pdf>
The later document also outlines the prospects and limitations for tourist activity in
the area, which as well are relevant and affect the industry. Moreover, it discusses the
issue of the poor destination image of the Goulburn region.
Goulburn Visitor Information Centre, 2013, Groups, Conferences, Weddings,
Reunions & Special Events, viewed on 1st of May 2013,
<http://www.igoulburn.com/Services-for-Groups-in-Goulburn-Australia.aspx>
Goulburn Visitor Information Centre, 2013, What’s On - All events, viewed on 1st of
May 2013, <http://www.igoulburn.com/Whats-On-in-Goulburn-Australia/All.aspx>
Goulburn Mulwaree Council, 2013, Multi Use Complex, viewed on 1st of May 2013,
<http://www.goulburn.nsw.gov.au/index.php?option=com_jentlacontent&view=articl
e&id=1133071%3Agoulburn-recreation-area-multi-use-complex1&Itemid=3891>
V. Strategic management concepts: Market analysis and
Capabilities
The following literature has been identified as relevant to the topic and includes
essential strategic management and marketing concepts, which include market
analysis, organisational performance and positioning and will be presented further in
the report. Objectives 2 and 3 of this study are address based on the knowledge
obtained from these resources. In addition, the chosen literature facilitates and informs
objective 4 of current research.

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Bird, A. & McEwan, M., 2012, Growth Drivers: The Definitive Guide to Building
Marketing Capabilities, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, USA.
Burke, S., 2006, Linking Competitive Positions, Success Requirements and
Capabilities, Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Australia.
Bustos, A.-M. & Burke, S., 2007, Readiness for Competitive Positioning: A
Managerial Checklist, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Elliot, G., 2012, Marketing, John Wiley and Sons Australia, Milton, QLD.
Grant, R., 2011, Contemporary Strategic Management: an Australasian perspective,
John Wiley & Sons, Milton, QLD.
Kuada, J., 2008, International Market Analysis Theories and Methods, Adonis &
Abbey Publishers Ltd, London, UK.
Lynch, R., 2009, Strategic Management, (5th ed.), Financial Times Prentice Hall,
Harlow, UK.
Middleton, V., 2009, Marketing in Travel and Tourism, Butterworth-Heinemann,
Oxford, UK.
Wilden, R., Gudergan, S. & Lings, I., 2007, Dynamic Capabilities and
Organisational Performance, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.

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7. Methodology
The project is a mixed type research and embraces descriptive, explanatory and
evaluative features. Firstly, it is descriptive of the current state of the MICE industry. It
also does comprise an explanation of the trends and tendencies of the defined industry
in the region, and finally performs an assessment of the market share by the local
government organisations and examines the opportunities for its further development.
Primary data collected during ethnographic fieldwork represents the core information to
form the analysis; some relevant secondary data was also used both obtained from the
client and research participants as well as other academic resources. The primary
concern of this study is not a numerical reflection of the existing market state, but to
develop an understanding of the market and its conditions and deliver certain
recommendations to the client. Therefore, this is an applied empirical research,
qualitative in its nature.
I. Primary Data
In-depth interviewing is the only data collection method used in this study; however
researcher’s observations and similar auxiliary techniques are also included in the
methodology as an important component for developing a complete image of the MICE
market. In-depth interviewing is classified as one of the methods of ‘naturalistic’
approach; it was chosen because it “allows gathering large amount of information on
the subject from a few participants” (Veal, 2011, p. 35). The analysis of the current
demand, supply and MICE events held in the region is based on the information
gathered during in-depth interviews with a number of key industry players represented
by the management of such facilities in Goulburn. This approach allowed gaining an
insight to the industry professionals’ experiences and perceptions on the subject and
thus facilitated the understanding of the challenges that constrain the development of
this segment (Polonsky & Waller, 2005).
As mentioned before, the population of this study is represented by the management
groups/representatives of the existing facilities which cater for MICE events in the
Goulburn Mulwaree region. The sample size was initially undetermined but limited to a

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maximum of ten interviews, due to the available research resources. Of course, it has
been projected to fluctuate as the ‘snowball sampling’ or as it is also called ‘referral
sampling’ method that has been chosen to collect the data. Besides, dropouts and last-
minute cancellation were accounted for to ensure the research has sufficient data for
analysis. To begin with, the entire population was divided into categories based on
venues features, including its purpose, size, level of involvement/interest etc. The next
step was to consult with the client finalise a list of ten interview participants which
would be the most appropriate/desirable to include in the sample group. It was
estimated that initial interviewees will refer to other industry- and issue-related
professionals, which was seen to assist the research by expanding on the subject. Thus,
the sample group from the beginning was projected to build up until there is enough
data gathered to be useful for the analysis or the research resources are exhausted. The
client helped to select the initial candidates to be interviewed, which were shortly
contacted to confirm their willingness to participate in the research and also current
availability. In case of availability of the unused resources, the number of participants
was predicted to grow by referrals from the initial sample group and then to be
recruited accordingly to the primary group method. The research comprised, first of all,
a revision of the subject-related literature including both provided by the client and self-
researched resources on the topic. Secondly, two familiarisation trips were completed
as an essential means of getting to know the client and also building up personal
observations on the issue (Polonsky & Waller, 2005). Subsequently, the interviews
were conducted in person or over the phone, in accordance with the participants’ and
the researcher’s availability and preferences, and afterwards were entirely transcribed.
The gathered data was further processed in NVivo, a specifically developed software
for qualitative data analysis, utilising preliminary and meta- coding (Altinay &
Paraskevas, 2008), and informed the current report.
Table 1 illustrates the advantages and disadvantages of employing primary data sources
in a research (Jennings, 2001). Based on some of the apparent traits such as relevance
and recency of gathered information, it has been determined necessary to exploit this
kind of approach as far as the research resources permit. Yet, because of its certain
disadvantages like time-consuming nature of this approach etc., other research
informing methods were incorporated in present methodology, including secondary
data sources and relevant academic materials.

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II. Secondary Data
Secondary data collection was mainly employed through a web-based research and was
utilised throughout the research process specifically to facilitate the fulfilment of
Objectives 1, 2 and 3. This method assisted in placing a broader perspective on the
research and allowing the researcher to gain information that may not have been readily
available otherwise, as well as to introduce relevant concepts from other sources of
academic literature. Besides, it facilitated accurate examination of the Australian
business environment for MICE segment and better understanding of the implications
such conditions may have on the industry.

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8. Data Collection Instruments
The following instruments have been developed to gather research data. They can be
categorised by type as primary and supportive instruments. Primary instruments include
Interview questions and are illustrated in Appendix D. The supportive documents were
designed to facilitate the main data collection process as accompanying record tools
and to obtain additional data overlooked by the primary instruments. They comprise
Information Sheet, Consent Form, Interview Checklist and Observation Record Form
(see Appendix F, Appendix E and Appendix G).
9. Ethical Considerations
Due to the nature of the methods undertaken during the research, it was necessary that
the research team adhere to strict ethical guidelines as outlined by the University of
Technology, Sydney. During the study the researcher:
• Ensured all in-depth interview participants took part liberally and with informed
consent.
• Guaranteed confidentiality of the interview participants was protected
• Advised all participants about the purpose of the interviews, how the collected
information would be utilised and to whom it would be reported.
• Ensured the privacy of participants was respected when carrying out observational
research.
10. Gantt Chart
A time schedule for completion of this project has been developed and can be found in
Appendix H. Gantt chart is generally used as a tool to measure the performance of the
research team throughout all the stages of the research and assess the efficiency and
compliance with the initially proposed timeline of the project (Altinay & Paraskevas,
2008).

