From 1,077 data points to three clear directions for the visitor economy

Good engagement doesn’t just collect views, it helps make sense of them.

Late last year, Purdon partnered with Regional Development Australia Southern NSW & ACT to design and facilitate the Regional Tourism Roundtable, bringing together more than 120 participants from across the southern NSW and ACT visitor economy.

Using Mentimeter, we captured live input from across the room, generating 1,077 individual data points in a single session. This approach allowed participants to surface issues, test ideas and rank priorities in real time, creating a rich, diverse and sometimes competing evidence base.

But the value of engagement isn’t in the volume of input, it’s in what comes next. Our role included moving beyond facilitation into synthesis, working through the qualitative data to identify the patterns that matter most. From more than a thousand responses, a clear picture emerged:

• One overarching problem shared across the region

• Three key drivers shaping that challenge

• A strong consensus around the solution, framed through

  • Three strategic levers, and

  • Three priority directions for action.

We distilled these insights into a concise, highly visual report, designed to be read at a glance and used directly in decision-making. Rather than overwhelming stakeholders with raw data, the report translates a complex conversation into a shared understanding and a practical path forward.

It was exciting to see the findings presented at the Canberra Regional Tourism Advisory Forum, where they helped anchor discussion across government, industry and regional stakeholders about the future of the visitor economy.This project is a good example of how large, qualitative datasets can be transformed into simple, strategic direction that people can act on.

If you’re working on a project that involves multiple stakeholders, complex feedback or big strategic questions, we’d be happy to talk about how a similar approach could support your next stage.

Read the report here: General 2 — RDA Southern NSW and ACT