48 Hours in Adelaide

Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, often gets overshadowed by its big city cousins, including Sydney and Melbourne. But lately, Adelaide has been quietly coming into its own, with a flourishing dining scene, and the addition of new sports and entertainment venues. And with only an 8-hour drive separating it from Melbourne, it makes for a worthy side trip for travelers looking for an off-the-beaten path city break.

Courtesy Australia.com

Perhaps best-known for its Fringe Festival (the second largest in the world, after Edinburgh), the city is undergoing a revival, with its added cultural attractions and the transformation of a central business  district that, in parts, is still a bit rough around the edges. The bit of grit, along with the melding of Anglo and Asian cultures, is why Adelaide seems so real and approachable.

DAY 1

Start your visit to Adelaide with a stroll, as the city is eminently walkable. The three top routes are North Terrace, Rundle Street and the mysterious and action-packed laneways.

Rundle Street Mall
Courtesy cityofadelaide.com.au

Most of the city’s cultural attractions are lined up along or near North Terrace. You can pop in and out of institutions like the South Australian Museum, the Art Gallery of South Australia, and the Migration Museum, or wander around the stately campus of the University of Adelaide, established in 1874. Nearby is the Adelaide Botanic Garden, where you can take in some fresh air among the exotic plants before heading to the National Wine Centre to taste some of that famous South Australian grape.

After a post-wine nap, enjoy the nightlife packed into Adelaide’s revitalized laneways, located in the central business district. These intimate and once-forgotten back alleys are now brimming with quirky shops, restaurants, bars and local trendsetters. Check out the scene at Casablabla, Udaberri Pintxos Y Vino or Peel St.

When it’s time to turn in for the night, the city offers no shortage of great places to stay. For something charming and arty, check in at the Majestic Minima Hotel, complete with rooftop terrace. Or, for something more historic, look to the Mayfair Hotel, opened in 2015 in a stately 1930s building.

DAY 2

Start your second day early with a visit to Adelaide’s Central Market. If you get there at 7 AM, you can see  fishmongers mongering and  farmers setting up their produce stalls. Come a bit later and join in a market tour, which lets you meet the producers, sample the goodies and learn about the history of South Australian food.

Adelaide Centrail Market
Courtesy South Australian Tourism

With your blood sugar levels up, head over for a shop along Rundle Street. Keep walking past touristy Rundle Mall, a pedestrian shopway filled with chain stores and hordes of browsers. When you pass Pulteney Street, the vibe totally changes. On Rundle Street East, the crowds dissipate and the retail spaces fill up with funky gift stores, hipster cafes, an arthouse cinema and fashion houses (top shops include Gorman, M.J. Bale and Sass & Bide).

These blocks are also choc-a-block with chocolate outlets. Grab a sweet at Max Brenner or The Chocolate Bar, or better yet, indulge your sweet tooth at San Churro Chocolateria. They’ve got everything from handmade, chocolate-dipped churros to a dozen choices of Spanish hot chocolate to shakes, fondues and chocolate-inspired tapas. Yum.

One block over, Ebenezer Place feels like a little piece of France plunked down in the middle of Adelaide.  After dropping some Australian dollars at Leonard St. Adelaide, Uggs and Kisses, and Relove SA, a gallery featuring the works of more than 50 South Australian creatives, get your French fix at Hey Jupiter. The brasserie has all of your Parisian cravings covered.

Adelaide Oval Roof Climb
Courtesy South Australia Tourism

Finally, even if you aren’t a fan of cricket (and let’s face it, few outside the British Empire are), you’ll enjoy a literal round at the Adelaide Oval, said to be the most picturesque test cricket ground in the world. Walk around the edge of the stadium’s expansive canopy during a two-hour guided Roof Climb. It’s the best way to experience an Adelaide adrenaline rush.

This article originally appeared here.

Brain Dating: Thought Leadership Conferences and the High-End Traveler

This article originally appeared on Skift.com. I am that publication's luxury correspondent.