25 | P a g e
11. Statement of Resources
Due to the fact that this study is carried out by one person, there are minimal costs
associated with it. Moreover, the chosen data collection instruments only required some
basic office materials, including paper for printing, filing tools and so on. For the
purpose of recording the interviews, a personal iPad 3 was used. The recordings were
completed by utilising Voice Record Pro application, a simple voice recording
management system which is available in Apple Store for a free download. In order to
analyse the collected data, a program for qualitative data analysis called Nvivo was
downloaded from an official resource and employed under the trial conditions. All of
the above resources were covered by the researcher.
On the other hand, limited human resources is an evident constraint of the current study.
Thus, the initial project scope has been reduced to a realistic size to be successfully
completed by one person. This, we believe, has resulted in generating of additional
opportunities for further research on the issue, which are discussed in the
recommendations section of this report.
As to the other necessary resources, the hardware and multiple secondary data
resources were provided by University of Technology, Sydney. Larger financial costs
include the spending on fuel to travel from Sydney to Goulburn (approximately $80 per
return trip). Besides, there was an accommodation expense which was necessary to
cover the research sample more efficiently. Presuming it varies by season and quality of
service, it has been agreed that the client to choose the most appropriate
accommodation provider as they had kindly offered to cover the above costs.

26 | P a g e
12. Findings:
This section discusses the findings of the current research, which have been addressed in
relation to the established objectives to give it a structural approach.
Objective 1: Researchthe current state of Goulburn’s MICE market segment and
determine the current market share.
To begin with, the research attempted to comprise and categorize the existing events held in
Goulburn, mentioned by the interviewees and also discovered on the iGoulburn web-site to
form a full understanding of the market state. The relevant events and activities, groups and
organisations are displayed in Table 2 below.
Table 2: Classification of currently held events
Type of event Examples of current events/groups
Festivals Heritage and Rose Festival, Blues Festival, Jazz
Convention, Floriade, Lilac City Festival,
Goulburn Easter Hot Rod Shakedown
Expositions and shows Fat Lamb; Agricultural and Horticulture shows;
Open Garden and Garden Fair at Riversdale
Homestead; art shows in local galleries: Archibald
Prize; Goulburn’s 150th; Wakefield Parkway: car
shows, motor racing events, regional sporting
events; Thoroughbred and trots racing: Girls Day
Out; The Anniversary Cup (Goulburn Cup);
Seniors Week 2013
Conferences and meetings Seniors League; U3A events (University of Third
Age); Probus Club events like Live Life Health &
Wellbeing Expo; Masters State Road & Criterium
Championships and the cycling events; Lions Club;
Connecting Careers; Anglican Synod; Aging
Disability Health Care; Department of Aged Care,
Disability and Human Services; Police Academy;
the Fire Service; the Hospital; etc.

27 | P a g e
It has been identified from the collected data, that 65% of the total large scale events in
Goulburn are represented by festivals and expositions (accounting for 45% and 20%
respectively). It is important to bear in mind, that these and the following figures are provided
by the interviewed industry players and are approximate estimations that reflect their market
perceptions. Figure 1 exhibits the overall market differentiation by type of events, which is
90% social and only 10% business functions, including MICE.
Figure 1: The distribution of events by type (large and small scale)
The small scale events, on the other hand, are 60% social and the rest 40% constitute MICE.
Amongst the social group the interviewees discussed events like weddings, celebrations and
other private functions, whereas the total of MICE events generally catered for comprise 25%
of meetings, 10% of conferences and 5% for the expositions and incentives combined.
According to the above information, it is secure to conclude that currently Goulburn’s
business venues are mostly servicing small scale social events, such as weddings and
personal celebrations and are semi-engaged in some of the larger local events, like festivals
etc. In regards to the MICE market, small meetings of up to 20 people are more often
provided for than any other type of MICE events.
It was difficult to measure the percentage of MICE events held at each venue, because none
of the participants were willing to reveal or able to deliver the exact relevant operating
figures, yet provided an approximate breakdown of their total operations to assists
identification of MICE events share. Based on the data gathered from the few respondents
25%
10%
45%
20%
65%
Large events (%)
Private social MICE
Festivals Expositions
60%
40%
Small events (%)
Social
MICE

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58%23%
10%
9%
Type of MICE events
Meetings Conferences Incentives Exhibitions
who were able to give a rough breakdown, the Figure 2 was created to illustrate the average
differentiation of MICE events at the local venues. It indicates that business meetings are the
prevalent type, which includes 3/5 of all MICE events.
It was discovered that two out of ten respondents tend to cater for other types of events only,
which are not in the focus of current research. Most commonly mentioned ones included
social events like weddings, birthday parties and other celebrations that are irrelevant to
corporate business events.
As part of this research, the overall market has been examined to identify any shifts or trends
that may cause an impact on the business tourism industry.
General market changes:
1) As the private sector evolved, the employment in public sector has decreased.
2) A social change occurred from predominantly working class to more affluent society.
3) Goulburn is becoming an attractive environment for migrants in terms of pricing, the
lifestyle and facilities.
Figure 2: The distribution of MICE event in venues

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0
6
4
0
2
8
0
6
4
0
1
9
Decline
Stagnation
Growth
Market Change
Meetings Incentives Conferences Exhibitions
The analysed data has identified the following market trends:
1) The business image of Goulburn is changing to the better and becomes more
appealing to outsiders.
2) Having regular meetings is seen to enhance business operations by many
organisations, thus spreading this idea facilitates an increase in MICE activity.
3) Key channel of information about MICE activities and its benefits is ‘word of mouth’.
4) Non-for-profit groups are having meetings more regularly.
5) The government groups tend to subcontract venues for their MICE events.
6) The government niche seems to carry further opportunities for growth of the MICE
market, as the groups have on-going training etc.
7) There is a use pattern by the government organisations in particular, that is repeatedly
hiring the same venues, unless the service is found dissatisfactory.
8) The old fashion events are becoming less popular, on the contrary, many organisation
seek something different to make their events unique and more entertaining.
Further, the research has attempted to find out whether in the interviewed industry players’
observations the MICE market has grown over the past 10 years. Figure 3 below illustrates
their perceptions.
Figure 3: Observations on the market growth.

