Senior Heritage Consultant at Conrad Gargett, Malcolm Elliott will join civic and business leaders from more than 100 cities across the Asia Pacific at the upcoming 2015 Asia Pacific Cities Summit (2015APCS) & Mayors’ Forum in Brisbane, Australia.
An initiative of the Brisbane City Council, the 2015APCS provides a platform for governments and businesses to engage on city governance best practice, and drive trade and investment opportunities in the region. More than 75 mayors, collectively responsible for governing 122 million citizens from across the Asia Pacific and beyond, are attending the event, which runs from 5 to 8 July 2015.
Conrad Gargett’s Malcolm Elliott will be presenting on the topic, ‘How do we get the Facebook generation to ‘Like’ heritage?’ at the 2015APCS where he will take the opportunity to explore the use of digital technologies in engaging a younger audience in the heritage sector.
Observing that public interest in heritage tourism has declined in recent times, particularly amongst younger audiences, Elliott says that the problem of falling attendance is impacting the previously dependable revenue stream from admission fees, which was being used for the maintenance of these sites.
Elliott believes technology could hold the key to interacting with the audience, restoring the prominence of heritage sites for younger audiences, and recapturing a greater share of the tourism and recreational markets, thereby improving the long-term prospects of the heritage sector.
Lord Mayor of Brisbane Cr Graham Quirk said 2015APCS’ theme of Business and Leadership in the Asia Pacific will feature world-renowned speakers, presentations, a trade market square exhibition, and case studies that cover the new wave of innovation and global development.
As the host city, Brisbane will once again provide an international platform for discussion on issues such as innovation, technology and sustainability that provide challenges and opportunities for cities throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Cr Quirk added that the summit presented a vital opportunity for international cities to learn and benefit from each other’s experiences about being a world city in 2015.
