Welcome
Welcome to the Institute of Excellence, where our mission is to “Empower Excellence in Tourism and Small Business.” Through our IGNITE principles—Innovation, Growth, Nurture, Integrity, Tenacity, and Empathy—we strive to foster a community where creativity, ethical practices, and sustainable growth are at the forefront. Our commitment is to light the path to excellence with industry-leading training and development, ensuring every community member has the tools to unlock their potential. Join us in a journey of continuous improvement, guided by values that cherish progress, resilience, and a deep commitment to positively impacting both people and the planet.
Popular Courses
Institute Of Tourism
Explore the dynamic world of tourism through tailored training in visitor services, tourism management, digital marketing, social media marketing and customer service, to name a few, designed to elevate your business in the tourism, events and hospitality industries.
Institute of Small Business
Discover growth and success with the Institute of Small Business, offering comprehensive tools, knowledge, and community support to empower entrepreneurs and small business owners at any stage of their journey.
Tourism Hub Podcast
Dive into the Tourism Hub Podcast, presented by the Institute of Excellence, where Despina Karatzias takes you on an inspiring journey through tourism and small business landscapes. Explore engaging stories, innovative digital marketing strategies, and social media tips with industry leaders to fuel your career or business growth. Subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Google to join a community striving for excellence in the vibrant Australian visitor economy and beyond.
Highly Professional & Engaging
Despina Karatzias facilitated the Social Media segment as part of the Destination Gippsland “Creating Smart Connections” program which aimed to increase the online digital presence of Gippsland Tourism businesses through six roadshow workshops. Despina was highly professional and engaging and provided participants with a range of relevant and easily understood information. The majority of survey respondents indicated that Despina’s presentation was valued as useful to extremely useful.”
Janine Hayes - Destination Gippsland
A True Professional
Despina brings her energy and passion for the tourism industry with her to the Mornington Peninsula several times each year facilitating workshops on; social media, marketing and customer service. Her years of experience shine through when she interacts with local tourism operators using language which is relatable and practical, breaking down the jargon into comprehendible ideas. One of her greatest strengths is her understanding the needs of small to medium businesses and providing useful free tools to streamline processes and save businesses time. A true professional, Despina goes the extra mile with her training sessions and is a pleasure to work with.”
Ebony Flett, Mornington Peninsula Regional Tourism
Engaging, Simple & Easy to Understand
As a new small business owner of Hayden’s House Food and Produce, who is still learning about technology, Despina made the training so engaging, simple and easy to understand the practical and very effective ways so that I can incorporate SEO’s and manage my online presence and reputation for my business.
Arlene Tribo
Insightful & Informative
Very insightful and informative sessions. Thank you Despina for your time and sharing your knowledge
Sarah D'Orria
Highly professional and helpful
Highly professional and helpful. Program tailored to meet all levels and includes great support and information. Motivational and educational.
Sharon Radon
So Many Tips & Tricks
There was a young woman named Despina,
Who in social media there was none keener,
From Canva to Bitly,
She explained calmly and succinctly,
Now I’m in the digital arena!
Well, I’m well on my way. Thank you so much for this session Despina.
I learned so many tips and tricks that are making it so much easier to navigate my way around these social media tools.
If I had done this a year ago I would have saved myself a lot of time. Your online-recorded service is also invaluable as I can go back and check things at any time.
Meg Cotter