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55%
22%
14%
8% 1%
MICE market
Goulburn
ACT (Canberra)
Goulburn District
NSW
International
As the figure displays, none of the participants have stated a decline in the MICE market in
Goulburn; in contrary, they report that the demand for business functions has significantly
increased, particularly for smaller meetings and conferences.
To provide accurate recommendations, the market environment in Goulburn has been closely
investigated. Two key variables have been identified to cause a major impact on the MICE
industry, i.e. period of the year and the weather, which can be united into one market
tendency such as seasonality. According to the analysed data, 80% of respondents report high
market dependency on seasonality. They discussed the following market patterns with
regards to this issue:
o a large traffic shift toward the coast during the summer months
o lower demand during summer overall, due to the holidays season
o slow operations in winter, as well, because of the severe cold weather
However, some argued that for conference delegates the weather conditions wouldn’t matter,
as they are staying in air-conditioned rooms most of the time; overall, the sample identified
seasonality as a variable majorly affecting and, even, regulating the industry.
The demand for MICE facilities has been examined with regards to its origins. Figure 4
demonstrates where the current customers of Goulburn’s business facilities come from.

31 | P a g e
Notably, over 50% of the business facilities in Goulburn on average are seeing themselves
providing mostly for the external market. Furthermore, there is quite a large interest for the
local facilities from Canberra (22%) and other destinations in NSW (including Goulburn
District at 14%). Respondents state a minimal international demand. One of the interviewees
has recalled a religious event held in Goulburn when it attracted international visitors.
As the next step, the research had focused on the event organisers and their considerations in
order to outline the criteria utilised as part of their decision-making process for destination
and/or venue selection. Allen, O’Toole, McDonnell and Harris (2011) in their publication
discussed multiple variables which are relevant to the current problem. These include factors
and elements such as stock of existing events, venues/sites/supporting services, human
resources, destination location and so on. Undoubtedly political support and also support
from the community also seen as a crucial factor. According to Allen et al (2011), SWOT
analysis is a powerful tool that helps to understand the positioning of a destination or venue
in the business events market. Unfortunately, the current research has limited resources and
thus was unable to conduct such analysis; however, similarly, it has been able to address the
same question from the point of view of the interviewees. Figure 5 elaborates on the criteria
that the interviewees saw crucial and were revealed throughout the interviews.
Figure 5: Criteria used by companies when considering a venue or
destination to hold a business event.
Location
•Destination image
(reputation)
•Proximity
•Accessibility and
transport
Facilities
•Cost
•Size
•Quality
Entertainment
•Attractions
•Entertainment
•Accommodation
Other conditions
•Weather
•Tourism
infrastructure
•Accessibily of
information

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The research set the goal of determining the challenges faced by Goulburn’s MICE market in
order to develop rational and realistic recommendations. A number of issues were originally
integrated in the interview questions in an unbiased manner, mainly derived from or selected
based on the materials from Allen et al (2011). During the interviews, the participants
suggested some additional issues, which they believed were relevant, and also unexpected by
the research team. The findings are exhibited in Figure 6.
Figure 6: Market challenges.
8
9
4
7
4
5
1
1
1
3
6
2
Lack of awareness Poor destination
image
Proximity to other
centres
Poor
infrastructure
Poor transport
network
Lack of tourism
attractions
Challenges
Agreed Disagreed
5
7
6
0
4
9
2
3 3
10
6
1
Size of facilities Town limits Strong
competition
High costs Rules and
regulations
Seasonality
Agreed Disagreed

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As was mentioned previously, the respondents see the market being strongly affected by
seasonality – 90% of the sample have confirmed this. According to the data, 60% of the
interviewees believe that strong competition is constraining the industry growth, particularly
from Canberra. Besides, existing competition from Canberra was also referred to in the
‘proximity to other centres’ point, as it drives the customers away from Goulburn. As
Australian Capital Territory offers larger facilities, 50% of the interviewees found it
impacting on Goulburn’s market.
Lack of awareness was reported to be one of the strongest issues by 80% of respondents
placed second after ‘poor destination image’ issue (90% of the sample). The respondents
discussed the existence of public perception of Goulburn as a “cold”, “boring country town”,
“where is nothing to do”. It is, perhaps, one of the major challenges the town is facing.
Unexpectedly, 40% of the venues discussed regulations and restrictions by the local
authorities limiting their operations and the market growth overall. In contrast, they have
suggested that the Council should encourage any possible community participation. The
interviews also shown, that 70% of the respondent consider poor infrastructure to be a
constraint, including the existing transport network (40%). Approximately 50% of the
respondents claim the lack of tourism attractions to impact on the market growth. Finally,
none of the respondents consider pricing to be an issue, as they estimate the average costs to
be nearly 1/3 of Sydney prices. Thus Goulburn is a very cost-effective destination for MICE
activities and pricing is seen as one of its major advantages.
Lastly, when addressing Objective 1 the research aimed to outline Goulburn’s market
advantages in comparison to other destination and organised the findings in Table 3.
Table 3: Market advantages
AdvantagesParticipants Strongly agreed Disagreed Not mentioned
Central location 9 0 1
Low cost of living 8 1 1
Facilities and services 6 3 1
Lifestyle benefits 5 2 3
Pricing 8 0 2
Unique feel 5 1 4

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As shown in the table, 90% of the sample identified Goulburn’s location as very central and
having enormous positive impact on the market. Competitive pricing and generally low costs
of living are seen by 80% of the respondents to strongly drive demand to Goulburn. Over half
of the sample has discussed the lifestyle benefits, the uniqueness of Goulburn and the quality
of existing facilities and services as other advantages, that yet to be discovered by many.
To conclude, the research suggests that further investigation is required to produce a more
accurate analysis of the existing MICE market addressing the above patterns. It is necessary
to employ specific measuring tools like SWOT analysis and other techniques and methods for
a quantitative research to enhance current study.
Objective 2: Evaluate Goulburn’s capabilities to accommodate for the MICE market
segment.
There is a strong belief amongst the participants that Goulburn’s business facilities are highly
underutilised. Although 18% claim that their venues are occupied every single weekend,
about 8 respondents out of 10 admit that the industry is suffering from seasonality and other
issues discussed when addressing Objective 1. Overall, it was concluded that there is
significantly more capacity to provide for MICE events, which yet to be utilised.
According to the data, 75% of respondents believe that Goulburn has sufficient infrastructure
to accommodate for MICE activities. A number of improvements were suggested by the
interviewees, such as to increase accommodation facilities (30%), enhance transport network
(35%), create more entertainment options (20%) etc. Nevertheless, the respondents realize the
limitations for these, including the limited capacity of the town to sustain additional
infrastructure. Currently, there is a new facility being built, which is projected to be
completed by the end of 2013. It is known as a Multi-Function Centre. Half of the
interviewed group argued that this site will extend the range of facilities that Goulburn has
got on the market already. It may create competition for some; however, it is largely seen to
address the sporting events needs which will also utilise the MICE facilities on site.
Surprisingly, 30% of the sample possessed very little knowledge about the undergoing
construction.

