Full programme and speaker line up announced for Scotland’s National Tourism Conference
Scotland’s national tourism conference will be held this year on 4th and 5th March at Glasgow’s SEC featuring a host of global tourism experts and thought leaders who will share insights and inspiration on how Scotland will deliver its future tourism strategy vision of being the world leader in 21st century tourism.
The one-and-a-half-day conference has been built around four Signature Sessions – Our Thriving Places, Our Passionate People, Our Memorable Experiences and Our Diverse Businesses, each following one of the four key priority themes of the future tourism strategy which be unveiled by a Scottish Government Minister on the morning of the 4th March.
Doug Lansky, one of the world’s most respected tourism development thought leaders and travel writers will anchor the morning sessions on 4th March, outlining the current situation and climate for tourism, the challenges ahead and possible solutions for growing a world leading sustainable destination.
An international perspective will be offered by Jóhannes Þór Skúlason, Director of the Icelandic Tourism Association, Conrad van Tiggelen, Director of Strategy and Branding at Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions and Jóhan Pauli Helgason, Development Manager at Visit Faroe Islands before a panel session exploring some of the morning’s themes in more detail.
Catherine Muirden, People Director for Co-op Food will deliver the afternoon’s first keynote session ‘Our Passionate People’, sharing her experiences of building an award-winning workplace environment and offering advice and insights into how Scotland’s tourism industry can grow closer links with our communities and create teams of happy, motivated, passionate people.
As part of the session, Claire Bruce, Owner of Glen Tanar Estate in Royal Deeside and Tourism Strategy Steering Group Member will interview John Keating, General Manager Fairmont St Andrews and Sandra Kelly, Director of UK Skills and Policy and previous Head of Education for Whitbread, opening the session up to questions from the audience on how our tourism industry can build 21st century tourism teams.
The second keynote session of the day will be delivered by Scott Cain, CEO and Founder of RunFriendly, who will introduce us to new concepts which will support the development of our destinations in becoming thriving places, delivering the ambition of the future tourism strategy in an impactful, sustainable and innovative way.
A session on 21st century tourism from a transport operator perspective will follow with a panel of operators exploring what can be done to showcase all of Scotland’s assets to the world in an accessible and environmentally considerate way, supporting visitor dispersal beyond the tourism hotspots and the current climate change agenda.
The final session of the day ‘A Destination Delivering COP26’ will see Peter Duthie, CEO of the SEC take to the stage to talk about the many different dynamics that will come together when Glasgow stages the 2020 UN Climate Change Conference in November. Peter will talk about how he and his team are getting things in place and shaping the venue and product to meet the expectations of the delegates and offer an insight to the logistics involved, highlighting the importance of working together with key stakeholders across the City of Glasgow, Scotland and the wider tourism industry.
Social events for the evening of the 4th include the Lord Provost of Glasgow’s Civic Reception followed by the Scottish Tourism Alliance’s exclusive ticketed event, The STA Social which will take place at the Radisson Red SkyBar on campus, offering guests the opportunity to enjoy an evening of networking, great food, fun and the best views in town as the sun sets over the Clyde. This year’s special guest is stand-up comedian, BBC Scotland ‘Breaking the News’ panellist, Scotland’s funniest farmer, Jim Smith.
Day 2 of conference is themed around ‘Delivering Memorable Experiences’, delivered in partnership with the World Food Travel Association and Scotland Food & Drink, with sessions exploring how our tourism industry can maximise the opportunities to put Scotland on the map as one of the best destinations in the world for culinary travel. Delegates will learn more about how to deliver experiences that are talked about, shared and remembered by visitors for years to come, hearing from speakers such as Sofie Van Den Bossche – Team Co-ordinator ‘Flanders for Foodies’ at Visit Flanders/Flanders Kitchen Rebels, Shonette Laffy, Digital Marketing Manager for Visit Bristol, recently named the World’s Best Food Destination, Tina O’Dwyer, Director of Tourism Space in Ireland and Darren Heneghan, Managing Director of Borough Market.
In the second half of this final Signature Session, delegates will hear from three speakers who are at the helm some of the world’s leading attractions and events plus a wildlife adventure operator, sharing their thoughts and advice on what it takes to deliver the very best visitor experiences. Speakers include Christina Campbell, owner of world class bespoke adventure operators, Kilda Cruises; Brigadier David Allfrey, Chief Executive and Producer of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and Geoff Spooner, SVP & General Manager of the Warner Bros Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.
Speaking about this year’s programme, Marc Crothall, Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance commented: “2020 marks a hugely important milestone for Scotland’s tourism industry with the launch of the new national tourism strategy and a shift in mindset around the way we grow tourism in Scotland. The content of this year’s programme is aligned with the key priority areas of the future tourism strategy and its vision of Scotland being the world leader in 21st century tourism. The idea of tourism acting as a force for good is central to this year’s event and indeed the future strategy. We have moved on from a time when the emphasis was on numbers; our focus for the next 10 years will be built around growing a sustainable tourism product that benefits all of those who visit and live in Scotland.”
He added; “This is our most exciting and diverse programme to date and again, we have kept ticket prices low to reflect the challenges that we know many tourism businesses are facing in the current political and economic climate.”
Tickets for the STA Signature Conference start at £110 + VAT (EarlyBird rate).
