7 July, 2015

Big Cheese with Paul Wilson

We chat to the director of MICE and regional sales and marketing for NSW and ACT at Mantra Group.

The great thing about my job is… working with an incredible team at a time of unprecedented growth with Mantra Group. We’re in the midst of continued expansion both domestically and internationally, and to be directly involved in its success is a privilege.

The challenge for industry is… Getting social media right. When you’ve got over 3 million posts per minute on Facebook, it’s no longer enough for companies to join the conversation — we need to start, contribute and lead the conversation. Differentiating between social integration to enhance an event and your brand, and using social media to tick a box, will become increasingly important in such a saturated domain.

Retaining the right talent is also high up there.

My greatest achievement is… Playing representative level rugby and cricket. The buzz of being part of a high performing team never wears off.

The biggest thing in MICE this year will be… Driving innovation from the forefront with new technologies and offerings without distorting the focus of the conference. How far do you push the transformation to interactive apps, dedicated social media meeting sites, digital programs, iPad note-taking and new audio visual tools, before loosening the real-time connection and purpose? That’s going to be the real challenge.

I try to relax by… Competitive ocean swimming. Getting back to basics and back into nature works every time.

I don’t understand why… Socks never stay buddied up at home.

My favourite venue is… Mantra Lorne is looking seriously cool. Lorne has always been a great canvas; it has the ability to feel like both a charming heritage home and beachfront resort – it balances the homestead ambiance with modern technology in a way I haven’t seen done before. The $1million refurbishment is now complete and definitely worth checking out.

I’ve always wanted to travel to… Finland.

I am scared to death of… Failure.

I can’t live without… Exercise and challenge. Both will keep you pushing.

I really wish I had… Enough money to buy a house in Sydney.

If I could invite four people to a dinner party, they’d be… Robert Mugabe, Jeff Kennett, my father & Lindsay Lohan. In no particular order.

For anyone starting out in the industry one piece of advice I’d give would be …. Never settle for mediocrity. Find your unique selling point and bring it to the table every day; find that one thing only you can contribute and make sure it’s missed when it’s gone.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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