**Exclusive ** ATEC Chair says industry has lost its vision and confidence and has become inward looking…..and Clive Palmer cancels speaking!
ATEC’s annual Symposium Conference kicked off Thursday at the newly renamed former Hyatt Regency Coolum, now called Coolum Golf and Spa, now owned by resources billionaire Clive Palmer.
While Mr Palmer was listed as a speaker, nobody at ATEC would discuss what appears was a last minute cancellation, with insider sources telling me that it was because Mr Palmer had flitted off to the USA in his private jet to attend a JFK memorial event and was bringing a relative of JFK back with him to Australia!
Interesting, but I don’t suppose the tourism industry should take his cancellation as a snub, as not only has he put his hands in his pocket to buy the Coolum Golf and Spa, but he is also going to build a replica of the Titanic, while also standing against Wayne Swann for Parliament, with the latter two all in one week….my goodness, he is a busy man……no further comment necessary!
In any case, back to the ATEC Symposium 2102….at Coolum Golf and Spa…….which without Mr Palmer still has a stellar line up of speakers, break out sessions, workshops discussions and industry insights ending with a glittering celebration of 40 years of ATEC’s tourism industry representation.
With nearly 400 delegates attending this year’s event, some perhaps hoping to catch a glimpse of Mr Palmer, the phalanx of speakers and panellists, include the Federal Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson, Tourism Queensland’s CEO, Anthony Hayes, Queensland Resources Council’s Michael Roche, Quadrant Australia’s Peter Lloyd and Wotif.com’s CEO, Robbie Cooke.
John King [pictured] ATEC’s Chair kicked off proceedings and to see and hear what he had to say, including his warning to the industry that it has lost its vision and confidence and has become inward looking….and much more, including video snippets from the history of ATEC over 40 years, click on the video box below: -
John King Welcome and Opening
John Alwyn-Jones, Global Travel Media Special Correspondent on location from the ATEC Symposium 2102
