The 2025 Perth Airport Tourism Conference will take place in Fremantle on May 26 - 28, 2025. More information is available here.
More speakers to be announced soon.
Keynote Speaker - Wednesday
Gus Balbontin
Born and bred in wild Patagonia, Gus Balbontin never allowed his small town and humble beginnings get in the way of his big dreams. A healthy disrespect for authority and a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out) landed him in Australia at the young age of 17.
By the age of 22 he had dropped out of uni, hitchhiked South America, set up his first business and landed his dream job at Lonely Planet. Fast forward a few more years and he was leading the company globally, working with companies such as Google X, Nokia and Amazon on the latest technology, creative cultures and high performing teams.
Seeking a change from corporate life, he hung up his boots as the executive director and CTO of Lonely Planet and decided to move back to his entrepreneurial roots, becoming an investor, founder and mentor across the start-up ecosystem in Melbourne. He loves sharing a story, but loves even more, knowing those stories make a difference to people, helping them in their own business and life.
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Keynote Speaker - Tuesday
Brant Garvey
Paralympian and Public Speaker
Brant Garvey’s passion for the pursuit of excellence in life and sport is equalled only by his desire to educate and inspire others to do great things in their lives. He is dedicated to helping others to develop the tools they need to face their fears, overcome their obstacles and to chase big dreams.
Brant lives to push the boundaries of what is possible and he thrills audiences with stories that are relatable to adults and children from all walks of life.
Brant did in his first ever triathlon in 2013 before competing in the triathlon at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. He says he wanted to compete in a sport "that was difficult for an able-bodied person let alone someone with one leg".
Brant’s finishing position at Rio was immaterial, saying that the race on the famous Rio beachfront was one of the highlights of his life.
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Anneke Brown
Tourism WA Managing Director
Anneke Brown is the Managing Director of Tourism Western Australia, bringing over 25 years of experience in the hospitality and tourism industry across Australia and internationally. Passionate about showcasing Western Australia on the global stage, Anneke began her career in hospitality while completing her Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Western Australia.
Her journey has included roles with Flight Centre during the 2000 Olympics, leadership positions with Aman Resorts across Asia and the Caribbean, and management roles in Margaret River, Uluru, and Perth, including 5 years as General Manager of COMO The Treasury, one of Perth’s most premium hotels.
In 2020, she established Anneke Brown Consulting, specialising in elevating hospitality and tourism projects. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Anneke has also served as Chair of Women in Tourism and Hospitality WA, and on the boards of the Rottnest Island Authority and Tourism WA.
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Phillipa Harrison
Tourism Australia Managing Director
Ms Phillipa Harrison is the Managing Director of Tourism Australia, the Australian Government agency responsible for marketing Australia’s tourism experiences to the world.
In this role, Ms Harrison is responsible for driving Tourism Australia’s strategies to create sustainable demand for Australia’s tourism experiences internationally, and working with the tourism industry to support the sector’s recovery from the impacts of the events of 2020.
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Hannah Statham
Content Marketer
Hannah might only just clear five foot, but she could easily enter herself into a heavy weight content marketing competition. Her signature move? Planting a target on your audience’s back and hitting them with bullseye accuracy. She’s first and foremost a content marketer - creating words, images and videos for clients, the kind of content that stops people in their thumb-scrolling tracks. That’s why she’s now the founder and CEO of Media Mortar, a content marketing agency, which uses words, images and videos to share brand’s stories. As a marketer, she helps brands go from zero to successful using a range of creative, content and communication techniques. Whether it’s words, images or videos, at the heart of everything she does is storytelling; and she’s an advocate that it's the power of stories that drive sales. With sixteen years’ experience in tourism and lifestyle marketing, Hannah brings a contagious energy to every task she does. She’s as creative as she is strategic and spends most of her time unashamedly working on her client’s big picture. When she’s not behind the desk for clients like Tourism Australia, Sapporo or Brisbane Airport Corporation, she’s learning the art of patience. Her teachers are two and four years old, and a constant reminder that she has lots to learn.
