News

We are seeking to appoint new directors from applicants within the ASVA membership who can support the organisation to fulfil this vision and contribute to the strategy and governance of ASVA, while overseeing the effective delivery of the five-year business plan.

ASVA has a committed Executive Team and Board, with a growing membership and aspirations to further develop membership, as well as further enhancing representation of the Scottish visitor attraction sector. With much of the sector still in recovery from the pandemic and a challenging economic climate, new Directors will play a significant role in the future of the organisation and the important work the organisation undertakes to support the Scottish visitor attractions. In addition to making a meaningful contribution to the future of the sector, Directors will also benefit from developing a broader knowledge of the industry, have the opportunity to enhance their network and participate in other Board specific engagements.

Process and Timeline:

• 10^th October – Nominations open
• Applicants must represent an organisation currently in ASVA membership
• Applications by email to Michael Golding, ASVA CEO michael@asva.co.uk. These should include:
  • CV
  • Covering letter – highlighting how you can support the delivery of the ASVA vision and how, if applicable, you meet the diversity, representation and skills the Board is seeking
  • Nomination requirements:
    • “I confirm that I as candidate allow myself to be nominated at the ASVA AGM to stand for election as an ASVA Board Member” – please copy this without amends into your application email
    • A scanned letter including proposer name, organisation, and a wet ink signature OR an email from the proposer with the proposer name and organisation, stating their support for your nomination
    • A scanned letter including seconder name, organisation, and a wet ink signature OR an email from the seconder with the seconder name and organisation, stating their support for your nomination
• 26^th October 2pm – Nominations close
• Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview following the closing date and successful applicants will be included in the notice of the AGM
• Directors’ appointment confirmed and commence from the AGM

The Role:

• The Board meets four times per year
• Contribute to the strategy and governance of the organisation
• Opportunities may be provided to represent the attractions sector with decision makers
• Provide insight and understanding of the attractions sector
• Support and advise the Executive Team in delivery of the business plan 

The ensure a diverse, representative and skilled board, we are particularly encouraging applications from:

• Under 50
• Male
• Black and ethnic minorities
• Represent organisations in the Highlands and Islands Enterprise or South of Scotland Enterprise regions
• Represent an organisation who is an Attraction member of ASVA
• Skills in any of the following areas: Policy, Governance & Strategy, Value delivery, Sales and Marketing, Finance, HR, Visitor Experience, Technology and Data, Sustainability, Media & Communication

We encourage you to consider this opportunity and share it with those who you think might be perfect for the role, so we can help ensure a bright future for Scottish attractions and ASVA.

The current Board of Directors can be found here. If you have any questions regarding this recruitment process, please contact either the CEO Michael Golding michael@asva.co.uk or Chair Paul Nixon pnixon@realmarykingsclose.com.

We would like to say a huge congratulations to all of the ASVA members who have been crowned regional winners for the 2023 Scottish Thistle Awards. It is great to see so many ASVA members being recognised for their hard work within the industry and we wish them the best of luck at the National Final!   

Regional winners from within ASVA membership include:  

Central and East Regional Winners
Inclusive Tourism Award
RSPB Loch Lomond, Kinross

Best Visitor Attraction
Camera Obscura & World of Illusions, Edinburgh

Innovation in Tourism
Camera Obscura & World of Illusions, Edinburgh

Tourism Individual of the Year
Katie Scott, The Real Mary King’s Close

Aberdeen City & Shire
Best Visitor Attraction
Gordon Highlanders Museum
Aberdeen Science Centre

Celebrating Thriving Communities
Gordon Highlanders Museum

Tourism Individual of The Year 
Ian Pithie – Gordon Highlanders Museum

West of Scotland Regional Winners
Best Visitor Attraction
The Burrell Collection

Inclusive Tourism Award
Glasgow Science Centre

Tourism & Hospitality Employer of the Year
SEA LIFE Loch Lomond

There are still two more Regional Thistle Awards to take place in the coming months:  

• South of Scotland Thistle Awards: Thursday 5th October. 
• Highlands & Islands Thistle Awards: Friday 10th November.

Winners from all five regions will progress to the National Final. Find out more about the Regional Awards here. 

The Awards, delivered by VisitScotland in partnership with regional award programmes, celebrate the very best of Scotland’s tourism and events industry.  

