Section: Newsroom

Experience Oz and DCM unite

Better together, businesses to reignite North Queensland tourism

Australian owned and operated businesses recognise strength in joining together to reignite tourism sector

Sydney, 3 February 2022 – Australian owned and operated businesses Big Red Group, the parent company of Experience Oz, and Destination Cairns Marketing (DCM) have agreed to terms on a new joint venture set to benefit tourism operators and aid industry recovery in North Queensland.

The partnership will leverage Big Red Group’s state of the art technology, scale and marketing capabilities as the largest experience marketplace in Australia and New Zealand, combining with DCM’s 30+ years of local knowledge, deep industry relationships and strong ties with businesses within the region.

As North Queensland continues to face challenging trading conditions, with international inbound travel not anticipated to return to pre COVID-19 volumes within the foreseeable future, the joint venture comes at an opportune time as it seeks to leverage the reach of Big Red Group’s audience to increase domestic volumes within the area.

Under the agreement, Big Red Group’s leading domestic holiday brand Experience Oz, with more than 15 years’ experience in the region, will generate demand via branded tour desks underpinned by a significant marketing investment. Its B2B platform, Experience Oz Local Agent will supply the technology to support activity bookings across the 130+ hotels currently working with DCM, providing more advanced capabilities such as in-room activity booking via QR codes and lobby booking kiosks.

It’s a win-win partnership set to drive much needed growth across the sector, with hotels, guests, tour and experience providers all set to benefit under the landmark partnership. Operations will be vastly streamlined, while hotel guests will have access to a more extensive range of experiences across the region, with tour and activity suppliers currently listed with Experience Oz to be introduced into the hotels.

Since acquiring Experience Oz and Experience Oz Local Agent in late 2021, Big Red Group has begun to invest significantly in scaling the brands, as done successfully with other brands in its portfolio such as RedBalloon and Adrenaline. As Big Red Group grows Experience Oz into a household name, it is anticipated that consumer uptake on Experience Oz offerings at hotel concierge desks will also increase.

David Anderson, CEO of Big Red Group comments:

“We’re absolutely delighted to have forged this agreement with DCM, a well-known and highly respected family owned and operated business which has embedded itself within the North Queensland tourism sector since 1986. We know how tough it has been for the tourism industry as a whole, with Cairns and surrounds being particularly hard hit.”

Anderson continues, “Despite Experience Oz and DCM having been respectful, if fierce competitors in the past, we recognise that we are better together, pooling our resources and expertise which will ultimately deliver much better outcomes for all stakeholders. We have established a fantastic working rapport with DCM owners Denis Donaghy, Sam and Greg Ferguson, and have every confidence in their capabilities to execute this on the ground.”

DCM will continue to champion and grow local tourism, while working closely with Regional Tourism bodies and Cairns based Experience Oz representatives. Meanwhile, Big Red Group continues to proactively strengthen relationships with State and Federal Government, committed to centrally representing more than 2500 experience suppliers that it partners with, ensuring they have a voice at the table.

Sam Ferguson, General Manager Commercial for DCM comments:

“This is an incredibly exciting partnership which will bring a significant boost of momentum and generate new demand for the area. We are a team of locals, who have always prided ourselves on delivering exceptional outcomes to our partners. Big Red Group has an impeccable record in building trusted brands and long-term mutually beneficial partnerships. We are looking forward to working collaboratively to bring this new venture to life, and aim to play a key role in driving tourism recovery within the region.”

Sam Ferguson has been appointed CEO of the joint venture which will come into effect on April 1st, and he will continue to lead day-to-day operations for DCM.

Acquired Experience Oz & Local Agent

Big Red Group acquires Experience Oz & leading hotel concierge booking platform Local Agent

Better together – Australian owned and operated businesses unite to strengthen domestic experience marketplace

Sydney, 9 November 2021 – Big Red Group has further cemented its position as the largest experience marketplace in Australia and New Zealand, announcing the acquisition of Experience Oz and Experience Oz Local Agent from holding company TicketMates Australia.

In line with Big Red Group’s ethos to support local, the new additions are Australian owned and operated entities, making them a logical fit to join the powerhouse of experience brands which include Adrenaline, Lime&Tonic, and RedBalloon.

