Institute of Excellence Training & Mentoring
Practical business and tourism training you can start today
Self-paced online courses for business owners and their teams, built from nearly two decades of hands-on work in tourism and small business. Not sure where to start? The free audit shows you where your business is weakest and which course fixes it.
Training a team, community members or a region?
See training and mentoring for organisations
Online courses for small business owners and teams
Build the skills to move your business forward. Practical, self-paced courses with clear guidance and useful tools to help you put learning into action.
Full courses $297 , short courses $97
Learn at your own pace , Start straight away , 14-day money-back guarantee
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Designing Customer Experiences That Bring People Back (opens in a new tab)
For owners and teams in any customer-facing business
Score your customer experience and leave with a 30-day plan for more reviews, referrals and return visits.
Price $297
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How to Start (and Keep) Your Small Business (opens in a new tab)
For anyone starting or growing a small business
Set your business up properly and finish with a signed 30-day commitment to act on first.
Price $297
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Strategic Business Vision: Turning Ideas into Action (opens in a new tab)
For owners, leaders and boards ready to plan
Turn your ideas into measurable goals and a 90-day roadmap you will actually follow.
Price $297
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Digital Accessibility: Writing Accessible and Inclusive Content (opens in a new tab)
For anyone who writes for the web, social media or print
Write content more people can read, use and act on, in line with accessibility standards.
Price $297
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AI Content Strategies for Australian Regional Tourism Marketers (opens in a new tab)
For regional tourism marketers and operators
Use AI to plan and create destination content for blogs, video and social, faster.
Price $97
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The Art of Managing Challenging Customers (opens in a new tab)
For frontline teams and the people who lead them
Practical ways to stay calm, handle complaints and turn tense moments around.
Price $297
Live training and mentoring programs
Training and mentoring for local councils, communities, tourism bodies and associations
Practical workshops, keynotes and capability programs for local government, destination organisations, industry associations, not-for-profits and small business communities. Delivered across Australia, in person and online, by certified trainer and small business champion Despina Karatzias. Recognised for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual at the 2022 Victorian Tourism Awards.
- Half-day and full-day workshops for business owners, community groups and frontline teams
- Keynotes and event hosting
- Multi-session capability programs for your business community, region or members
- Online course seats for your members, at group rates
- IGNITE Business Retreats
★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5
Informative & High Energy
Very informative and a high energy session about how to manage challenging customers! Thanks Despina!
Nicole O'Sullivan
★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic Course
Fantastic course! Great examples, useful tips and advice that we can take back to our team. Thank you!
Deaane Gilham
★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5
Amazing
Amazing AI course learnt so much.
Cath Trott
★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5
We Learnt So Much
Love Despi and her presentation – we learnt so much from the 3 hour hands on workshop that we can’t recommend her and the workshop enough 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Michael Kewish
★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5
I’m Inspired
I’m inspired. So many notes and ideas, with real, simple to use tools to get me started. Thanks so much Despina. Amazing.
Lauren Daly
★★★★★ Rated 5 out of 5
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
About the Institute of Excellence
Most training inspires. Few programs change behaviour.
Founded by Despina Karatzias (opens in a new tab), the Institute of Excellence partners with businesses, councils and tourism organisations across Australia to strengthen capability and support confident, practical decision-making.
Alongside structured workshops and online programs, Despina works as a keynote speaker, coach and facilitator, helping business owners and leaders translate strategy into measurable action.
- Shaped by real-world operating pressures and commercial realities.
- Built for tourism operators and small businesses navigating change.
- Designed to embed behaviour and strengthen long-term capability.
Live workshops and keynotes
Workshops for councils, tourism bodies and small businesses
Practical live training delivered Australia-wide for your team, members or community.
Community workshop
Community Grant Writing with Ethical AI (opens in a new tab)
Help community group staff and volunteers use AI responsibly to write stronger grant applications.
Tourism workshop
AI For Tourism 101 (opens in a new tab)
Hands-on AI training that shows tourism operators how to automate repetitive tasks and stop guessing.
Business workshop
Strategic Business Vision, Turning Ideas into Action (opens in a new tab)
Your business community builds three working systems in one practical session.
Tourism workshop
Crafting Search and Generative Optimised Blogs with AI Tools (opens in a new tab)
A 45-minute session for regional tourism marketers on writing blogs that rank in search and AI answers.
Keynote
Control Alt Delete (opens in a new tab)
Reset. Refocus. Rise. A research-backed keynote that helps audiences cut through digital noise and lead with clarity.
- See all workshops and keynotes (opens in a new tab)
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.
News & Insights
This is where we examine what drives stronger businesses.
Our articles explore leadership, commercial capability, digital performance, and AI adoption across the visitor economy and small business, connecting industry trends with practical applications to support measurable growth.
