John and I are in Canberra, the national capital of Australia as part of a remarkable new marketing campaign to promote Canberra as a travel destination. Ian Hill, director of Australian Capital Tourism welcomed the first group of 250 (out of more than 30,000 applicants) at the Australian War Memorial last night.
He told us that we were on the edge of a shift in how marketing will evolve from traditional to trusted recommendations and that’s where we all fit in.
Today we’re off to Capital Wines. Who knew that wine has been made near Canberra for over 150 years? I certainly didn’t. I’m looking forward to some fantastic food paired with brilliant wines. I’ve been starving myself since breakfast a few minutes ago.
Once lunch is over, around 2 this afternoon, we’ll head to the Australian National Gallery of Art and more goodies. I will probably gain an extra 5 pounds over this weekend but honestly, it’s 5 pounds well earned. Everything has been so good.
Last night at the War Memorial we had mini pancakes topped with delicious caramelized onions, delicious lamb chops, perfectly cooked chicken satay sticks. I was so full by the time we got back to the hotel and in our room was a snack pack of energy bars, apples and two boxes of chocolates. Anyone on this trip who goes home hungry has no excuse!
There are 4 groups from different categories of interest. Obviously I’m in the food and wine group but there is an adventure group, family fun group and an arts and culture group.
Everyone was at the War Memorial last night and there wasn’t one kid who was a pain in the ass. Not one. Everyone was talking about what a beautiful experience it was to share with children.
If I don’t visit you until Monday, it’s because I just haven’t had time. Too much eating to do.
The only thing we’re asked to do for #humanbrochure is to let people know how we enjoyed Canberra. They haven’t asked us to be positive, only honest about our experience. There have been those pooh poohing this event saying nobody will be honest but I doubt anyone in this group would have any loyalty to anyone but their readers. John and I think it’s a really clever idea.
I hope they can keep the momentum growing after we go home so that this sort of marketing continues. What a great way to encourage others to include Canberra in their destination planning for Australia. I love Canberra. It was designed by an American, it’s brilliantly easy to find your way around, everything is as neat as a pin and people are incredibly friendly. There’s something for every human to enjoy and beautiful buildings.
You should visit.
{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
Ohmigosh you’re just having the best time! I’m so glad its going well
Put on an extra 5 pounds for me!!
I wonder if you will find a 150 year old bottle lying somewhere….:p
Looks like you are having a fab time! Love reading these posts of yours.
Btw, what is that waffle like dish??
Minnie@thelady8home recently posted..Menu Finds with Weekend Gala Extravaganza Dinner Party #7
To put a new spin on an old saying……….wish I was there.
What a great trip and great experience – I hope you continue to enjoy the city and the events you see / do while there
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts recently posted..Vegan English baking: Cherry scones
That is such a classy event my friend enjoy every minute
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Choc Chip Uru recently posted..Think Pink!
Those waffles alone look great! Have a fun time!
Sounds like a great time Maureen. I love invites like that !
“I’ve been starving myself since breakfast a few minutes ago.”
Sounds like me! Sounds like a fun time. Will be interested to hear more.
kitchenriffs recently posted..Easy and Quick Roast Chicken
A human brochure makes since. Relating experiences of places we have visited and love is the best recommendation there is.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted..Lermoos…A Perfect Mountain Village
I’m so glad you’re doing this. I think it’s the way forward for advertising – hand it over to the bloggers! Sounds like a great meal but I do hop you were also able to tour the War Memorial. It should be compulsory for every Australian to go there xx
I think that is, indeed, a very clever marketing campaign.. the photos you’ve taken had me sold:) (especially those waffles!)
What an exciting event to be involved in. PR firms are realising more and more the power of bloggers and how cheap it is to use us. If you get a trip like this in return, then I say bring it on.
There were 250 people in 4 categories and 250 more coming in February so this is no small potatoes advertising. It was top notch every step of the way. I really loved it.
Hello Maureen
I’m so jealous that you’re at the Human Brochure event in Canberra ~ I’d love to go! I’ve just came back from traveling to Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and have realised our country has so much to offer ~ and people really need to explore it more 
Hi Daisy and terrific to meet you. I couldn’t agree with you more however I will admit that the Gold Coast isn’t my favorite spot. Because I’m also American it’s a city without an Australian soul for me. It’s like Daytona Beach
Have a great time….