35 | P a g e
Furthermore, 80% of the group are confident that Goulburn’s location plays a key role for its
growth. The town gets an overflow from events held in Canberra as it reaches over its
capacity in terms of facilities and accommodation. It is centrally located, thus regional and
state conferences are held in Goulburn. Besides, some of the respondents believe the town
has got little charms that aren’t found in other areas in that combination, including the
lifestyle, the pricing, the location advantage and the country feel.
According to Destination NSW (2011), the average room occupancy in GMR is nearly 70%,
which is higher than the total room occupancy in NSW. Yet, this is a clear indication of space
for further development in terms of local events and activities, as the housing sector is ready
to provide for it. The findings reveal the capacity across all sectors of the industry that cater
for business tourism to accommodate for the further growth of the MICE market. Based on
the researched cases, it has been discovered that 40% of the interviewees have demonstrated
the ability to address issues faced by semi- or full business facilities providing for MICE
events in Goulburn. These participants were applying simple techniques, which worked for
the business in their circumstances and potentially could be employed by the management of
other venues as well.
Objective 3: Identify to what extend the present strategies are aligned with current
capabilities.
Once again, based on the findings, most of the existing business facilities in Goulburn are
heavily underutilised in terms of complying with their main purpose - hosting MICE events.
The research has been structured in a way to be able to identify whether one of the reasons
for this was not having appropriate business strategies in place.
The analysis has shown that 6 out of 10 participants have some expertise and fair
understanding of strategic management techniques. A larger number of the interviewees
which is approximately 80% could explain and address marketing concepts, including SWOT
analysis and market competition. Competitive advantage and business positioning have been
less familiar to the entire group with only 40% of the sample addressing these concepts. It has
been concluded that there is a reasonable understanding and application of the key marketing
strategies, perhaps, not strong enough to address the challenges the industry is facing.

36 | P a g e
Approximately 40% of the sample claim to have limited resources, such as time and funds,
which they see heavily affecting the development of their business strategies. The findings
showed that these businesses are family-owned and operated small enterprises, thus the
owners/managers are too busy with day-to-day responsibilities to work on strategic
development of their business. Regular meetings and seminars on strategic management held
by Tourism NSW have been mentioned by 2 interviewees as a solution to this problem;
however there are further complications to it, which are discussed in the following section.
Overall, it has appeared to the researchers that the businesses are currently struggling to stay
within the profit margins, and that takes a lot of their focus at the moment. Goulburn’s market
is very tough to operate in due to the issues and trends addressed in Objective 1. Most of the
strategies that the management of the venues have mentioned are mainly focused on facing
and overcoming those issues, rather than developing their MICE segment further. The
research discovered insignificant targeted approach that is currently implemented; however,
when asked, 70% of the respondents agreed that it is worthwhile targeting government MICE
market segment. Nevertheless, only 20% of respondent cater for regular government events.
As have been discussed earlier, Goulburn’s facilities have a lot more capacity and potential,
thus it is just a question of attracting new customers, penetrating other market segments etc.
Perhaps, strategic management initiatives and marketing skills should be encouraged further
in order to assist business and achieve the desired outcomes.
Discussing the existing strategies, 80% of the respondents believed that it is crucial to exhibit
correct information about the facilities and services. They have confirmed putting their best
effort with regards to maintaining a high quality information presence online and through
other resources. It includes regular updates of the web-site to ensure customers know what is
currently available and what is not. Data shows that over 60% of the sample acknowledges
having a regular contact with Goulburn’s Visitors Information Centre, which assists them
majorly with MICE queries and information updates. Yet, 70% of the interviewees identified
insignificant collaboration with the Council overall.
There was some co-operation identified amongst 2-3 interviewees that has been sustained for
a period of time. It is mainly based on one’s constraints, such as date clashes with other
events or room size limitation, therefore, the managers refer to the other venue. Such
relationships help distributing customers to the most appropriate venues to keep them and the
business in Goulburn. Moreover, the same participants have been encouraging collaboration

37 | P a g e
across their industry niche and sparking up discussions to establish relevant events together.
The research has discovered that these individuals also possess event planning and
management knowledge gained through years of experience in the field (see Appendix B).
Such initiative has proved to appear in the minority of the sample – 20%, however has a
potential to be taken further as Goulburn is eager for growth.
Notably, despite the higher numbers of pro-active individuals there were only two
participants that appeared open-minded and supportive of innovation. One of them elaborated
on new systems that were designed and soon to be implemented at their venue. For instance,
a marketing tool built to send notification messages (SMS) to the customers that come to the
establishment for reasons other than holding business events. It is so far the most effective
approach undertaken across the research group and is included in the recommendations
section. Furthermore, 20% of respondents mentioned researching the cause of their venue not
being selected to hold MICE events after a query. There is a potential for it to be developed
into an enhanced Query Response system to help the venues find the rejection reasons and
address them, where applicable. In addition, the entire sample of Goulburn’s MICE facilities
management groups strongly promotes staff training and education to ensure that their clients
are provided with the best quality service. They believe that first impressions build the future
business, thus, they attempt to have the right people in place from the beginning to ensure
best results.
With regards to the industry attitude, an overall positive vision towards the future was
reported by 77% of the respondents. To support this, two interviewees discussed their
approach of staying positive, enthusiastic and open to ideas and providing for unusual MICE
events that contradict the conservative fashion. However, the importance of staying in one’s
capacity boundaries was strongly argued, again referring to the point of delivering best
service to ensure repeat customers.

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13. Discussion
The interview questions used for this research were structured in a way to address multiple variables
which may have an impact on the MICE market and its development. For the research to be
complete, the market specifics were examined from two points of view. These included the demand
and supply sides of the market. There are other intermediary businesses, which also play an
important role in the corporate events market development (refer to Figure 7). Due to scarce research
resources and also the limitations of the established methodology, the depth of demand for MICE
services in Goulburn was only explored from the perspective of the MICE facilities and their records
and perceptions. The gathered information represents the initial exploration of the demand for MICE
facilities in the area and may serve as guidance for further studies.
As described in the methodology section, the population of this study is represented by conference
facilities managing personnel, and in total the population sample consists of 10 interviewees from
various types of business, some of which are dual-purpose establishments. To give an example, some
accommodation providers with on-site conference facilities positioned in Goulburn took part in this
research. In addition to the local clubs and just mentioned motel type of facilities, another category of
organisations involved was various attraction businesses, including galleries, historic sites and
restaurants. The only requirement for the interviewees was to partake to some extent in the MICE
market in Goulburn in a role of a supplier. Finally, due to confidentiality reasons, the interviewees’
identities are not disclosed in this study, however for the quotation purposes they are referred to as
Participant 1, Participant 2 and so on.
1. Characteristics of the MICE market
The initial point of reference for this research was Conferences, Events and Functions Directory - a
booklet produced by the Visitor Information Centre in Goulburn that contains a list of all currently
operating MICE facilities in Goulburn area. These facilities are of a diverse range in terms of their
purpose, size and equipment available for hire. According to the directory, there are a total of 36
venues, that are suitable for functions hire, and 34 of them offer their services to hold conferences
and other corporate events. The number of function and meeting rooms varies from 1 to 5 across the
range of venues. Also, as the data shows, 29 venues provide some form of catering. The diagram
below was built to illustrate the distribution of Goulburn facilities by size. It indicates that the most
prevalent size of MICE facilities currently operating falls in the 50-100pax and 100-200pax brackets