All brands under TicketMates Australia will move into Big Red Group’s portfolio of brands, with the exception of auto-club business Club Connect – a dedicated member benefits platform serving Australia’s large-scale auto-clubs such as RACQ, RACV and NRMA.

Queensland based Experience Oz is an industry leader in serving domestic holiday makers, while its B2B platform Local Agent, is Australia’s leading one-stop-shop for concierge activity bookings. Local Agent currently serves 700+ hotels including Mantra and Oaks Hotels, providing access to 3000+ experiences Australia wide.

TicketMates Australia Managing Director, Ben Manns will become a shareholder in Big Red Group and joins the senior leadership team effective immediately, with the remit to refine and grow relationships with industry alliances and supply partners.

Clint Gudenswager, General Manager of TicketMates Australia, will continue his stewardship of Local Agent, with the number of experiences available, and hotels across Australia and New Zealand set to vastly expand under the Big Red Group umbrella.

David Anderson, CEO of Big Red Group comments:

“We’re delighted to welcome Experience Oz and Local Agent into our portfolio of experience brands. This is a natural evolution that has been in the workings for over a year. And while Club Connect will continue to procure its existing products directly, we have negotiated a long-term wholesale agreement enabling Big Red Group experience suppliers to be progressively introduced to the portal, giving them exclusive access to auto-club’s 11 million members.”

Anderson sees it as a win-win for all parties, with Club Connect able to offer the auto-clubs more expansive choice, and Big Red Group experience suppliers gaining a new channel to market. This in addition to the recent Google / Big Red Group integration, for Google’s ‘Things to Do’, of which suppliers listed across Adrenaline, Experience Oz and RedBalloon may feature if they fit users geographic search criteria.

Excited at the tremendous mutual benefits ahead through driving efficiencies and expanding product offerings, Anderson says it’s the right time to reset Big Red Group’s supplier value proposition.

Ben Manns, newly appointed Supply & Distribution Director of Big Red Group comments:

“We want to build much deeper relationships with our suppliers, and now have a tremendously compelling value proposition to partner with us. Big Red Group is growing the experience marketplace through its brands, scale and reach, giving suppliers unparalleled access to both direct and indirect audiences, with B2C, B2B, and exclusive partnership offerings. Ultimately, this enables us to deliver much better outcomes for consumers and our industry partners.”

Adapting to the new experience of work

Big Red Group employees embrace the new experience of work

Big Red Group’s white paper ‘Creating the new experience of work’ first released in November 2020, was developed in response to the vastly altered working landscape stemming from the pandemic announcement in March 2020.

Recognising that the future of work had forever changed, the paper sought to address the questions leaders needed to ask to determine the best way forward for their business.

More than a year on, as the world continues to change and adapt, the question still remains – what will the ‘new’ workplace culture look like beyond these fluctuating times?

Throughout the pandemic, many businesses have shown remarkable resilience, agility, and capabilities. Productivity in many cases has improved, and those working remotely have begun to appreciate a greater work life balance.

For Big Red Group, after a year of remote working, it recently adopted a hybrid work model. Launching a new sustainable workspace in Sydney’s CBD, employees have the choice as to where and how they do their best work. While the new space is a hub for innovative and collaborative work, many employees are choosing a combination of workspace with home working.

Empowered with choice and flexibility, employees are thriving in such a versatile environment, with Big Red Group seeing substantial year-on-year growth.

But how have other businesses adapted over the past year? How do they continue to cultivate culture and build teams? How will the workplaces continue to evolve?

The paper consolidates in-depth research, insights from various institutions, evolving trends, interviews with industry leaders and contributions from leading demographer Bernard Salt who states:

“(Covid-19) has really brought in a new model of living and working.”

David Anderson, Big Red Group Co-founder and Group CEO adds:

“Employees look to employers for community as much as they look to the employer for a job. So, in this new world, they want to feel part of a community.”

New approaches within the workplace will differ, but there is no doubt that adaptation is required. The framework developed as a result of the white paper offers leaders a guide to the sorts of questions that they will need to consider.

