Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions Annual Conference – ‘Game Changer’

The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA), which represents the interests of the key visitor attractions sector in Scotland, will be holding its annual two-day Autumn Conference at The Crieff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire from 13th – 14th November 2013.

The theme of this year’s conference will be 'Game Changer', with a range of prominent speakers who will highlight tips, tactics and techniques to help visitor attractions capitalise on Scotland’s new-found world profile and flourish going forward.

The conference will be opened by Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise & Tourism, who will talk about the Scottish Government’s vision and strategy for tourism in Scotland following the Scottish Independence Referendum.

Keynote speakers include: Peter Lederer, Chairman of Gleneagles Hotel and Board Member of Diageo Scotland, who will talk about Diageo’s ‘Learning for Life, Scotland’ project and the importance of having the right coaches and team in place to succeed in today’s competitive business environment; Katie Moffat, Online Communications and Social Media Specialist at the Audience Agency, who will highlight how to cut through the online noise and develop an effective social media strategy; David Patel, Head of Tourism and Major Events at the Scottish Government, who will talk about how businesses can prepare for the challenges ahead as we come to the end of a landmark year for Scottish tourism; Bill Ferris,  Chief Executive of Chatham Naval Dockyard, who will describe how the industrial site was transformed into a “Living” Museum following the closure of the Royal Naval Dockyard, and is now helping to build a sustainable future for the local area; and Dr Neil Ballantyne and Catherine McGurk from Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, who will talk about the spectacular success of last year’s Jack Vettriano retrospective, which boosted business during the traditionally quieter winter months.

Interactive breakout sessions focusing on: visitor services at the National Mining Museum of Scotland, winner of the ASVA Best Visitor Experience 2013 award; staff recruitment from Xpress Recruitment; and VisitLanarkshire, winners of a Scottish Thistle Award for ‘Partnership in Tourism’, will give delegates the opportunity to ask questions and listen to individual case studies. New for this year will be a series of ‘pop up’ breakout sessions, with delegates being invited to share successful innovations that have changed their business for the better.

Following the Breakout Sessions, an Awards Ceremony will celebrate the best of the visitor attractions sector in Scotland. The awards this year will include presentations in the categories of ‘Best Marketing Campaign’ and ‘Best Visitor Experience’, and will culminate with the ‘Rising Star’ award, which acknowledges young people who have made a significant impact on the tourism industry.

Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing said:

“Scotland’s world class visitor attractions provide an unrivalled memorable experience and have a key part to play in achieving our aims for Homecoming Scotland 2014.  This is a significant year for Scottish tourism which has seen us host the hugely successful Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup and next month the MTV Europe Music Awards come to Scotland.

 “Looking forward to 2015, the Year of Food & Drink is a chance to spotlight, celebrate and promote Scotland’s natural larder and quality produce to our people and our visitors and to capitalise on the momentum created by the previous Year of Food & Drink and Homecoming.”
Peter Lederer, Chair of Gleneagles Hotel said: “In 2014 Scotland was thrust onto a global stage like never before. The business benefits are potentially huge, but in order to capitalise it’s vital that we up our own game to ensure that the experience, products and services on the ground exceed the expectations of our visitors, which are now higher than ever. This conference will provide delegates with a raft of insights, tips and practical ideas to help make the most of this game-changing opportunity.”

David O’Neill, Chair of ASVA added:

“The ‘game changer’ theme of this year’s conference is particularly pertinent. Our world-class line up of industry leaders will highlight how we can build on the momentum and make the most of the fantastic business opportunities which the next few years are set to bring”.

For media enquiries please contact

Gillian Harrower,

Tourism and Leisure Solutions,

Tel. 01333 439683,

E: gillian@tals.co.uk