39 | P a g e
with 13 and 11 establishments respectively. The Directory includes a number of larger venues, 4 of
which can cater for more than 500 delegates.
Goulburn’s transport and accommodation operators as well as various attraction establishments and
other specialist services are not the centre of focus of this study; however they are elaborated on in
the further sections of the discussion. Nevertheless, they represent an important part of the whole
tourism industry, and of course lack of supply, operational inefficiencies of these businesses and such
can affect overall industry performance.
The overall demand for MICE facilities has been only examined based on the data collected from the
interviews from the secondary point of view, as firstly the research was focusing on the supply side
of the industry.
Finally, it has to be noted that data quality, however, was severely inhibited by the lack of both
record keeping and standartised definitions within the industry. None of the businesses were able to
provide summary statistics supporting their claimed levels of involvement. Thus it is difficult to
support or refute industry claims and opinions on the levels of MICE activity and adequacy of the
current resources to cater for the demand. On occasion conflicting claims and views were expressed
by the participants. None of the participants were able to supply detailed data on the number of
MICE events held and the number of attendees. This is a significant impediment to the research
quality.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
0-50 50-100 100-200 200-300 500+
Numberoffacilities
Distribution of MICE facilities by size

40 | P a g e
Figure 7: The structure of business travel and tourism (cited in Roger, 2003).
The following section expands on currently held events, both social and MICE type events, and
outlines some of the organisations that are involved in the MICE market activities in Goulburn. The
further discussion categorises events by size and type and provides a rough estimates of the market
distribution.

41 | P a g e
The larger things, I think, are the car shows. There are some
regional sports events and some major ones with the motor
racing. Racing in the thorough bred industry and, I believe, the
trots also have some major events. [Participant 3]
a. Currently held events
I like that – ‘business tourism’ is great terminology and this is, of course, where the
conferencing market lies. We have some major events, now that I’m thinking, they are more
leisure club oriented tourism, things like car events – the Hot Rod’s National, I am not sure
where they meet, but they use various properties for their accommodation. So that is a state or
national event, which really does boost business for us in town. [Participant 10]
There are things like Lions Club, Seniors league, U3A conferences, which
are University’s the Third Age – so the seniors learning groups. With regards
to exhibitions and things, you’ve got your art shows, music festivals - all of
that sort of cultural things in town. We’ve had Goulburn’s 150th birthday,
which placed exhibitions around town for that. Lilac City Festival, which is
held every October. Conferences, you’ve got your government ones as well.
Goulburn is quite central to Canberra and Sydney, so a lot of government
organisations have their meetings here, e.g. ADHC, NSW Police Academy
and other government agencies. [Participant 1]
Well, yes, we have Blues festival; we have various historic and
garden type festivals in town, like the Rose festival. The floral festivals
are very popular with people, per say Floriade at the moment is
happening in Canberra, that’s very big for Canberra. We do get an
overflow from that. It puts pressure on the Canberra market and it
outflows to the area. [Participant 2]
There are conferences, seminars and training sessions held by the Anglicare
Group. Then there are a couple of them held by other catholic societies.
Then there are Rotary club meetings and so forth. And from time to time
there are political party seminars and things like that. [Participant 4]

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It has been identified that 65% of the total large scale events in Goulburn are represented by festivals
and expositions (accounting for 45% and 20% respectively). It is important to bear in mind, that these
and the following figures are approximate estimations that reflect interviewees’ market perceptions.
The overall market differentiation by type amongst large events is 90% social and only 10% business
events, including MICE. The small scale events, on the other hand, are represented by 60% social
and 40% MICE events. Amongst the social group the interviewees named weddings, birthday
Large events
Social and cultural are the
main ones. Things like
festivals, shows,
exposotions etc.
Occasionally, there is a
major conference that
would involve several
properties. It has to be
more like a state event to
involve more than one
property.
Small events
Our business is mainly
smaller meetings.
The main events that we hold
at the moment are weddings
– that type of function.
We mainly cater for birthday
parties and other social
events.
Often it is small meetings and
conferences that are held
here
Out of our events - maybe
70-75% are MICE events.

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celebrations and other private functions, whereas the total of MICE events generally catered for
comprise 25% of meetings, 10% of conferences and 5% for the expositions and incentives combined.
In conclusion, Goulburn’s MICE establishments at the moment are mostly catering for small scale
social events, such as weddings and personal celebrations and are semi-engaged in some of the larger
local events, like festivals etc. In regards to the MICE market, small meetings of up to 20 people are
more often provided for than any other type of MICE events.
Venue’s involvement in MICE market activity
Participant 1
It would be meetings. Yes, I think so, maybe starting from 2-3
people in the meeting up to conferences where you have got 200-
300 people.
Participant 2
I couldn’t get exact figures, but I’d say that we probably have 30-
40% out of the ones that are held in town. We do get day
meetings, where there is no accommodation involved. But
probably 50-50% where there is accommodation involved.
Participant 3
The one that I am connected with is the sporting events. You have
a major privately owned motor racing circuit here called Wakefield
Park, which has people here from all over Australia all the time,
conducting events. They do a lot of television advertising; they are
involved with racing all types of vehicles. Then you’ve got the trots.
The Goulburn Trotting club has become a lot bigger since the
restructure of the racing industry from Sydney, so they are holding
a lot more events. And then even with ourselves we are
conducting more race meetings, than we have, so there is a
growth in the sporting area. We’ve had some minor involvement as
far as holding functions here for one of the motoring organisations,
and they held their evening meal and a presentation dinner here at
the Race Club.
Participant 4
We do have small groups use this small area here for training
sessions and things like that.
Participant 10
Yes, I would just be probably as an accommodation provider. Not
for conferences if it is a major event, because we are not large
enough to have a meeting for several hundred delegates.

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b. MICE market product and services
To better understand the issue being investigated, it is important to focus on some specifics of the
products and services which are common for the market of corporate business events. Table 4
cited in Rogers’ study (2003) expands on the most prevalent types of corporate events, including
many business networking events, such as exposition for example, as well as general business
functions like board meetings or seminars.
Seminars, workshops and conferences are held for specific audience which is delivered
relevant information. Generally, seminars and workshops are shorter events, which may take
from a couple of hours to a day. One or multiple speakers can be used, and all the participants
are kept together in the same space. On contrary, conferences tend to break into multiple sessions
that occur concurrently. Conferences are typically held at hotels where accommodation for
attendees is readily available if required as such events are planned for 2/3 of a day, one, two
days or sometimes longer. Meetings generally take between 2 – 5 hours, depending on the
purpose of the gathering, and can be held at any type of establishments, with or without
equipment at hand. Trade shows are attended as a promotional and lead generation activity, or
hosted to reinforce business’s image as an industry leader among the attendee which may include
members, customers, prospects and suppliers. Incentive programs are often held at luxurious
resorts in exclusive destinations, however may also held at any other upper class venue. Business
development and organisational planning are the topics of the agenda. These events can last
between 3 and 5 days. With this general information in mind the reader can now proceed to
further analysis of Goulburn’s MICE market and its current state.

