Date :
25/02/2015
STA TV, 2015’s major tourism industry conference, is back for Scottish Tourism Week in March with a media theme and a programme of high-profile speakers.
Book your ticket now to hear from an exciting line up including senior figures from Scottish Government, TripAdvisor, VisitBritain and VisitScotland, Historic Scotland, Microsoft and Abellio – not to mention inspirational speaker Nigel Risner, the only motivational speaker in Europe to have been awarded Speaker of the Year from both The Academy for Chief Executives and Vistage (formerly known as The Executive Committee). If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, other speakers include a multiple record-breaker, a 2-Michelin-starred chef and 40+ panellists participating in the 12 sessions on the ScotHot Spotlight stage!
On the programme: day 1
Anchorman for the day Stephen Jardine will kick off the two-day conference in Glasgow by introducing the programme and its host, Scottish Tourism Alliance CEO Marc Crothall.
Tourism contributes £4.4 billion to the Scottish economy and has ambitions to grow. The keynote from Deputy First Minister John Swinney MSP will focus on its role in supporting inward investment, exports, employment and Scotland's international profile.
As part of the 2015 Year of Food and Drink, you’ll also hear from Coffee Republic founder Sahar Hashemi on why understanding customer needs and embracing innovation was crucial to her success. Andrew Fairlie, whose restaurant is one of just eleven with two Michelin stars, will then explain the importance of nurturing talent in the industry and how you can use food and drink to attract more visitors.
Other highlights of the first day include VisitBritain and VisitScotland’s Marketing Directors joining forces to explain their future approach to attracting visitors and how their organisations can support the industry. TripAdvisor’s Justin Reid and E-Tourism CEO Damian Cook also take to the stage to discuss the role of the internet in influencing travel decisions.
End the day by relaxing at the informal Dinner with a Difference.
What’s on next?
Authentic travel is on the agenda on Thursday, as Huw Williams, Director of the specialist travel and leisure marketing agency SOUK, explains the consumer trend and why being ‘just you’ could be your best business strategy. A panel of industry experts will then explore how authentic travel can allow tourism to thrive.
You can also hear from STA’s Caroline Warburton on how the Tourism Scotland 2020 strategy vision is being achieved through key initiatives.
Travel journalist Jeremy Lazell and adventurer and broadcaster Mark Beaumont will also be drawing from their extensive experiences in Scotland and further afield: Jeremy, by assessing how Scotland measures up to other destinations; and Mark, by sharing his own unique, and well-travelled, perspective on what makes Scotland special.
Travel is crucial to any holiday, and the quality of that travel experience can make a real difference to how visitors feel about a destination. Experts from Abellio, Calmac, Loganair, Arnold Clark and Stagecoach explain their plans to ensure their customers’ journeys around Scotland run smoothly.
Book today
For STA TV, there are a range of 1 and 2-day packages available which also include free entry to ScotHot, Scotland’s largest hospitality, tourism and catering show.
ScotRail have also extended an offer of 20% discount for delegates travelling to attend any of the Scottish Tourism Week events in Glasgow.
Book now to avoid disappointment.
What does Scotland mean to you?
In preparation of Scottish Tourism Week 2015, #STW2015, STA is inviting everyone in the industry to input one word into their word cloud. Please tweet your word and use the hashtag #onewordScotland.
Further reading
Tune in to STA TV at Scottish Tourism Week
Scottish Tourism Week