After a brief hiatus during March and April, we went virtual to get together for a Mingle in May.
It was great to see the faces of a number of members Zooming in from the comfort of their homes, with a glass of wine in hand.
MRBTA Staff provided updates from Marketing, Attractions and Membership.
Catrin Allsop from Australia’s South West chatted through the organisation’s current initiatives and previewed a beautiful video from their upcoming campaign. You can view it HERE.
Pip Close spoke about the work she is doing with Mindful Margaret River and the importance of business counselling and mental health support during this time. If you are experiencing difficulty, please email [email protected] or call 0411 859 132. She can provide a range of practical support, guidance and advice to assist with business relief, mental health support, business communications coaching, relationship building and preparation for recovery.
A real focus of this virtual mingle was to open up the ‘floor’ to members to share their personal insights into how they have been adapting and responding during the pandemic.
- Lisa Shreeve from Busselton Jetty spoke about their 5-R’s Approach which provided a clear and concise plan for action that has guided the business.
- Danica from Bettenay’s talked about concentrating their efforts in the online sphere including offering virtual tours and working on their online store. It was heartening to hear that the virtual tours had provided a great outlet for Greg who had missed this connection with their visitors.
- The Spice Mistress and margaretriver.com contributor, Sarina Kamini informed us about the ‘Food Heroes’ series that profiled some of the local legends providing essential food services during this time. It was a thought-provoking discussion that touched on promoting the people that make our region special as well as the storytelling process.
- Lastly, we heard from the Cabin Fever team as they launch a modified, digital version of the event. They are working with many local businesses to put together online experiences in the spirit of the Festival. Be sure to follow their social media channels to keep up to date.
Aside from demonstrating the effectiveness of good lighting equipment with his perfectly lit screen, Tim from Tim Campbell Photo hit to the heart of how many of us may be feeling, the appreciation that the difficulties of this pandemic have opened up the human side of business and his comment to close out the mingle was warming and much appreciated.
Mingling virtually from each other’s homes and hearing about local experiences was an inspiring and uplifting moment for the MRBTA Staff that attended and we hope for the members also. Thank you to all that attended and we will update you soon on the next Mingle.