Wishing all those nominated for upcoming Regional Awards the best of luck!

It gives us great pleasure to announce that bookings are now live for the ASVA Cultural Connections Conference that will take place on the 14th of November at Perth Concert Hall!

Cultural Connections will bring together visionary leaders and experts from all over the country within the visitor attractions sector to share their experiences with you. The conference will provide attendees with benchmarking and best practices, unparalleled networking opportunities and, of course, the chance to come together to socialise and celebrate at the end of a long season. We’re also delighted to let you know that Cultural Connections sees a new partnership with the Association for Cultural Enterprises (ACE), to provide you with an enhanced programme, making it simply unmissable.

We have a special Early Bird ticket price on offer until midnight on Friday 13th October, so be sure to secure your spot early and enjoy significant savings. Prices are outlined below:

• Member: £125 (+VAT)
• Non-Member: £170 (+VAT)
• Group Discount (4 or more attendees): £99 (+VAT)
• Trade Exhibition: £350 (+VAT)

To view our full programme and further event details, please click here.

Our Trade Exhibition will be a key part of the Conference activities, and an excellent opportunity for Trade Members to showcase their organisation to our attraction industry audience. There will be a limited number of trade stands available, so we advise booking as early as possible to ensure you secure your spot and avoid missing out. For any questions related to the Trade Exhibition, please email helen@asva.co.uk.

To book, please visit the ASVA website here.

Last week (21st July), ASVA’s CEO and Members of the ASVA Board, were pleased to have the opportunity to meet with the Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism & Trade, Richard Lochhead MSP, to discuss the current opportunities and challenges facing the Scottish attractions sector. The meeting took place in the inspiring setting of the Billiard Room in Mackintosh at the Willow (many thanks to ASVA Director Pauline Young for allowing us to use her venue) and, whilst the meeting was scheduled to last one hour only, we were delighted that the Minister actually gave us more than three hours of his time to fully discuss the various issues raised. As well as sharing the latest visitor information and some key highlights from ASVA’s recently conducted benchmarking survey of the sector, there were detailed discussions on a wide range of issues including: 

• Our sector’s commitment to the fair work agenda and how we are trying to combat the current recruitment crisis 
• Current challenges with domestic visitation & spend over the summer and the implications this could have for the sector in winter
• The impact of rising costs, and most specifically energy bills, on our sector 
• Innovation within the sector and our ongoing commitment to invest (where possible) in this arena 
• The improvements required in tourism infrastructure in Scotland 
• The Transient Visitor Levy (TVL) Scotland Bill and the important role the Scottish Government must play in ensuring that this funding mechanism is used by local authorities to invest in tourism.  

On that last point, all attendees at the meeting were at pains to point out to the Minister that, when this draft Bill is passed into law by the Scottish Parliament, it is essential that the monies raised by local authorities are ringfenced for improving tourism and tourism related infrastructure. Mr Lochhead took this on board, but was keen to emphasise that if we want to see this happen as a sector, we must all collectively respond to the current Call for Evidence on the proposed Bill, which has been put forward by the Local Government, Housing & Planning Committee in the Scottish Parliament. ASVA will, of course, be submitting our own response to this consultation, but we would urge all of our members to do similarly, as volume of responses will undoubtedly carry influence.  

We would urge all members, when responding, to emphasise the importance of local authorities being required to ringfence monies raised from this levy to be spent on local tourism infrastructure and marketing. The consultation has 13 main questions to answer but respondents are not required to answer every question and can focus on the questions most relevant to them.. Our colleagues at the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) are developing a visual guide with key considerations and suggested responses to the questions in the consultation. ASVA will share this guide with our members when it is published in early August.

  You can respond to the consultation by clicking here. 

The latest ASVA Visitor Attractions Barometer reports, for May 2023, are now available to view in the Members Area of our website.  

Analysing the 2023/2022 data, ASVA attractions experienced a 16.8% increase in visitors in May 2023 compared to May 2022, with the year-to-date figures (January – May) up by an impressive 26%. Factors such as the three Bank Holidays and the King’s Coronation, will have played a part in the May increase, but it must also be noted that the sector was still experiencing some covid related issues in the first half of 2022, particularly in relation to the slow return of international visitors, so it is no surprise to see the 2023 figures outstrip those of 2022.  

