There’s something quietly reassuring about a roadshow that doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not. No gimmicks, no smoke and mirrors just industry professionals rolling up their sleeves and getting on with the business of staying relevant. That, in essence, is what the Australian Travel Industry Association has set out to achieve with its Beyond Borders on the Road series, and Brisbane is next in line.
Following a well-received Sydney opener, the travelling caravan of insight, advocacy and, yes, compliance is heading north, with tickets now live for the Brisbane event on 20 May. For members, it’s priced at a rather agreeable $55, while non-members will need to part with $110. In today’s market, that qualifies as what one might politely call “good value with substance.”
This isn’t just another industry gathering padded with polite applause and light canapés. The Brisbane programme has been carefully assembled to reflect the issues keeping travel professionals awake at night and, more importantly, what to do about them.
Chris Fundell and Nicole Sullivan at BBOTR Syd
Expect a direct line to the top with a CEO update, alongside advocacy and compliance briefings that promise clarity rather than confusion. And then there’s the aviation panel, a timely inclusion given the ongoing ripple effects of the Middle East conflict and the ever-present spectre of global fuel supply pressures. Airlines will step up to offer practical insights into disruptions and, crucially, workable solutions.
Beyond the operational nuts and bolts, there’s also a nod to the modern traveller’s attention span or lack thereof. In what might be one of the more relevant sessions of the day, marketing specialists Chris Fundell and Nicole O’Sullivan will tackle the “doomscroll dilemma,” unpacking how personal branding and digital trust can convert fleeting interest into tangible bookings.
Meanwhile, TravelPay will step in to decode the latest Reserve Bank surcharge changes, a topic that’s been about as clear as mud for many operators. Consider this a welcome dose of plain English in a regulatory landscape that often leans the other way.
And yes, for those wondering, there will indeed be an explanation involving tuna. It’s compliance, but not as you know it.
Dean Long, CEO of ATIA, doesn’t mince words when describing the intent behind the series:
“Beyond Borders on the Road is where the industry comes together with real conversations, real insights, and the kind of networking that leads to genuine opportunities, partnerships and growth.”
He adds, with a hint of dry humour:
“We’re tackling everything our members are navigating right now, from global disruption through to compliance and we’ll even show you the unexpected connection between compliance and tuna. It’s practical, it’s relevant, and it might just be the most engaging compliance update you’ve ever had.”
And on value, Long is unequivocal:
“At $55 for members, this is a no-brainer. You won’t find another event that brings this level of insight, energy and connection into one room. This is about walking away better informed, better connected and ready to act and we look forward to catching up with our Brisbane members.”
Brisbane marks the second stop on a national circuit that will continue through Adelaide and Perth, building momentum toward ATIA’s flagship Beyond Borders summit later in the year.
For those in the trade who still believe that face-to-face conversation beats another email thread and that practical insight trumps theory, this is one date worth circling.
Tickets are available now via: https://atia.travel/BBOTR.
by Michelle Warner – (c) 2026.
Read Time: 2 minutes.
About the Author.
Michelle Warner has always carried stories the way others carry passports lightly, faithfully, and with purpose. She learned her craft in newsrooms, shaping sentences with care, before swapping deadlines for departures as a flight attendant with some of the world’s great airlines. Years aloft sharpened her eye for character and deepened her fondness for the small, dignified rituals of travel, the quiet kindness of strangers, the poetry of arrival, the patience learned between time zones.
Now grounded by choice, Michelle has come home to writing with the same calm authority she once brought to turbulent cabins. Her prose blends an editor’s discipline with a traveller’s wonder, tinged with humour and reverence for the golden age of travel. Each piece feels like a handwritten boarding pass, gracious, observant, and unmistakably alive.
