Press release -
A jam-packed event for Glasgow’s champions
One of Scotland’s top entrepreneurs was the keynote speaker at an event which saw the launch of a new initiative to attract and retain young talent in Glasgow’s tourism sector, and a toolkit to help businesses maximise the opportunities of the 2018 European Championships.
The Glasgow Welcomes Champions’ Event, held yesterday (Thursday 22 February) at Hampden Park stadium and supported by principal funders Scottish Enterprise, gave key players from across the city’s tourism industry the chance to hear from Fraser Doherty MBE, aka Jam Boy, and learn about the new Young Glasgow Welcomes project and the Business Toolkit for the Glasgow 2018 European Championships.
The overall theme of the event was the Year of Young People and Fraser, who became the youngest ever supplier to a major supermarket when he sold his jam to Waitrose at the age of 16, shared his insight into what young people expect from the companies they work and do business with.
Young Glasgow Welcomes is a new initiative from Glasgow Welcomes, working in partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, VisitScotland and a number of other key partners including industry representatives. It has established an advisory group of young people at various stages of their studies and careers in hospitality and tourism, who will work with the involved partners to develop a strategy to ensure promising young talents are attracted to a career in Glasgow’s tourism industry. This supports the Glasgow Tourism & Visitor Plan’s target of creating 6,600 jobs by 2023.
With the Glasgow 2018 European Championships taking place in August, the Glasgow 2018 Team were at Scotland’s National Football Stadium to update the industry on what they can expect from this major sporting event and how businesses can make the most of it with their new business toolkit. Developed in partnership with Glasgow Welcomes, the pack features collateral including logos and banners, key facts, event locations, and general advice on how businesses can ensure they provide a warm welcome to visitors, athletes and officials arriving for the event.
Hosted by Gordon McIntyre, City of Glasgow College, delegates also heard from leading figures from a range of organisations including Scottish Enterprise, Springboard Scotland, Skills Development Scotland, Di Maggio’s Restaurant Group, Glasgow Airport, Developing Young Workforce Glasgow and Greater Glasgow Hotels’ Association.
Craig Martin, Chair of Glasgow Welcomes and Head of HR, Glasgow Airport, said: “Our latest Champions’ event was a great opportunity for the leaders of Glasgow’s tourism industry to come together and learn about the developments and opportunities Glasgow Welcomes has to offer, as well as share ideas and best practice with their peers.
“This event focused on attracting and retaining talent to the sector and it was fantastic to have the inspirational Fraser Doherty share his experiences of being a young person succeeding in the world of business. We were also delighted to launch our Young Glasgow Welcomes initiative which will help give a voice to the next generation of leaders in the city.
“It was also pleasing to see the launch of the Business Toolkit for the Glasgow 2018 European Championships. It’s going to be another massive year for Glasgow and this pack will help ensure businesses make the most of the opportunity and grow the city’s visitor economy.”
Glasgow Welcomes, the city’s Tourism Service Initiative, is industry-led and supported by principal funders Scottish Enterprise, with additional support from Skills Development Scotland, VisitScotland and Glasgow Life. It works in partnership to raise standards of service across every touch point of the city's visitor experience. With a focus on leadership, skills and service excellence, it is an integral element of the Glasgow Tourism and Visitor Plan to 2023.
The Year of Young People looks to inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally.
For more information about Glasgow Welcomes and Young Glasgow Welcomes go to www.glasgowwelcomes.com
For more details about the Year of Young People go to www.yoyp2018.scot
For more information about the Business Toolkit for the Glasgow 2018 European Championships visit www.visitscotland.org
Topics
- Tourism
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
2018 Year of Young People
- The Year of Young People 2018 will be the next of the Scottish Government’s series of themed years, following the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017.
- The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
- Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
- Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
- The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
- oParticipation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
- oEducation – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
- oHealth and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
- oEquality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
- oEnterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
- oCulture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
- Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.