When comparing attendance in May 2022 with the same period in 2019, visitation remains down by 19.9% for the month and 13% for the year to date, on what is widely regarded as the last ‘normal’ year before the pandemic. However, with operational issues considered including the recruitment and retention of staff (both paid and volunteers), increased costs of doing business due to inflation and the consumer cost of living crisis influencing decisions, it must be recognised that these are relatively strong figures, certainly as strong as we have seen since the start of the pandemic. 

Data from the Scottish Retail Consortium showed that the additional Bank Holiday, the King’s Coronation and the continued good weather saw total retail sales figures increase by 10.9% year-on-year in May. Retail sales in Scotland held steady in May with a growth of 7.7% in May with a growth of 7.7%. Food sales continue to be the biggest growth area, aided by the aforementioned events and community/family gatherings.

Domestic consumer sentiment provided by the National Tourist Boards for May 2023 found that 49% of respondents were cautious about demand and were concerned with cost escalation. The survey recorded 18% of respondents (a 3% decrease on the April 2023 Survey) saying they were “…been hit hard – no option but to cut back on spending”. Despite consumer concern about the state of the economy, 20% of UK adults intend to take a domestic overnight trip in the second quarter of 2023 although that figure rose to 76% in the following 12 months. However, the key three barriers to taking an overnight UK trip in the next six months were; Rising cost of living, UK weather and personal finances.  

The recovery in international inbound visitation continues in May 2023; with the Eurocontrol (European Air Traffic Agency) indicating that UK air connectivity saw a 4% increase when compared to the same period in 2022, however, UK air connectivity had seen a -10% decrease in year-to-date flights compared to 2019. 

There is certainly no obvious pattern as yet when it comes to the recovery. As has been the case for the past few years, Outdoor/Nature attractions certainly continue to lead the recovery, up 1.9% year to date on 2019, but the figures for May were not quite so healthy as they have been (down 36.6% on 2019). It is only when we look on a more granular level that we see that it is not so much about attraction category or even region the attraction is in that is determining the speed of recovery, it is whether yours is an attraction that is proving to be appealing and recognised to international visitors. Many of these types of attractions are close to or in some cases exceeding pre-pandemic numbers, most notably, but not surprising given media attention of late, St Giles Cathedral (up 25% on 2019).  

The recovery certainly remains patchy overall, and there are fluctuations month by month in terms of visitor numbers across different regions and attraction types. However, for the most part, we can take encouragement that, overall, numbers are getting better and confidence levels within the sector are reasonably good about the summer season.  

Some members will want to be aware of the important update regarding funding distribution for museums in Scotland. Museum Galleries Scotland (MGS) has recently announced a significant change in its funding policy, focusing on the implementation of the real Living Wage as a key criterion for grant eligibility.

Effective from July 1st, two elements of the Fair Work First policy, developed by the Scottish Government, will now serve as criteria for awarding grants, funding, and contracts within the public sector. These are:

• All workers within an organisation must receive at least real Living Wage. This applies to everyone, not only those posts for which you may be seeking grant funding.
• All workers are to be provided with appropriate channels for effective voice.

Applicants will also need to demonstrate their awareness of, and commitment to, Fair Work principles by including a supporting statement on their website. Applicants to MGS funding will need to show how they comply with these requirements before being able to access a grant and will need to complete its Employer Declaration form.

For comprehensive guidance on these changes and the updated funding process, please click here.

VisitScotland, in collaboration with the Scottish Government, is reaching out to the tourism, events, and related sectors to gather valuable insights for the next Themed Year. This industry consultation aims to shape the options and theme for the future, with recommendations set to be presented to Scottish Ministers by the end of 2023.

The previous Themed Year initiatives have been a success, showcasing the best of Scotland’s diverse offerings and attracting visitors from around the world. As the Scottish Government looks ahead, VisitScotland has been tasked with exploring potential delivery options and themes for the upcoming Themed Year.

To ensure that the chosen theme resonates with industry stakeholders and the wider public, VisitScotland is seeking input from professionals in the tourism, events, and related sectors by completing a survey which presents an opportunity to participate in shaping the future of Scotland’s tourism landscape.

Initial discussions have already highlighted a theme that has garnered support. However, VisitScotland remains open to alternative suggestions that may emerge during the consultation process. This inclusive approach aims to capture diverse perspectives and foster engagement throughout the industry.

