Turning Conversations into Commercial Confidence
AVANTI partners with destinations, venues and event businesses to strengthen business development strategy, sharpen sales conversations and unlock sustainable commercial growth.
Because people may forget what they were told, or what they were shown – but they never forget how a commercial interaction made them feel.
FOUNDER:
LEANNE DOUGLASS
AVANTI was founded by Leanne Douglass, a business events and tourism professional with 20+ years’ experience across destinations, venues, hotels and the wider visitor economy.
Having worked across destination marketing organisations, venues, tourism operators and event buyers, Leanne brings a unique understanding of how business events are sold – and how decisions are truly made.
She specialises in building strong industry relationships, securing conferences for regional destinations, and coaching teams to improve sales confidence and conversion.
FOUNDER STORY:
WHY I STARTED AVANTI
After more than two decades working across tourism, destinations, venues and business events, I founded AVANTI to support the visitor economy in a more meaningful way.
Throughout my career I’ve seen how powerful collaboration can be – when destinations, venues and operators work together and events create real momentum for regional communities.
AVANTI was launched in June 2024 to help destinations and event businesses build strong industry relationships, show up confidently in commercial conversations and turn opportunity into long-term partnerships.
At its heart, AVANTI is about supporting regional businesses and communities to grow through events, tourism and collaboration.
CAREER HIGHLIGHT:
AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL TOURISM
CONVENTION (2023)
A defining moment in my career was helping Newcastle secure and host the Australian Regional Tourism Convention (ARTC) in 2023 while working with the City of Newcastle as Tourism Specialist.
Leading the city’s Convention Bureau activity at the time, I worked closely with industry partners to position Newcastle and the Hunter as a competitive host destination. The successful bid saw Newcastle selected ahead of more than 40 councils across Australia.
Beyond the event’s economic impact, it strengthened industry relationships and deepened my connection with the regional tourism and business events community.