45 | P a g e
Yes, it has. We’ve only
got two major
companies in town who
can hold the capacity
that we do. So the
competition is quite
tight.
I think, it’s again to continue to grow. I don’t think we
are a growth industry or a growth area. I don’t think we
are anywhere near plateauing - we are on the way up.
Whereas I think a lot of the other places, like the
Central Coast, have probably reached their targets and
will start to come back. I think, we have got a big
future.
At this stage I wouldn’t think so, but I believe it is
developing. I think, the opportunities are starting to
arise for it and I think that they will continue to grow.
Definitely, yes. Um, I think it’s a little bit
more sudden, than steady. I think everyone
is now having conferences and meetings
and things like that, whereas before it was
generally very specific in groups. Now
everyone is sort of reaching out to this.
“Let’s have a conference for this” or “Let’s
get together and we’ll discuss this issues”.
So I do think that in the last couple of years
it has been a semi-boom, really. It hasn’t
been a slow increase.
Look, I think it has grown, I
think the potential for much
greater growth is there. I
think Goulburn is so ideally
located to take a lot of
these functions and events
from larger regional
centres, and from Sydney. I
think there is a big
opportunity for Goulburn to
do that sort of thing.
I think it is fairly static. I
don’t feel that the
meetings industry has
grown. I could be wrong.
I don’t think there has been a lot of
new entrants in there, but I think,
as I said to you, Goulburn is an
emerging market.
To summarise, 90% of the participants recognise the industry’s growth during the last 5 years,
and believe that it will continue that way. One respondent states the market is in stagnation,
whereas another respondent identifies more of a sudden growth. This differentiation in response
is due to a different level of involvement by those two establishments in the MICE industry – as
an accommodation provider with onsite MICE facilities and as an entertainment type of
establishment with a focus on MICE events, respectively. As of MICE market capability,
respondents consider Gourburn an emerging market and believe it is still establishing itself on
the NSW corporate events destinations map. More than half of the interviewees highlight the
great potential that Goulburn’s MICE industry possesses and see it only developing further.

46 | P a g e
I think it is. I think Goulburn’s climate is very severe in the winter.
We get continual frosts and a very cold weather. Autumn and
spring are magnificent, and summer can be a bit hot at times. I
think it is seasonal
Yes, in respect to the function market and the wedding market –
definitely highly competitive. There is a limited number of those type of
functions that happen in Goulburn each year. They are limited by
weather: not many people get married between May and September, May
and August, virtually no one, there is hardly a wedding within that period.
We’ve had 3 or 4 in a couple of years. So that’s a limited market in that
respect, but it’s also a limited market in a number of people who actually
get married, so that’s why we’ve tried to go outside the area to get people
and I think at the moment in that area, we would probably be the biggest
competitor to everybody else.
Yes, definitely. It starts in sort of February-
March for fund raising and conferences.
December and January are very-very quiet,
obviously, because of leading up to
Christmas and then the New Year and
everyone hopes to go away in January. So the
summer is very-very slow, and then you find
towards September onwards there is a lot of
groups who give themselves… you know,
they start at the beginning of the year so then
they have their function at the end of the year,
too. They give themselves time to promote it
and set down their agendas and to see what
they actually want to achieve.
With the conferencing – not
particularly, because it doesn’t
matter if it’s winter or summer
when you are sitting in an air-
conditioned convention room.
And quite often it might suit
business to have their delegates
away in a quitter times, which
could be winter times. Although
that could be end of financial
year, when business is busy,
that’s not a time to send your
delegates away, so I think we can
spread this throughout the year.
Also a lot of the population gravitates to the coast
during the summer months and that is true. It is
probably one of our quitter periods, isn’t it?
The research concludes that 80% of respondents report high market dependency on seasonality.
The participants point out a large traffic shift toward the coast during the summer months and
slow operations in winter, due to severe cold weather as the key market patterns with regards to
this issue. However, some argued that for conference delegates the weather conditions wouldn’t
matter, as they spend most of their time in air-conditioned rooms. Overall, the sample identified
seasonality as a variable majorly affecting and even regulating the industry.

47 | P a g e
The market origins were also questioned and the following results have been obtained from the
interviews, also exhibited in Figure 4. Respondents confirmed that over 50% of businesses
utilising Goulburn’s MICE facilities constitute the external market of demand. In addition, quite
a large interest for the local facilities has been identified from ACT’s businesses (Canberra -
22%) and also across other destinations in NSW (including Goulburn District at 14%). Lastly,
participants state an insignificant international demand: one of the interviewees has recalled a
religious event held in Goulburn when it attracted international visitors to the area.
The statements below are some of the responses gathered from the interviews that support the
above conclusions.
Really, it’s a mixture, particularly government groups. Things like Lions Club - they are not
from Goulburn. They may have Goulburn affiliating, but they may organise from Sydney or
Canberra offices. We’ve got regular conferences held here by businesses that are based in
Queensland. [Participant 1]
Yes, yes, about 99% external. [Participant 2]
Racing events – primarily come from out of Goulburn; 80% of the weddings are local. We are
starting to source a few from Sydney, because of our pricing. Our pricing is far cheaper than
Sydney, so we have had a number of weddings that have come from Sydney to Goulburn for
that, which also fills motels up. [Participant 3]
Quite a few of the ones we’ve had, like Telstra, like larger corporate organisations - it’s a bit of
both. They do bring some of their staff from outside and there are larger organisations coming
from outside, but they have local employees as well. It is a mixture. Usually larger groups do it
as their team building, they’d get all their regional people to meet in one spot and have their
meeting and team-building on the same day. So it does seem to be more outside, although in
saying that the circle which is Marulan, we call it local, they’d quite often have a couple. There
are a few local businesses that use us for that, but it is more on the social side. [Participant 5]
55%
22%
14%
8%
1%
MICE market
Goulburn
ACT (Canberra)
Goulburn District

48 | P a g e
The interviewees have been questioned whether they see Goulburn hosting international events. The
responses below show that there is a potential, however still a far way to go to ensure a certain
standard of service for this kind of level of MICE events. One of the main issues pointed out was
insufficient infrastructure in terms accommodation facilities, attraction and also transport links.
Besides, the quality and size of the existing MICE facilities are also not up to the level to hold
international events.
Actually a few years ago there was a religious event. It was in Sydney. I think it was a catholic
group’s seminar and we actually held some in town. [Participant 7]
First of all you would need more accommodation. And the second thing, you would need is a place
to hold all this type of thing. As I said, we could open up a basketball arena over there and stick 500
or 600 in, but they would still be in a basketball arena. If you go to Canberra, you could put 2000 in
a proper conference centre. [Participant 9]
You’ve got to be realistic. International visitors, Goulburn – you have to have the infrastructure to do
it. You couldn’t build 2-3 more motels to cater for them, because they’ll go broke. [Participant 3]
The research has attempted to find out whether there were ties to specific industries to utilise the
MICE facilities the most. Findings show that there is no particular trait like that; it is a mixed
demand, which comprises government organisations as well as businesses representing
agricultural, construction and pharmaceutical industries.
For us, it’s very broad. We have non-for-profit, we have sporting groups, we have the government
groups. [Participant 1]
Larger industries. Well it’s a mix. Government seems to be the primary, just because there are so
many different departments. And I can’t give you the percentage of non-government business.
[Participant 6]
We have had a couple. We had the Master Plumber and Master Builders. We’ve had a local
engineering company to have a big expo here, but not a lot, otherwise. [Participant 10]
We’ve done everything from a Fat Lamb style to weddings, so it is a very versatile facility that we
have, and basically, we are open-minded to anything, so we look at anything that we could utilise
the facility for. [Participant 3]