You can contribute to this consultation by completing the online survey, which is part of a nationwide effort to gather feedback. The survey is designed to be quick and convenient, taking less than 10 minutes to complete and closes at midnight on 20^th July 2023.

Please complete the survey by clicking here.

The latest ASVA Visitor Attractions Barometer reports, for May 2023, are now available to view in the Members Area of our website. 

Analysing the 2023/2022 data, ASVA attractions experienced a16.8% increase in visitors in May 2023 compared to May 2022, with the year-to-date figures (January – May) up by an impressive 26%. Factors such as the three Bank Holidays and the King’s Coronation, will have played a part in the May increase, but it must also be noted that the sector was still experiencing some covid related issues in the first half of 2022, particularly in relation to the slow return of international visitors, so it is no surprise to see the 2023 figures outstrip those of 2022.

When comparing attendance in May 2022 with the same period in 2019, visitation remains down by 19.9% for the month and 13% for the year to date, on what is widely regarded as the last ‘normal’ year before the pandemic. However, with operational issues considered including the recruitment and retention of staff (both paid and volunteers), increased costs of doing business due to inflation and the consumer cost of living crisis influencing decisions, it must be recognised that these are relatively strong figures, certainly as strong as we have seen since the start of the pandemic.

Data from the Scottish Retail Consortium showed that the additional Bank Holiday, the King’s Coronation and the continued good weather saw total retail sales figures increase by +10.9% year-on-year in May. Retail sales in Scotland held steady in May with a growth of +7.7% in May with a growth of +7.7%. Food sales continue to be the biggest growth area, aided by the aforementioned events and community/family gatherings.

Domestic consumer sentiment provided by the National Tourist Boards for May 2023 found that 49% of respondents were cautious about demand and were concerned with cost escalation. The survey recorded 18% of respondents (a 3% decrease on the April 2023 Survey) saying they were ”hit hard – no option but to cut back on spending. Despite consumer concern about the state of the economy, 20% of UK adults intend to take a domestic overnight trip in the second quarter of 2023 although that figure rose to 76% in the following 12 months. However, the key three barriers to taking an overnight UK trip in the next six months were; Rising cost of living, UK weather and personal finances.

The recovery in international inbound visitation continues in May 2023; with the Eurocontrol (European Air Traffic Agency) indicating that UK air connectivity saw a 4% increase when compared to the same period in 2022, however, UK air connectivity had seen a -10% decrease in year-to-date flights compared to 2019.

There is certainly no obvious pattern as yet when it comes to the recovery. As has been the case for the past few years, Outdoor/Nature attractions certainly continue to lead the recovery, up 1.9% year to date on 2019, but the figures for May were not quite so healthy as they have been (down 36.6% on 2019).  It is only when we look on a more granular level that we see that it is not so much about attraction category or even region the attraction is in that is determining the speed of recovery, it is whether yours is an attraction that is proving to be appealing and recognised to international visitors. Many of these types of attractions are close to or in some cases exceeding pre-pandemic numbers, most notably, but not surprising given media attention of late, St Giles Cathedral (up 25% on 2019).

The recovery certainly remains patchy overall, and there are fluctuations month by month in terms of visitor numbers across different regions and attraction types. However, for the most part, we can take encouragement that, overall, numbers are getting better and confidence levels within the sector are reasonably good about the summer season.

ASVA is delighted to announce the appointment of Michael Golding as its new CEO. Michael takes over the role from outgoing CEO Gordon Morrison.

Michael brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. He has spent the last four years as CEO of Visit Inverness Loch Ness (VILN), the UK’s first Tourism Business Improvement District, representing 500 tourism business members from 33 sectors across 1200 square miles. Under his leadership VILN became the UK’s first carbon-neutral BID and has won multiple awards including the UKInbound DMO of the Year in 2022 and, this year, the prestigious ITB Earth Award for global leadership in sustainable tourism.

Michael also sits on a number of key tourism industry groups including the Scottish Tourism Alliance Executive Board and the Tourism & Hospitality Industry Leadership Group. He has also enjoyed a long and successful association with the largest charity in the highlands, High Life Highland, currently serving as Vice-Chair.

Prior to joining VILN, Michael held senior management positions within the activities and health & wellbeing sectors.

