Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions conference takes place at Crieff Hydro next week

The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA), which represents the interests of the visitor attractions sector in Scotland, will hold its annual two-day Autumn Conference at the Crieff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire from 7^th – 8^th November 2019.

Sponsored by Gateway Ticketing Systems, this year’s conference, themed around ‘Best Practice Makes Perfect – How to deliver great experiences’, will bring together a range of high quality, inspirational speakers in an exciting programme focused on helping visitor attractions to stay ahead of the game and deliver for every visitor that comes through their door.

Douglas Walker, Chair of ASVA, said: “This year’s conference is ASVA’s biggest and most ambitious conference to date, with more practical, relevant content than ever before. With speakers focusing on specific areas of best practice, including topical concerns such as delivering memorable experiences, maximising income, staff motivation and development, engaging visitors, delivering a sustainable experience and ensuring your attraction is accessible to all, we are confident we have a programme that will be of interest to all within the attractions industry, regardless of size, role or attraction type.”

Amongst the stellar line-up of industry experts will be Rory Hill from the innovative Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich who will share his tips for maximising retail spend from visitors and Aine McVerry, Commercial Director at the award-winning MAC Belfast, who will outline ways attractions can implement dynamic pricing policies; Michelle Emerson, Marketing and Development Director at Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, who will talk about how a cultural shift at Eureka has led to inclusion and accessibility becoming part of the organisation’s DNA; and Scott MacLean, Deputy Managing Director, Green Tourism, who will highlight perfect green practices designed to appeal to today’s eco-minded visitors.

Bernard Donoghue, Director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) will be answering the most head scratching of questions ‘What do your visitors want?’, while Carole Keltie, Head of Operations at National Gallery and Bala McAlinn, Director, Boo Productions, will join forces to pose the question ‘What would life be if we had no courage to change anything?’, as they discuss ‘Shaking up the Visitor Experience at the National Gallery’.

Stephen Whitelaw, CEO at Orthic Consulting, one of the UK’s foremost Digital Consultancies, will be on hand to provide a series of 1-2-1 Digital Surgeries for delegates, designed to help cure any digital ills!

Interactive breakout sessions will provide an opportunity for delegates to pick up tips on creating memorable visitor experiences and learn how excellence in visitor catering can drive success, while quick fire ‘Pop Up’ sessions will feature speakers from organisations including Historic Environment Scotland, National Trust for Scotland and Live Borders.

An Awards Ceremony, sponsored by Brodies, will take place during the evening gala dinner, celebrating the best of the visitor attractions sector in Scotland.