49 | P a g e
c. Market trends
The following market trends were identified and are supported by some of the statements below,
derived from the interviews.
1) Increase in overall number of MICE events.
2) The growth mainly in small to medium meetings sector.
3) Holding regular meetings is perceived to benefit company’s performance.
As I’ve said, I just think that everyone has gone “Oh, well that group has a meeting, so we might
get together and have one”. A lot of fund raising companies have a lot of meetings and they are
meeting more regularly to discuss what their objectives are and as I’ve said it bounces of one.
You might have Breast Cancer society start having regular meetings and people can see that
they are raising money from that so than you get Real Aid for Life, which goes “Well we all need
to get together and meet more regularly” and there is sort of a flow effect from one group
succeeding in what they are doing, that others look at what those groups are doing and they are
also start to do that. [Participant 1]
4) Conducting MICE events become the integral part of any business.
So I think those two things in particular have increased. You also find in things like conferences,
this group has a conference, now this group is thinking about it, because of the impact of what
the other group has had. So you find more groups, like you have got your Seniors League, your
Three A, your Lions Club. I was in talks with Breast Cancer Foundation to have a conference
here. You just find that from having that one thing other groups get ideas and they then start to
organise a similar sort of thing for their group. [Participant 1]
5) Increase in MICE activity by the non-for-profit sector.
It’s mainly the more groups, particularly not-for-profit group, getting together more regularly.
[Participant 1]
6) Government sector tends to outsource their events.
The government groups, you find that they leaving external catering and external premises for
their meeting more, whether before they used to hold maybe training in house. They do seem to
be increasingly coming to our or the other venue simply to take it outside of their business.
[Participant 1]
7) The Government niche carries further opportunities for growth of the MICE market,
as the groups have on-going training etc.
Absolutely, because companies like that, they need to train people intermediately, but if they are
a large company – that could be a possibility. [Participant 10]

50 | P a g e
No, I think there are opportunities as a town to try and enlarge the government business. I feel
that government, of course, is always training. As new legislation comes in - new requirements
come in. [Participant 2]
The Government is always training so there are a lot of opportunities that way. [Participant 8]
8) Not only government organisation have specific requirements to venues they hire, but
government groups also tend to repeatedly hire the same venues, unless the service is
found dissatisfactory.
They do have a lot of regulations, sometimes they are quite difficult to deal with as a smaller
venue. Sometimes they like the room and the price is great, but unless you tick all the
government boxes they will not use your facility. We lose some of their events due to the lack of
disabled access to the upstairs areas. [Participant 5]
A lot of the government departments once they find a venue that works, they tend to stick with it
- they are creatures of habit. They just rebook, till something happens – then they make a move.
[Participant 8]
I find that government organisation prefer to use the same venues over and over again, maybe
because they know what to expect, based on the past experience, or just not willing to try other
options, unless of course the service is dissatisfactory for some reason. [Participant 10]
9) Key channel of information about MICE activities and its benefits is ‘word of mouth’.
It is something that we could put out there and advertise, but the position we are in, if there is
only really two conference facilities in town, so if they don’t ring us, they ring the other club. It is
word of mouth and that’s also because we are only two in the town. [Participant 1]
So that’s something that we have to look at in regards to updating our facilities and just mainly
word of mouth. But once this one group comes, they mention it to their little other groups and
that’s how we get our business mainly. [Participant 4]
10) The old fashion events are becoming less popular, on the contrary, many organisation
seek something different to make their events unique and more entertaining.
I think a lot more business are looking for something a little bit different with their staff in that
regards, where they can have a meeting, have some lunch and do something else rather than
doing old fashion kind of events. They are looking for something a little bit more modern.
[Participant 9]
11) As the private sector evolved, the employment in public sector has decreased.
12) A social change occurred from predominantly working class to more affluent society.
13) Goulburn is becoming an attractive environment for migrants in terms of pricing, the
lifestyle and facilities.

51 | P a g e
Yes, I think it has. I think, Goulburn traditionally has been a very working class town. It may not
registered for you, but Goulburn at one stage had bigger public service sector than Canberra.
Now, Canberra is where all the public servants work, okay, so that’s a huge infrastructure. But
in Goulburn we had a lot of public service through the jail and the hospitals and all that sort of
things, school teachers and everything – we had a major public service. Now the private sector
has come in, a lot of that public service jobs has gone and Goulburn has shifted, I believe, from
a predominantly working class town to now, I think, it’s been seen by individuals and companies
as a place with lifestyle benefits, and we are seeing a shift of more affluent people from Sydney,
Bowral, Canberra to this area, for the lifestyle reasons. Pumped from, basically, working class to
a… and it’s still largely working class, but the population trend is shifting into a more affluent
[demographics]. There is a lot of people that have bypassed Bowral, which is very affluent, to
come back down here further. You know, it’s not all about just lifestyle, pricing also helps, that
our pricing is a lot cheaper than Bowral, because Bowral basically got overpriced and they are
coming out this way. [Participant 3]
A lot of people from Canberra have shifted to Goulburn because of the housing prices and then
commute back and forward each day to work. Goulburn’s house sector is booming, more
houses going up here than you can imagine. In quiet times this place has still continued to grow,
because of where it is located; and it is continually starting to attract that continue steady
growth. I think it opens up the opportunities for the future. [Participant 3]
14) The business image of Goulburn is changing to the better and becomes more appealing
to outsiders.
The image of Goulburn has become more positive in the last few years and I can only see it
getting more positive. [Participant 7]
15) MICE market benefits from Gouburn’s racing industry.
I think that the sporting area is a large opportunity for the town. It is, perhaps, focused on a little
bit too much. [Participant 6]
16) The overall market seems to suffer the post-effects of the Global Financial Crisis,
including low community involvement as well as spending.
Yes, everybody has gone tight. They have cut back a lot on their spending. There used to be a
lot of pharmaceutical companies, which used to do marketing, seminars and presentations. That
has disappeared completely, because of the changes in the government laws. [Participant 4]

52 | P a g e
2. Limitations and advantages
The specifics of the market have been researched to discover the weaknesses of and also seek
opportunities for Goulburn’s MICE businesses from the data gathered. In this section, the
constraints of Goulburn’s MICE market are examined and consequently, the advantage of the
market also discussed to form a full understanding of the industry circumstances. The following
claims are sought to form the base for future research and SWOT analysis of the market in
particular (Allen et al, 2011), as it is predicted to be of a significant benefit for it. As mentioned
previously, the following statements about market limitations and advantages are retrieved from
the industry opinions and are subjective, conditional and controversial.
a. Market constraints
According to Allen et al (2011), there are numerous variables which impact on the MICE
industry performance. These include factors and elements such as stock of existing events,
venues, sites, supporting services, human resources, destination location and many others. In
addition, community support and also government funding and other investments also play a
significant role in the industry development. A number of issues were originally integrated in the
interview questions in the unbiased style, mainly selected based on the materials from Allen et al
(2011). During the interviews, new limitations and advantages unfamiliar to and unpredicted by
the research team were revealed. Overall, the analysis shows that lack of awareness is one of the
strongest issues, reported by 80% of respondents. Respondents discussed businesses that have
not even thought of holding their conference in Goulburn, because they are unaware of the
facilities and services there. For many of them Goulburn is not on the options list because,
perhaps, they have never been there or heard of it and do not know of these other opportunities
for their MICE events. Some of the local MICE facilities find themselves catering mostly for
repeat business and claim to have very low volumes of new customers. They believe that the
internal market has been covered well and the focus now lies on driving new businesses to the
area to generate more MICE activity in Goulburn. In both cases, a stronger, louder word, a
targeted advertising campaign and wider coverage could help to promote Goulburn’s MICE
establishments. Interviewees also believe that poor destination image has the heaviest and most
negative impact on the industry (90% of the sample). The respondents discussed the existence of
general public perception of Goulburn as a “cold”, “boring country town”, “where is nothing to
do”. It is, perhaps, one of the major challenges the town is facing and has been struggling to
overcome during the last two years, despite the effort of GMC and their advertising campaigns.