On Michael’s appointment as CEO, Paul Nixon, ASVA Chair, said,“Michael is an established and influential figure in Scottish Tourism with a proven track record of inspirational leadership within a membership setting. He will be a terrific ambassador for ASVA and the wider attractions sector and will continue to lead with the same passion, dedication, professionalism and expertise that we have enjoyed for the last five years under Gordon’s stewardship.”  

On accepting the position, Michael said,“I am delighted to be joining ASVA at a key time for Scottish visitor attractions. My aim is to ensure we provide the greatest value for ASVA members and deliver the vision, to support and inspire Scottish visitor attractions to deliver outstanding experiences for each and every visitor. I look forward to meeting the diverse membership across Scotland and working together to see this vision realised.”

Michael will take up his new role on Monday 14^th August 2023.

The latest ASVA Visitor Attractions Barometer reports, for April 2023, are now available to view in the Members Area of our website. 

Comparing the 2023 figures to those of 2022 continues to present some challenges simply because there was considerable covid disruption in the early part of 2022, and as a consequence, there were issues with consumer confidence relating to the visiting pf indoor attractions. International travel restrictions were also still very much in place, so trading conditions remained far from ‘normal’.  It is therefore little surprise to find that when we look at the visitor numbers from 2023 vs those of 2022, we see that the April ’23 figures are up more than 20% on those of the corresponding month in 2022, and indeed, up further still, by more than 30%, when comparing the year to date (January to April). 

Whilst we can, and should, celebrate the fact that numbers are up on 2022, we need to look back to 2019 to get a more accurate benchmark for the recovery. Comparing April 2023 figures with those of April 2019, we find that, across all ASVA member sites, the sector was down by just over 9% for the month, and for the year to date (January- April), ASVA members are down by just over 11%. Whilst this shows there is still some way to go before the industry is back to pre-pandemic levels, and for certain parts of the sector, there is still some way to go, the trend we are seeing is one of gradual improvement month by month, with numbers slowing starting to climb back up towards the high watermark of 2019.

Looking at the figures in a little more detail, the recovery of the sector is definitely somewhat patchy. It is interesting to note that, in the main, attractions in the Highlands of Scotland are outperforming those in other regions, with Highland attractions up 15.8% for the month and 0.3% year to date on 2019 figures. This trumps other areas where the recovery is stronger, including Edinburgh & Lothians (down 5.6% for the month and 8% year to date on 2019) and Fife (down 1.5% for the month and 9.8% year to date on 2019). Aberdeen and Grampian is perhaps the most interesting to view however, as the year to date figures there see attractions in this region up by a very impressive 2.3%. There are signs of a slight slowdown however, as the monthly figures show that April was ‘only’ up 2.2% on 2019, so a significantly slower increase than that seen in the Highlands.

In terms of type of attraction, Outdoor/Nature attractions continue to perform well, up 13.4% year to date on 2019, though they are a little down (by 5.2%) for the month. Perhaps the most interesting development is the significant increase in visitors to Historic Houses/Palaces (up 3.1% for the month and 9.7% year to date on 2019) and Other Historic Properties (up a staggering 34.7% for the month and 22.1% year to date on 2019). There was clearly a significant Eater bounce for ‘Other Historic Properties’ in particular, with visitors flocking though the doors to undertake Easter related activities.

These are all positive figures to report, but as can be seen from other regions and other sector types are seeing much more patchy performance, e.g. Greater Glasgow down 13.9% for the month and 18.1% year to date on 2019, and Museums/Art Galleries down 15.9% for the month and 24.5 year to date on 2019. And, as mentioned last month, visitor numbers are just one metric here and are not providing us with the complete story in terms of the recovery. Rising costs and staffing recruitment challenges are undoubtedly impacting on performance and the bottom line across many attractions. Even with more visitors returning in good numbers in 2023, it is therefore not necessarily the case that every attraction operator is looking confidently ahead.