David upholds that “corporate culture will not happen by accident – it will take intent.”

DOWNLOAD WHITE PAPER NOW >

Big Red Group’s Adrenaline and Tourism Australia team up

Adrenaline and Tourism Australia are inspiring Australians to ‘Get Amongst It’ in new campaign

Sydney, 21 May 2021 – Big Red Group brand Adrenaline and Tourism Australia have this week launched the first of a five-part campaign, inspiring Australians to take exciting holidays at home and ‘Get Amongst It’ with adventure.

As part of the broader Tourism Australia ‘Holiday Here This Year’ campaign, phase one of ‘Get Amongst It’ focuses on Port Lincoln in South Australia. The other four Australian adventure capitals will be unveiled over the coming month.

As part of the campaign, Adrenaline engaged local content curators to showcase their favourite adventures, local knowledge and holiday itineraries, aimed at encouraging Australians to tap into their adventurous spirit and get amongst it.

Adrenaline’s Brand Manager, Toni Westlake is excited to play a role in inspiring Australians to adventure more domestically, “our consumer insight analysis showed that many Australians had unused annual leave and no inspiration for how to use it. In fact, Australians have nearly 175 million days of annual leave due, an increase of over 23 million days from early 2020. With international borders still closed, this highlighted a perfect opportunity for us to partner with Tourism Australia, and inspire the domestic market to adventure when they holiday here this year.”

All that’s needed is a little inspiration, and for that, Adrenaline is on hand to provide some exciting options that will not disappoint. Phase one of the ‘Get Amongst It’ campaign features diving with sharks and sea lions in Port Lincoln, through to kayaking in Coorong National Park. And with more than 2500 experiences across the Adrenaline site, there’s something for everyone.

As Australia’s economic recovery continues, and consumer confidence is at its highest since February 2020, this campaign seeks to build on the surge in Australians participating in experiences, while injecting funds into small businesses, local tourism operators and communities.

The ‘Get Amongst It’ campaign will run until the end of June.

Experiences Marketplace

Big Red Group’s Matthew Cavalier chats to Channel 7’s Sunrise program

13 April 2021 – Big Red Group’s Chief Growth Officer Matthew Cavalier caught up with Channel 7’s Sunrise program to discuss the mutual benefits to community and experience suppliers that programs such as NSW’s Dine & Discover present.

With a broad range of experiences on offer through both RedBalloon and Adrenaline, Dine & Discover continues to be a great catalyst for NSW residents to explore new experiences.

Big Red Group has seen strong support in its initial weeks of involvement in the Dine & Discover program, with the initiative running through to 30 June 2021.

https://fb.watch/4QWo1GY0HC/

Dine & Discover

Big Red Group supports Dine & Discover

NSW residents to have access to over one thousand RedBalloon and Adrenaline experiences through NSW Government’s ‘Dine and Discover’ scheme.

Sydney, 19 March 2021– Big Red Group brands RedBalloon and Adrenaline have joined the Service NSW list of ‘Dine & Discover’ providers for NSW residents.

Dine & Discover NSW is a scheme aimed at stimulating the NSW economy through encouraging people to get out and about, boosting spending at dining, arts and tourism businesses.

Following a successful pilot program, vouchers will roll out by Local Government Area (LGA) throughout March, with NSW residents aged 18 and over eligible to apply for 4 x $25 vouchers through their MyServiceNSW account. Vouchers can be used at participating NSW businesses registered as COVID Safe, and will be divided into 2 categories:

  • 2 x $25 vouchers to be used for eating at restaurants, cafes, bars, wineries, pubs and clubs (excluding public holidays)
  • 2 x $25 vouchers to be used for entertainment and recreation, including cultural institutions, live music, and arts venues, any day of the week (excluding public holidays)

From 19th March 2021, NSW residents will be able to redeem their vouchers across eligible RedBalloon and Adrenaline experiences. These experiences will be clearly denoted on both RedBalloon and Adrenaline websites.

