Outdoor Industry Connect & Share Forums
Outdoor Industry Connect & Share Forums
The Physical Activity Revolution: Meeting People Where They Are
The outdoor industry is experiencing a period of significant transition, as revealed in this week's Outdoors NSW and ACT Industry Connect and Share Forum. A major business acquisition headlines the news with Southbound Adventures being sold to Travel is Living Group after 32 years under Ian "Robbo" Robinson's leadership. The new ownership promises business continuity with the founder staying on as a consultant to ensure the company's culture and values remain intact.
A groundbreaking Mountain Bike Manifesto containing 143 recommendations will be released on July 10th at the upcoming summit, setting a comprehensive agenda for transformation in the mountain biking sector across NSW and ACT. This follows extensive stakeholder consultation and represents a significant step forward in addressing long-standing challenges.
The forum highlighted critical insights from recent physical activity initiatives, particularly the Western Sydney Moving program tackling alarming statistics where 40% of the community fails to meet recommended activity guidelines. A powerful takeaway from the National Sport and Physical Activity Convention resonated throughout: "Programs need to meet people where they are" rather than just serving those already engaged in outdoor activities. This challenges providers to expand their reach to new audiences who could benefit most from outdoor engagement.
Industry advocacy has intensified around two urgent issues: the campaign to reinstate essential roping units at TAFE, and challenging new e-bike certification legislation that threatens adventure tourism operators. The timing of the e-bike regulations is particularly problematic given current economic pressures on small businesses, though discussions with government officials have raised hopes for implementation extensions.
A significant win for the sector comes with Australian Research Council funding for "UPLOADS 2.0," a three-year project to make this critical incident reporting framework more accessible and user-friendly. This aligns perfectly with industry priorities for improving risk management systems.
The forum concluded with an impressive lineup of professional development opportunities addressing skill shortages, from specialized abseiling and rescue techniques to facilitation skills and outdoor education fundamentals. Applications are now open for the second Pinnacle Leadership Program supporting women's professional development in the industry.
Join us at the upcoming Outdoors NSW and ACT Summit where these initiatives and more will take center stage as the industry collectively navigates challenges and seizes opportunities to connect more people with the transformative power of outdoor experiences.
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