The ASVA Visitor Attractions Monitor 2022 End of Year Report, and additional annex, are both now available. These documents provide members with details of visitor figures for 2022, compared to both 2021 and 2019, as well as a wealth of additional data and insights for the year including:

• Visitor profile information
• Adult and child visitation
• Average spend
• Web & social media activity
• Key priorities for the industry
• Challenges faced within the sector

The reports show that, despite the fact that the shadow of covid-19 was still present in 2022, and other external events beyond the sector’s control, most notably the cost-of-living crisis, presented considerable challenges, it was a year when many attractions saw visitor numbers gradually creep up towards pre-pandemic levels. Visitor numbers to ASVA attractions improved by over 88% when compared to 2021. Admittedly 2021 visitor figures are a relatively low bar from a comparison standpoint, but it is never-the-less pleasing to see this improvement. However, it is only by comparing the 2022 visitor figures with those of 2019, the last year without any kind of pandemic disruptions, that we get a full and accurate picture of to what extent 2022 was indeed a year of recovery. Overall visitor numbers to ASVA attractions in 2022 were just over 23% down on those reported in 2019.

It is also worth noting that, whilst visitor numbers remained lower than what we have experienced pre-pandemic for the majority of attractions, and despite the cost-of-living crisis, those who did cross our doors, were looking to spend money. Average visitor spend on retail in 2022 was an impressive £2.90 per visit, as opposed to £2.27 in 2021 and 1.96 in 2019, and the average spend in catering was £2.82, up from £2.23 in 2021 and a far more modest £1.40 in 2019. Of course, inflationary pressures and increasing prices will have played a role in this, however the trend we saw emerging in 2020 and 2021, where improved visitor experience, with visitors enjoying more time and space and more interactions with staff working at our venues, was leading to higher spend per visit, has continued in 2022.

Both the end of year report and the annex can be viewed in the Statistics, Surveys & Research section of the Members Area of the ASVA website (please note: scroll to the bottom of the page to find the reports).

As we alerted members on Wednesday (31st May), ASVA has some significant news to share. Our CEO, Gordon Morrison, will be leaving ASVA in a few months’ time to join the Association for Cultural Enterprises (ACE) as their new CEO, taking his passion for supporting and inspiring the sector he loves onto a multi-national stage.   
 
Gordon joined ASVA in the summer of 2018, and has led the organisation through some of the most challenging periods our sector has ever experienced. Despite these unique challenges, ASVA has grown and thrived. Membership has increased by 40%, our influence and reputation as a force for good for the sector and wider tourism industry has grown exponentially and membership engagement levels in our activities are at an all-time high. ASVA now delivers more for our members than we have at any other stage in our history, and this is reflected in the very high approval ratings the organisation attained in last year’s membership survey relating to ASVA’s performance and value. Gordon has also overseen the successful launch and implementation of a new five-year strategy, establishing our new vision, mission and values and giving our organisation a renewed sense of direction as we continue to grow. 
 
On his time at ASVA, Gordon said: “I have enjoyed an incredible 5 years as ASVA CEO. Little did I know what I was getting myself into when I joined the organisation back in the summer of 2018. I’m pretty sure dealing with pandemics and the enforced closure of the sector was not in the job description, however I have learned so much in my time here and I am very proud of where I will be leaving the organisation. ASVA has never been in a stronger position, and I am confident my replacement will find all the building blocks in place – be that in relation to our strategy and business plan, our standing within the tourism community and within the corridors of power, or crucially, our reputation and engagement levels with our members – to continue to build on the successes of the last 5 years. 
 
“They will also find a small, but talented and passionate executive team and a thoroughly dedicated and knowledgeable Board of Directors to support them. 
 
“I do not see this as the end of my engagement with ASVA. I look forward to seeing many members at the ASVA conference in November, which ACE will be supporting, and I am sure there will be many continued collaborations between ASVA and ACE in the months and years ahead!’’ 
 
Of course, this is not a farewell to Gordon as yet. He will remain in post throughout the summer to support the ASVA Board with the recruitment of his successor, and to ensure an effective and smooth handover when the new CEO is appointed, to ensure minimal disruption to ASVA services for our members. Indeed, ASVA is committed to providing even more quality services, webinars and events over this period. 
 
The recruitment of our new CEO now starts in earnest. The ASVA Board, supported by Gordon, is currently drafting the Job Description and Job Advert, with the intention that applications will be sought within the next few days. 

Anyone interested in finding out more about the CEO role can contact the ASVA Chair, Paul Nixon, on pnixon@realmarykingsclose.com for an initial informal chat.  

We are sure that everyone will warmly congratulate Gordon on his new role and will look forward to an exciting new chapter for ASVA ahead.