Matthew Cavalier, Chief Growth Officer at Big Red Group comments:

“We are incredibly proud to partner with Service NSW to help bring the ‘Dine & Discover’ initiative to life through RedBalloon and Adrenaline. Being part of this initiative is another way for us to support our broad range of NSW suppliers and the wider hospitality and tourism industry.

It truly is a great program encouraging NSW residents to dine and discover across their own backyard. The vouchers are the perfect reason for residents to try something new, take on an experience they may have wanted to do for some time, or to tick something off their bucket list.”

Vouchers are accessible through Service NSW until 30th June 2021.

Diversity and Inclusion Report

Big Red Group’s 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Report

24 February 2021 – As International Women’s Day fast approaches, it’s timely that Big Red Group has released its 2021 Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Report, following a number of reviews undertaken.

Reviews included:

  • ‘Pay Equity Audit’, encompassing the representation of women and men across the group, and pay relative to job level to seek any disparity within bands
  • ‘Gender Representation’, auditing the representation of men and women within all job levels to seek any under representation
  • ‘Ethnicity Review’, reviewing the ethnic diversity across the workforce

Pleasingly, Big Red Group identified no pay disparity on the basis of gender, or under representation of women within the general business. Notably, there was a slight under representation of women within Technical Specialist fields now being addressed through recruitment processes.

As a LGBTQIA inclusive​ workplace committed to equal pay, equal rights, and equal opportunity, other key findings included:

  • 50/50 gender split in the Senior Leadership Team
  • Ratio across workforce is 56% female, 44% male
  • There is a higher percentage of women people managers (62% female, 38% male)
  • There is a higher percentage of male Heads of Team (40% female, 60% male)
  • 36% of workforce are non-Australian ethnicity​, with 11 ethnicities represented

Big Red Group’s diversity and inclusion principles are central to how Big Red Group does business, and in line with its ESG commitment to the UN’s Good Life Goals (GLG), specifically GLG 10 – Reduce Inequality. BRG’s Diversity and Inclusion Report showcases Big Red Group’s deep commitment to fostering a workplace free from discrimination, that embraces diversity, inclusion, and equality.

Recognising that businesses can be platforms for social change, Big Red Group’s purpose in shifting the way people experience life begins from Day 1 in the workplace. While currently undergoing a substantial period of growth, with over 45% of Big Red Group employees joining in the past year, all new employees undergo a comprehensive onboarding process underpinned by Big Red Group’s diversity and inclusion framework.

While this onboarding process is currently delivered remotely as Big Red Group relinquished its office space in March 2020, Big Red Group looks forward to welcoming future newcomers into a bespoke designed collaborative workspace in Q4 of 2021.

Transparent in its approach, Big Red Group hopes to lead and inspire others in creating inclusive workplaces which value, respect, accept, and celebrate differences between people. The Big Red Group community is encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work each and every day, safe in the knowledge they attend a supportive and caring environment where people can contribute in unique and meaningful ways.

Through actively promoting diversity, Big Red Group hopes to increase participation and contribution of all employees, particularly through its Experiences@Work program which unites people on a regular basis.

For further information, please see Big Red Group’s ESG commitments.

Krazy Kosci Klimb

Big Red Group’s Team Oscar successfully completes Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s ‘Krazy Kosci Klimb’

13 February 2021 is the day that Big Red Group’s leadership team assembled at the start line alongside Oscar and his proud supporters, ready to accompany him on his mission to summit Mount Kosciuszko.

Since meeting 12-year-old Oscar several months prior, and learning about Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s (CPA) annual Krazy Kosci Klimb, the Big Red Group team had been looking forward to the event. They had been captivated by Oscar’s spirit and enthusiasm for life, and were highly invested in helping him realise his dream.

Looking at the rugged path that stretched ahead, breathing in the crisp mountain air, they knew it was going to be something special. But never did they expect to gain so personally from the experience.

The night before at the pre-event dinner, the team was inspired by young Hannah Diviney – the teenager who founded the event so young people with disabilities could have their lives forever enriched through participating in such challenging events.

Hannah asked the room full of participants and supporters, to put their hand up if anyone had ever been told they couldn’t do something. Or if they ever felt on the outside. A sea of hands went up. Hannah said “you see, we’re all the same. Disability, no disability, we’re all fighting the same battles to be heard and seen.”

