Agents dig for gold at Room-Res’ inaugural ‘Gold and the Beautiful’ famil

Agents dig for gold at Room-Res’ inaugural ‘Gold and the Beautiful’ famil
By James Harrison


In its inaugural ‘Gold and the Beautiful’ famil event, Room-Res summoned a group of lucky travel agents to get their paws on some gold.

Taking place on the Gold Coast, nine agents got to dig for literal gold on Broadbeach this past Saturday as a part of the competition.

In choosing the agents, Room-Res selected one of its most popular hotels in a number of top destinations and the first agent that books that hotel (regardless of duration or dates), not only received their customer voucher but also received one of the Golden Tickets for the famil. Each agent who finds the Golden Tickets was invited to participate in the all-expenses-paid Gold Coast Gold Bar Beach Competition.

Among the winners were Hollie McCann from Bicton Travel, Sharee Mitchell from Travelrite International, Pamela Platt from Leisurecom Group, Gerard Torrisi from Helloworld Stanthorpe, Micheal Puttner from TravelManagers, Luke Campbell from 1000 Mile Travel Group, Kerrin Poupos from TravelManagers, Tania Garipoli from Global Travel Management, and Charlotte Bellamy from itravel.

These agents got to dig into their own expertly crafted sandcastles, where one found the golden bar worth over $1000.

A few of the expertly crafted sand castles

But it wasn’t just a matter of diving in straight away. The agents were met with a series of trivia questions and a couple of mini-competitions to see who would get an advantage when it came time to go for gold.

Related to Room-Res and the famil itself, the agents had their knowledge tested about somewhat related bits and pieces of information.

How many Room-Res bookers have ‘Gold’ in their name? How many episodes of Bold and the Beautiful are there? What’s the distance between Broadbeach and Magnetic Island? These questions perplexed the accompanying agents as much as they now perplex you.

Room-Res’  Co-CEO James Mooring asking agents the hot questions

In between the baffling question, two challenges tested the agents’ physical abilities; adding to the pre-dig advantage. A frisbee throw and boule toss saw attendees jump into another realm of lively competition and help determine who could have their best shot at the gold.

The scores were added and one lucky agent, Luke Campbell from 1000 Mile Travel Group, emerged victorious from the pre-dig competition and was given some knowledge that eliminated some of the gold-less sand castles.

Agents and Room-Res staff before the big dig

But now it was time to crack in. The agents were about to get their hands on some beautifully handcrafted castles in the hopes of emerging as the #1 gold digger.

The countdown ended and the agents quickly turned their castles into rubble, with one man emerging victorious, Gerard Torrisi from Helloworld Stanthorpe. A gleeful Torrisi was celebrated by the Room-Res staff and other attendees who all gathered together for a group photo.

Torrisi after discovering his gold bar

Of course, it wasn’t all sand castles and gold bars.

Attendees were treated to beautiful dinners around the Gold Coast and their choice of either going jet skiing, whale watching or visiting Movie World, Sea World, or Wet’n’Wild on the morning before the big event.

The agents stayed at the lux Dorsett Gold Coast, which sits on Broadbeach Island and forms part of The Star Gold Coast, making for a conveniently located stay for venturing around the Gold Coast.

Keep your eyes peeled for next year’s famil and you could also find yourself scoring some gold.

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