3 minute read
From the Publisher
Published by Australian Leisure Media Pty Ltd, 45/30 Nobbs Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010 (PO Box 478, Collaroy, NSW 2097) AUSTRALIA
ABN 32 092 549 721 Tel: 02 8018 6808 E-mail: leisure@ausleisure.com.au www.ausleisure.com.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/AusLeisure Editor Karen Sweaney Publisher Nigel Benton Design Australian Leisure Media Pty Ltd Contributors James Croll and Gwen Luscombe Advertising Inquiries Nigel Benton Tel: 0411 551 731 Email: nigel@ausleisure.com.au James Croll Tel: 0488 090 904 Email: jcroll@ausleisure.com.au
Advertisement
Printed in Australia by Pegasus Print Group Building B, 1A Bessemer Street, Blacktown NSW 2148 Tel: 02 8822 0600, www.pegasusprintgroup.com.au
Annual subscriptions cost $99 in Australia and New Zealand. Details at subscribe.ausleisure.com.au or call 02 8227 6486.
Members of AALARA, ARNA, ASPA, ASSA, EVANZ, ExerciseNZ, IAKS, LIWA Aquatics, the Sports and Play Industry Association and the VMA receive the magazine as a membership benefit.
The views contained in Australasian Leisure Management are not necessarily those of Australian Leisure Media Pty Ltd or the Editor. While every care is taken with advice given, Australian Leisure Media Pty Ltd and the Editor can take no responsibility for effects arising therefrom. Views expressed by contributors may be personal and are not necessarily the views of their employers or professional associations.
© Australasian Leisure Management, 2022. ISSN 1446-1374
Offi cial Publication
In Association with
Australasian Leisure Management is an Australian product, Australian owned and printed in Australia. Delivering the IRL experience In a world in which experiences and interactions are increasingly digital - a state exaggerated by lockdowns during the COVID pandemic - the online, virtual and augmented world has changed the way in which people engage, organise and socialise.
Indeed, the lines between digital and ‘real’ experiences are increasingly blurred making it sometimes difficult to recognise what is authentic with the pandemic pushing leisure, work and relationships, into the digital space.
Recently coming across the term IRL (in real life), which many readers may already have encountered, as “something real and outside the digital world of communication, gaming or virtual reality”, it struck me that the delivery of aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues are the absolute embodiment of authentic in-person experiences.
As populations return to consuming in-person experiences in these post-pandemic times, in some sectors IRL experiences will largely see a return of familiar offerings, albeit enhanced by technology – such as in attractions and entertainment.
In other areas, particularly the health and fitness industry, people’s consumption was transformed into an outdoor or at-home activity during the pandemic. Membership numbers appear to be rebounding, with consumers demanding a blending of relevant digital technologies to create an aligned omnichannel exercise experience.
As a result, future success will be driven by the industry’s ability to create compelling IRL experiences.
Backing award winners In this as well as upcoming issues of Australasian Leisure Management we are featuring a number of projects that have been recognised with industry awards.
With multiple award programs across the industry, we are looking to acknowledge the leading edge practice of award winners by giving their achievements wider exposure, going beyond the ceremonies at which they are presented.
So, if award organisers and award recipients want to highlight their successes, do contact us.
Australasian Leisure Management introduces free to use jobs page Mindful that industry employers are keen to access the best possible pool of potential staff members, and that those looking for industry jobs want to easily find available opportunities, Australasian Leisure Management has introduced an industryspecific jobs page.
Free to use - with there being no cost for employers to post their job vacancies and no charges for viewing the listings - the page has been created to connect job seekers with opportunities across the leisure industry.
Searchable by industry categories, the jobs page went live for industry earlier this month and has already attracted a range of interesting opportunities.
With the Ausleisure website attracting four million views a month, we feel that offering this page will offer an unmatched opportunity for employment connection. Nigel Benton, Publisher
Subscriptions
Subscribe to this magazine for just $99 (in Aus/NZ) for 12 months/six issues. To subscribe go to