As the race began, Oscar charged ahead leaving the team in his wake, setting a strong pace with theme song “Eye of the Tiger” blaring across the valley. Oscar was kitted out with special boxing gloves, while his team were dressed from head to toe in colourful boxing attire, a tribute to Oscar’s favourite sport.

As hours passed, and the ascent became harder, Oscar’s enthusiasm began to wane, and deep fatigue took hold. It was then that the real teamwork kicked in.

Each of Big Red Group’s leaders bring diverse strengths and skillsets into the business every day, each of which complement each other. And there amid a mountain climb, it was no different. They each gave what they could to help Oscar through, whether it was nurturing, humouring, mentoring, physically carrying, or just listening – providing whatever support they could.

But it was team leader Maddi from CPA who was instrumental in helping Oscar to continue. Oscar told Maddi that he had no energy in his legs, and was struggling to keep moving.

Maddi replied “it’s okay, my legs have energy, you can borrow some of mine. And when they get tired again, there will be someone else in the team who has energy, and you can borrow some of theirs. That’s how you’ll make it.”

And so it was teamwork every step of the way, with energy being borrowed to propel a 12-year-old with big dreams up a great mountain. It was tough, there were times they thought they might not make it, but collectively they pooled their strengths to help Oscar achieve his goal, and in the process, raise much needed funds from CPA.

As Madeline Robin’s, Big Red Group’s Director of People and Culture reflected after crossing the finish line, drawing parallels from the event to business “it’s not your moment to sprint when your team is tired, you have to respect how other people are feeling, and where they’re at in the journey. You have to take people along with you.”

This undertaking fell perfectly in step with BRG’s commitment to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which underpin Big Red Group’s ESG agenda, aligning with Goal 3, Good Health and Wellbeing, and Goal 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

Big lessons learned from remarkable people, and new goals reached through a truly memorable event.

DAVID ANDERSON
BIG RED GROUP CO-FOUNDER

Partnerships simply don’t get better synergy

Partnerships simply don’t get better synergy

A landmark partnership between Tourism Australia and The Big Red Group brands RedBalloon and Adrenaline encourages more Australians to explore and experience our extraordinary backyard.

Sydney, 10 February 2021 – The Big Red Group brands RedBalloon and Adrenaline have forged a partnership with Tourism Australia, recognising the shared value in teaming up to bring experiences to life for all Australians.

Bringing Tourism Australia’s ‘Holiday Here This Year’ campaign to life, RedBalloon and Adrenaline have invested heavily to shine a light on the experiences category, pushing incremental revenue back to their expansive supply community and showing off our unique backyard to encourage Australians to explore like tourists.

To bring this to life, RedBalloon and Adrenaline have created incredible campaigns that drive engagement with their brands and categories, inspiring Australians with a huge range of experiences, and leveraging powerful AI performance marketing tools that convert Australians into customers for their supply community.

As Australia begins its road to economic recovery, this partnership seeks to inject much needed funds into small business, local tourism operators and regional communities, further building on the 800,000 customers delivered to small experience suppliers through RedBalloon and Adrenaline in 2020.

Matthew Cavalier, Chief Growth Officer at The Big Red Group comments:

“Our partnership is a fantastic opportunity to support Australian economic recovery and our experience suppliers who have faced incredibly challenging trading conditions. It’s through our partnership with Tourism Australia, that we can reach millions of Australians and provide them with inspirational ideas and easy, online booking capability to Holiday Here This Year.”

Adding to comments, Tourism Australia’s Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said:

“Through the ongoing rollout of our Holiday Here This Year campaign, we are encouraging travellers to support our tourism operators and communities across the country by not just booking a holiday but an experience as well, particularly ones that are typically popular with international visitors.

There are so many unique and wonderful experiences on offer across Australia, and with overseas travel off the cards for the time being, now is the perfect opportunity for Australians to enjoy their own backyard.”

The partnership commenced on January 11th and will conclude on February 28th 2021, with the campaign outperforming all media benchmarks with record low engagement costs and a significant uplift in customer bookings year-on-year during the campaign period to date.