Nowadays, luxury travel is all about discovering new frontiers. It’s not just about expanding physical and geographic boundaries. The travel cognoscenti are “brain dating” around the world in order to stretch their minds.

— Laura Powell

First came TED in 1984. Soon thereafter, in 1987, there was South by Southwest.

Now, after a bit of a lull, thought leadership conferences are popping up all over the map, with Vivid Sydney, C2 Montréal, and Light City Baltimore launching in the last decade.

Light City Baltimore: Photo by Perry Mandelboym

These conferences, which meld creative components with thought-provoking programming, deliver high-end visitors, while providing a host city with the opportunity to develop, solidify, or refine its brand.

According to J. Walter Thompson’s Future 100: 2018 forecast, “Events like these indicate the increased appetite for thought leadership and innovation among consumers. These experiential events combine self-improvement with entertainment, networking, and access to today’s influencers, who are often tech leaders or startup founders, rather than traditional celebrities.”

Vancouver thought the sector important enough to woo TED to the British Columbian metropolis. Working with Destination Canada, the city developed a two-year financial incentive package to entice TED to relocate from Long Beach, California.

Courtesy cantechletter.com

“The average economic impact for TED from 2014-2017 was $3.8 million per year, but the true value far exceeds that as the TEDsters are distinguished and influential leaders who can help share Vancouver’s appeal as an incredible convention destination, great place to do business, and an unforgettable place to visit,” Tourism Vancouver said.

According to Dave Gazley, vice president of meetings and convention sales for Tourism Vancouver, most TED visitors stay downtown in four and five-star hotels, meaning that “Vancouver also benefits from the affluent crowd in that people will come back here on their own and experience the city on vacation,” given that the TED schedule doesn’t allow for much city exploration time.

South by Southwest, or SXSW as it is widely known as, celebrates its 31st anniversary in March. It’s grown from what was primarily a music festival into one big event made of music, film, interactive, sustainability, and education tracks.

“The interactive conference has the largest per capita spend, between the individuals who may stay at more expensive hotels and the corporations spending more money to host events at ancillary venues around the city,” said Ben Loftsgaarden, a partner in Austin-based Greyhill Advisors, which analyzes the economic impact of SXSW.

“One of the things that has made SXSW so successful.” said Loftsgaarden, ‘is that while the organizers realize it’s largely about networking, to keep people coming back, you have to make it fun.”

Courtesy Vivid Sydney

Perhaps that’s why so many conferences seem to be melding elements of creativity and commerce. Witness Vivid Sydney.

What started as a modest light festival ten years ago, designed in part to attract visitors to Sydney during the winter, has become a huge draw for tourists. The 23-day show has grown from 255,000 attendees in 2009 to 2.33 million in 2017.

Destination NSW took over the event two years into its run and started transforming it into what it is today: a festival of light, music and ideas. According to Sandra Chipchase, CEO of Destination NSW and executive producer of Vivid Sydney, the pivot to thought leadership “reinforces Sydney’s position as the creative services hub of the Asia Pacific region….and builds access to global markets.”

Chipchase said that most international travelers stay at high-end hotels and extend their stays to travel throughout New South Wales and beyond. “The international luxury traveler comes because it’s unique. These are people who want to learn and immerse themselves in creativity.” What excites them is “what they are going to learn, who they will meet and how they can be inspired.”

Moreover, as Sydney looks to attract even more high-end spenders, Chipchase believes Vivid is the perfect brand ambassador. “Vivid is a reflection of who we are: beautiful, sexy, outrageous, optimistic and fun.”

Indeed, the branding benefit is one of the intangible elements that hosting thought leadership conferences can provide.

“SXSW is an invaluable brand that has helped define Austin as the center of creativity and commerce, a community that is innovative, entrepreneurial and cool,” said Michael W. Rollins, president of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.

But to be successful at brand-building, according to Tourism Vancouver’s Gazley, an event must have “unbelievable, compelling content that is meaningful to people,” while also aligning with a city’s DNA.

Interested in reading more about light festivals around the world? Read more here.