Creative agency Frame brings South Australia’s new destination philosophy to life at ATE26

South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) partnered with Frame to bring South Australia’s Celebrate the Simple Pleasures brand platform to life at the Australian Tourism Exchange 2026 (ATE26), through a multi-sensory expression of the state’s culture of craft, care and hospitality.

Hosted in Adelaide from 10-14 May 2026 for the first time since 2018, ATE26 welcomed more than 2,500 tourism delegates from over 30 countries, representing one of the most significant opportunities for South Australia to present itself to the global travel market.

The body of work included the development of the South Australia stand experience, an immersive brand launch moment for the South Australia Showcase event, and the inaugural edition of The Book of Simple Pleasures.

For Frame, the ambition was to move beyond traditional destination marketing and create something more emotionally resonant and unmistakably South Australian — a world shaped by warmth, generosity, texture and the art of doing simple things well.

At the centre of the ATE26 experience was the new South Australia stand concept, designed as a physical expression of Celebrate the Simple Pleasures. Inspired by the generosity and atmosphere of a South Australian cellar door, the stand was conceived as a place of welcome, conversation and discovery — less a conventional exhibition space than a relaxed environment for delegates to gather, linger and connect with the state’s character.

The space drew on the rhythms and materiality of local life through native planting, limestone-inspired finishes, communal gathering spaces and locally inspired craftsmanship. Rather than relying on spectacle, the experience focused on the quieter signals of care and detail that define South Australian hospitality.

Developed by Frame across concept, design, creative direction and production, the stand was intentionally restrained — favouring atmosphere, tactility and cultural detail over overt theatricality.

Ryan Richards, Head of Strategy at Frame, said the goal was to create something emotionally true to the state’s character: “South Australia’s appeal has never just been about landmarks or itineraries. It’s about place-being, rather than site-seeing,” Richards said. “There’s a culture of care here — in the food, the wine, the festivals, the art, even the pace at which people gather around a table. We wanted the experience to feel shaped by that philosophy.”

Frame also developed the opening brand moment for SATC’s South Australia Showcase event at ATE26 on Tuesday evening, creating an immersive introduction to the Celebrate the Simple Pleasures platform.

Designed to shift delegates out of conference mode and into the emotional world of South Australia, the presentation brought together a layered 3D landscape, atmospheric sound design, a live frame.studio introduction by actor Tilda Cobham-Hervey, and a cinematic sequence featuring renowned South Australian artist Stephen Trebilcock and set to original music by Slowmango.

The result was a singular launch moment that blended image, sound, performance and film to create a more intimate and sensory expression of the brand platform.

Beginning with Trebilcock’s process of observation and mark-making, the work positioned South Australia as a place where creativity grows from attention — to landscape, to material, to ritual, and to the simple act of doing things well.

Moving through food, wine, festivals, hospitality and everyday moments of human connection, the piece explored the relationship between craft and the good life.

Says Richards: “The work wasn’t designed to sell South Australia as somewhere to consume. It was designed to invite people into a different rhythm. A place where simple things are treated with extraordinary care, and where that attention to detail changes the way the experience feels.”

Frame also developed The Book of Simple Pleasures, a premium editorial publication created as a physical extension of the brand experience.

Conceived and curated as a collectible cultural artefact, the publication explores South Australia’s character through food, wine, festivals, landscape, art and place — offering delegates a richer, more textured expression of the state beyond the event itself.

Designed to be collected and revisited, the publication was intended to leave delegates with something tactile, substantial and emotionally lasting long after ATE26 concludes.

The broader body of work continues Frame’s ongoing partnership with SATC across the Celebrate the Simple Pleasures platform and a growing body of brand and tourism work for South Australia.

Adds Richards: “We’re incredibly grateful to SATC for their trust and ambition. The strongest destination brands don’t just advertise experiences. They express a philosophy of life. What makes South Australia powerful is that this philosophy already exists in the culture — in the way people cook, host, create and gather. Our role was simply to make that visible.”

South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC)
Frame
Exhibit Systems
Distinctive Garden
Village Gate
Novatech Creative Event Technology
Adelaide Oval

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