Visit East of England & Partners host an Autumn Visitor Economy Conference at the John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, on Wednesday, October 25.
A key topic of conversation for the day will be the newly-introduced VisitEngland structure of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships and how the region can benefit from the opportunities these bring.
Keynote speakers are VisitEngland Executive Andrew Stokes and Newcastle Gateshead Initiative (NGI) Chief Executive Officer Sarah Green.
NGI are the accountable body for the North East Destination Development Partnership pilot that co-ordinates three LVEPs, NGI itself, and Visits Durham and Northumberland. The DDP was awarded £2.25m from national government covering a period to March 25.
The pilot acts as a potential blueprint for the rest of England and is the outcome of the UK Government’s response to the independent review of Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) by Nick de Bois.
The aim is to develop the North East as a must-visit destination whilst attracting private investment and driving growth, attracting more visitors, creating new experiences, targeting new markets as well as creating jobs and opportunity.
This will be a great opportunity to hear from Andrew on the national strategy and from Sarah about her experiences of developing the DDP and LVEPs.
The morning will feature an option of workshops, including:
- Understanding Google Analytics 4 with experts Lee Sproat and Daisy Sajnog from Norwich’s Fountain agency
- Experiential tourism expert Chris Brant, founder of Unmissable England, will take us through how to develop unique and authentic experiences
- Mike Newman of B2Me Tourism Marketing will give us a masterclass on working with the UK and international travel trade.
- Andrew Wheeler of the Visitor Economy Network Initiative will discuss with us the next steps for this £3.25m project promoting careers in the visitor economy.
- Email Marketing Expert, Robbie Maltby, will show attendees how to engage the inbox with his Modern Email Marketing Masterclass.
The morning wraps up with a workshop from Disability and Access Ambassador for Tourism Ross Calladine.Ross, who is also Head of Business Support at VisitBritain, will tell us about the Purple Pound – the estimated spending power of disabled households in the UK is worth around £250 billion a year. Research shows the Purple Pound is a relatively untapped market, with disabled consumers having a reputation for being very loyal when effort is made to simplify the buying process for them.
After lunch, we will be in the main theatre for the keynote speeches, led by Visit East of England Chairman Andy Wood.
BOOK YOUR PLACE AT THE CONFERENCE
VisitBritain chairman Nick de Bois on the importance of partnership working at last year’s conference.
The day will start at 9.30am, with registration from 8.45am – join us early for networking and refreshments.
More speakers and details of the workshop will be revealed in the coming weeks.
How to get involved in the conference
Read about VEE & Partners’ 2022 conference
