If you were planning to saunter into Beyond Borders 2025 at the last minute, you’ve missed the boat and possibly the cruise ship that followed it. In what can only be described as an industry stampede (minus the bruises), the Australian Travel Industry Association’s flagship thinkfest has sold every seat in the house.

The conference, set for 17 October at The Star, Brisbane, is now hard to get. ATIA is dangling a waitlist link like the last lifeboat on a very stylish ship: join it here.

It’s an impressive feat for an event barely out of its infancy. In just its second year, Beyond Borders has hit the sweet spot where hard-headed business analysis meets the irresistible lure of networking over canapés.

Dean Long’s Happy Problem

ATIA’s chief executive, Dean Long, is chuffed with the runaway success.

“The fact that Beyond Borders has sold out so quickly in only its second year shows that the travel industry has embraced this unmatched thought leadership event in ATIA’s calendar,” Long said. “The 2025 Beyond Borders Summit will be bigger and bolder in every respect, with a greater variety of content that will be relevant to leaders representing travel businesses of any size.”

In other words, if last year was a pleasant stroll through the park, this year promises to be a high-speed safari spotting trend, avoiding pitfalls and occasionally stopping for a photo with the industry’s big cats.

Not Just Talk – Action

Long insists the summit isn’t a place for aimless chin-wagging.

“Beyond Borders brings together many of the sharpest minds in Travel and Business to discuss practical solutions and innovative thinking as the industry grapples with critical issues. Participants will walk away with invaluable perspectives. It is also an unparalleled opportunity for professionals across the sector to connect, share insights and collaborate on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

Translation: you’ll leave with more than a tote bag and a stack of business cards; you might have a plan for the next decade.

A Day at The Star

From 8:30 a.m. (and they mean it) until 5 pm, delegates will be treated to panels, workshops, and debates that take a hard look at what’s coming down the runway between now and 2030. Technology, sustainability, changing consumer habits—nothing’s off the table, except perhaps the chicken sandwiches if you arrive late to lunch.

Holding it at The Star, Brisbane is no accident. It’s a venue that knows how to impress without distracting from the business at hand — plus, it’s hosting the National Travel Industry Awards the very next day. This makes for a potent double-header: brainstorm one day, backslap and celebrate the next.

Why It Matters

Beyond Borders is more than a diary filler in an industry that’s been battered, rebooted, and reinvented more times than a frequent flyer’s password. It’s a survival kit. The candid conversations, the slightly awkward ones, and the ones that spark an idea you can’t stop thinking about are where the sector finds its footing for the future.

With the tickets now gone, the best you can do is get on that waitlist, cross your fingers, and be ready to pounce if a spot opens. After all, opportunities like this don’t come around often, and when they do, the industry knows how to snap them up.

Event Snapshot

• Date: Friday 17 October 2025

• Time: 8.30 am for a 9 am start – 5 pm

• Venue: The Star, Brisbane

• Waitlist: Join here

By Karuna Johnson

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