The event, held at the centre, included a cooking class with Cairns Convention Centre executive chef David Hart, a non-alcoholic spirits mixology masterclass and a tour of the venue’s soon-to-open 10,000m2 expansion.
“Career roadshows like this are incredibly important as the tourism and the business events really starts to gather momentum once again,” said Cairns Convention Centre’s culinary services director Benjamin Boudaud.
“We need to attract new talent and people to the industry as we continue to rebuild and recover and a platform such as this allows us to share our passion while giving students a better understanding of the event industry.
“This event has allowed students to see first-hand there is so much more to an event than just the food and drink – there are the uniforms, rosters, the need to keep things clean, tidy and functioning. Then there is also the relationship we have with our clients, sales and audio visual, there is a lot to it.
“But, at the end of the day, we are in the business of making people happy. Passing by the mixology course, everyone was laughing and smiling, so regardless of whether the students choose a career in tourism, they had a great experience here.”
QTIC’s chief executive Brett Fraser said with the current tight labour market and cost of living pressures, roadshows like this one were very important.
“The Regional Tourism Career Roadshow provides a fantastic opportunity for us to respond to the current workforce issues that have been identified as some of the biggest challenges for the tourism sector’s recovery.
“Supporting emerging professionals and equipping them with the skills to face a challenging economic environment is now more important than ever. Not only does their future depend on it, but so does the future of our industry.”