Looks like you’re having a great time and eating quite well.
Enjoy!
mjskit recently posted..Fall in the Rio Grande Valley
It’s a brilliant idea! When I travel the first thing I do is go to Trip Advisor to read what other people have to say about a destination.
Look forward to hearing all about it when you return. Then you’ll have a couple of days to starve before EDB!
Dear Maureen,
I think Canberra is an amazingly well-organised city. Only thing is it can get a little chilly at times.
Have fun Maureen! I can’t wait to read about what you get up to
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella recently posted..NQN’s Seriously Spooky Halloween Party!
You guys are rock stars and I didn’t even know! (If it’s just a few lbs gained in the pursuit of pleasure it’s allllll good) =)
What a fantastic trip! I loved the look of the waffles, and your comment that you were starving yourself ready for the food to come (but breaky was just 5 mins previous) lol!! I know I always research holidays, restaurant, wines and places in general on the Internet! I can’t remember the last time I went to a travel agent or picked up a brochure. Even when I am not planning a holiday I bookmark pages of interest that other blogger have written about. It is good that marketing is catching up! I can’t wait to read more!
GourmetGetaways recently posted..Spooky Meringue Ghost
Are you recovering yet?
It was such a great experience and so much fun to meet you. Looking forward to more adventures 
It took me til 2am last night to catch up on my mails. For some reason our laptop wouldn’t connect to our home mail server so I had nearly 650 emails to troll through, sites to visit, comments to answer, guest post to write.. we had soup from a can for dinner last night. How bad is that? We had it with homemade garlic and chive bread though. I found time for that.
Great to meet you over the weekend…it was fun (and filling) wasn’t it? Love the wineries…who knew there were so many in Canberra!
Miss Piggy recently posted..Coda, Melbourne
I had no idea there was wine in Canberra to be honest. Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales.. yep but Canberra? I had the best time!
Sounds like a wonderful tour Maureen and thank you for letting us in. I really enjoy food and travel posts quite a bit!
I’ve nearly got my after the weekend post written. Too much to say in one spot.
ahhhhhh you were one of the humans doing that thing this weekend!
I’m a bit annoyed at your now Maureen…. All I can think about now is waffles and strawberries….
They weren’t all that exciting. The kangaroo tortellini with beetroot relish was the star of the show for me
Have a great time! He hee 5lbs… I can easily gain weight and very hard to lose those weight…but depending on food I will temporary forget about it and enjoy. Those waffles look good. Haven’t had them for a while and wish I can eat them now.
I’m off to a blogging conference in Adelaide next weekend but after that it’s take the excess weight off
hm… I have been trying to convincethe local tourism deparment here and even in my hometown in Austria to do marketing in this direction, but in goa and even in my local town they lack the vision. Especially my town in europe seems to be lost in the idea of the traditional marketing, they don’t realize the size and capability of the online world!
Now it makes sense why you were on your way back from canberra!
This is the first time something like this has been tried and my fingers are crossed that it works. It will prove that bloggers are more than graffiti with punctuation.
Hi Maureen,
It was fabulous to meet you in Canberra. Didn’t they show us a good time? Those little lemon tarts were a highlight of the War Memorial evening for me. What a treat. It’s the first time I’ve ever seem my children unable to eat any more. They were in heaven:)
It was a fabulous time and I think we did the Sunshine Coast proud. I’ve nearly got my post finished. Trying to work and blog and get ready for a food blogging conference next weekend has me going nuts.
What an incredible experience, and they couldn’t have selected a more perfect personality for the category; you will certainly tell it like it is!
I’d love to visit, on my bucket list. For sure. Can’t wait to see the next post.
Wow Maureen, what a nice experience…and the waffles look great
Have a great week ahead!
What an exciting weekend, such a treat, very clever marketing ideas.
What an incredible trip! I am going to have to visit the wine shop to find some wine from Canberra now. =) I did not visit Canberra during my Australian adventure, but you can bet I will when I come back!