53 | P a g e
I think the lack of awareness is majorly for groups out of town in exactly
where we are and how close we are. I’d think there is no lack of awareness
at who we are, and particularly in the local area. In the local area everyone
knows the venue. They can find information about our exact location pretty
easily on the web-site, and also in regards to what we have. It’s mainly
travelling time and location; I think that is the main thing.
I think that if companies were thinking of having a conference, Goulburn
probably would not come to the front of mind. I don’t know if they are aware
that we have meeting facilities and some nice accommodation, various levels
and styles of accommodation. I don’t know if they are aware of proximity to
Canberra, Sydney, the coast, to inland areas. I am not sure if they know that
we are a good regional hub. And I am not sure that they are aware of facilities
and services we have in town which will enhance their conferences.
That’s right, yes. Obviously, people from Sydney if they held their function
in Sydney, they are talking 600-700 people, so they are kind of expecting a
similar sort of reaction down here, where you know down here you might
only get 100 or 200 people. I think their ideas are different.
If they are doing everything themselves internally for what they want to achieve -
that is fine. But it’s when they come and rely on people here, which can make it
hard, because if they are coming to town and they don’t know the people and
people don’t know what they are after, you can get different ideas on what is
wanted to be achieved. The most successful ones that we’ve had are the ones
where people from out of town have their own committees and they organize
things exactly how they want, and they just come and hold things themselves
rather than trying to get local people, someone locally involved in it as well –
different outcome are going to be achieved.
Look, I don’t think so. I think people have an expectation when they go
anywhere. I think people’s expectation changes when they go from city to
country. As a general rule, most people would be satisfied with what’s here.
Another issue discussed was the clash of ideas, expectations and reality when catering for
external businesses. Participants referred to inability of some clients to adjust to local standards
of service and operations after having experienced Sydney, Canberra or Wollongong facilities.

54 | P a g e
Yes. I do think it is out there a little
bit. Like I’ve said we are in the middle
of nowhere – is what people think.
We’ve got the facilities here, we’ve got
our accommodation - everything is
here. It’s just the image I believe.
Because it is so central, but again it’s the image that
Goulburn is so far away. I think it’s our major constraint.
I do think there is this image out there that
Goulburn is in the middle of nowhere and
it’s just this little country town. That’s not
something that we as a club tend to
change, but I do think it is starting to
change. Goulburn’s image is getting better
and also the facilities that town have are
getting better.
The drought was out biggest thing,
because everybody thought we had
no water and people avoided
Goulburn because they didn’t want to
come and use our water, because
they thought that poor locals didn’t
have any water. That was one of the
first things they had to dispel.
Goulburn was traditionally a working
class town. I believe that’s changing.
And I believe that there are a lot of
places springing up, which are starting
to change the manner in which
Goulburn is viewed. Probably,
Mandelson’s, down the railway. It’s a
beautiful old place that’s been done up.
There are a lot of other things too –
Riverdale – a lot of our historical sites,
the Goulburn Brewery – there are a lot
of things that starting to attract people
around to the area. It won’t be
something that’s going to happen
overnight, but it will happen gradually.
You can’t change a perception within a
short time.
You know the main street down in
Goulburn? About 10 semi-trailers went
down there every minute, just kept going
down. That was the main highway; it
went through the town before that
bypass went around. And when that went
around, everybody thought the town
would die, because it was so quite
without all the trucks and people
stopping for food, at petrol station and
everything else. And now it’s moved on –
it’s become a pleasant place to live. It
has taken time; it’s taken all that time for
Goulburn to recover to be a thriving
community. It will take probably another
25 years, but I just think that this place
will boom.
For some reason Sydney people seem to think that we are a long way away. We are
really no difference from going from South Sydney to North Sydney. It’s a pretty
quick trip along the highway, but they think it’s in the middle of nowhere and I do
think that it does impact on some things.
The interviewees strongly believe that destination image and business reputation of Goulburn
have to change and become professional and visitors-friendly. The further marketing and
advertising campaigns must incorporate this element, which will help to overcome the issue.

55 | P a g e
We are lacking infrastructure, mainly due to our proximity to other
regional centres like Sydney and Canberra, which plays against us. It’s
duplication of services within such a short period or a short distance. If
you go to a town like Tamworth, you’ll find that they’ve got
infrastructure up there to rival anywhere. It is brilliant - their
conferencing centres, because there is nowhere else to go. If you want
to go from Tamworth, you’ve got a 6 hour drive or 7 hour drive to
Sydney. Goulburn: we’ve got all the convention centres we want 15
minutes away in that suburb we call Canberra.
By the same token, it is our biggest disadvantage, because
everybody competes for the entertainment dollar, and I can be from
here to Sydney in 2 hours at the opera tonight, if I wanted to go. So if
I’ve got $200 in my pocket to spend this week, I might spend it at the
opera in Sydney and it wouldn’t be a problem, whereas other
regional centers are a lot further away - those people haven’t got
that opportunity and have to use the local entertainment facilities.
Again, location
works both
ways.
And the coast is another disadvantage, because we are so close,
within 2 hours, you are on a beach – great place to be. So it
works both ways and you’ve got to do it. In that summer period,
Goulburn does turn into a ghost town in a lot of respects.
All that things that make Goulburn great also are Goulburn’s biggest
disadvantages: our proximity to Sydney and Canberra is great, because we get the
best horses here, because it’s easy for them to come here. But by the same token
when the punter spends their dollar, they can go to the Sydney races just as easy
too. How you balance that is tricky. Can we build a conference centre here to sit a
1000 people or 2000 people when Canberra has got five of them and Sydney has
got a hundred of them? That’s the things that we’ve got to get through. Plenty of
conference centres down there, and you are looking at millions of dollars to
establish it, it has to come from rates payers and it’s got to be utilised. There is no
use having something that suits 2000 people when you are using it 3 times a year.
According to the data, 60% of the interviewees believe that strong competition is constraining
the industry growth, particularly from Canberra. Goulburn’s MICE industry is significantly
affected by ACT’s presence in the market as it offers larger facilities and has an established
reputation of a ‘business’ and ‘government’ city, finely tuned for corporate business events.
Almost 50% of the interviewees found it heavily impacting Goulburn’s market, due to its
proximity as another regional centre with higher capacity and stronger performance. Goulburn’s
internal customers have the option of going outside to hold a meeting, because it is so close by.

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