ASVA Event

We’re delighted to once again be able to offer our acclaimed Exceeding Visitor Expectations training course, which is designed specifically for frontline staff at visitor attractions.

This result-driven, highly relevant one-day course has a proven record of success – many of Scotland’s leading attractions have already taken advantage of it to boost their business performance and competitive edge by enhancing the quality of their visitor offering.

Exceeding Visitor Expectations has been created and crafted to equip customer-facing staff with the specialist skills and insights they need to deliver the very highest standards of service – ensuring every visitor enjoys a truly outstanding experience. Developed in conjunction with VisitScotland, the content is aligned with its Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme, to enable participants to support their attraction in meeting and surpassing the standards of 5-star service, hospitality and friendliness that are measured during a quality assurance assessment. Key areas covered can be seen below, and more information can be found here:

• Identify what your attraction and the area where you work has to offer;
• Understand who your visitors are and what the need and expect;
• Meet, manage and, whenever possible, exceed visitor expectations;
• Welcome visitors from all sections of the community and provide an accessible service;
• Communicate successfully with visitors;
• Use product/ destination knowledge to provide information and advice in an inspiring way;
• Deal effectively with challenging situations;
• Act as an ambassador for your attraction and local area.

Renowned skills development expert Catherine Bowie of Communicate Consultants will lead the training. Catherine is highly experienced in coaching sector team members and providing tailored guidance to enable them to fulfil the potential of their roles, enhancing visitor engagement and satisfaction. This empowers staff, honing their communications skills and building their confidence to help them handle any situation and act as a great ambassador for your attraction.

Please note: Cancellation of a booking (by emailing info@asva.co.uk ) must be received at least 7 days prior to the event to be eligible for a refund. Bookings cancelled less than 7 days before the event, and non-attendance, will be non-refundable.

We’re pleased to confirm that our first in-person event of the new year will be one of our ever popular Be a QA for a Day workshops, taking place on Wednesday, 7th February (please note this date has been rescheduled from the event originally planned for 24th January).

The ability to conduct a ‘mystery visit’ is crucial to the course, so we don’t reveal the venue in advance. However, this course will take place at an attraction in the Dundee & Angus area.

This event is a one-day workshop, giving those participating a thorough understanding of how the VisitScotland Quality Assurance scheme operates, what the advisors are looking for, and inspiration for positive changes that can be made to enhance the visitor experience at their own attraction.

Course aim
The day is led by an experienced VisitScotland Quality and Tourism Advisor, who will begin by giving an explanation of the grading process, including an overview of the grading visit and the scoring structure. This is a practical course which includes a mock grading visit to an actual visitor attraction. Following the visit, the group will then meet again to review the process and for further discussion.

The aim is to ensure that delegates attending will gain a greater understanding of the VisitScotland Quality Assurance scheme and be able to identify how they can improve the visitor experience at their own attraction. The course teaches attention to detail, the art of benchmarking, and gives insight into the inner workings of the QA scheme.

Taking part also provides excellent networking opportunities with industry colleagues. For further details on the course content please click here.

Delegate Info
To ensure the optimum experience for those taking part, numbers on these courses are limited to 12 delegates, with members being able to book 2 places per organisation. The cost is £120 per delegate (inclusive of vat).

Should you have any questions, please contact Helen Henderson, ASVA Membership Manager on helen@asva.co.uk

The one-day Train The Trainer course is designed to equip delegates to deliver our popular Exceeding Visitor Expectations course to staff within their own organisations. It offers a great way of enabling larger organisations to train their staff in-house, making it more cost effective and convenient. The course is aimed at people who already have experience of delivering training. Therefore, in  order to ensure that the training is effective for both those taking part and member organisations, we would anticipate those wishing to train as Exceeding Visitor Expectations trainers to:

• have attended the EVE course as a delegate first
• have experience of delivering training programmes to groups, in particular on customer service topics
• engage with learners at all levels
• possess excellent written and verbal communication skills
• use a variety of techniques to deliver course content e.g. Group discussions, one-to-ones, participation, games/activities as well as audio visual equipment
• have a working knowledge of tourism and service sector businesses
• have a professional approach to training delivery

For any delegates booked to attend, we normally ask for a copy of your CV or an indication of your training/ mentoring experience for our records.

At your training you will receive information on how to access the course materials you will need when ready to deliver in house EVE workshops. However, please note that the per person cost for EVE workshop materials for each person attending your in house courses will be £30.

More information on the content of the standard EVE courses can be seen here.

Please note that cancellation of a booking (by emailing info@asva.co.uk ) must be received at least 7 days prior to the event to be eligible for a refund. Bookings cancelled less than 7 days before the event, and non-attendance, will be non-refundable. Bookings are open to ASVA members only.

Don’t miss this forthcoming webinar where the focus will be on looking at generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the tools that are already making waves in various industries.

Being held on Tuesday 20th June at 10.30am, this event will be led by tech expert Joshua Ryan-Saha Director of Traveltech for Scotland.

You’ll learn how generative AI including ChatGPT can benefit your visitor attraction by:

✔️ supporting customer service and accessibility

✔️ providing personalised visitor recommendations

✔️ crafting marketing campaigns

✔️ new forms of visitor engagement

Learn from real-life examples and gain practical steps on how to get started with generative AI.

Register to join us for this free online event exclusively for ASVA members.

With the current cost of living crisis and the pressure on disposable income, many attractions will be keen to ensure that they are delivering value for money for their visitors. However, this has to be balanced with need to generate a profit, essential for the continued success of your organisation. In addition, with the cost of energy rising and inflation still over 10%, it’s also vitally important that we ensure all areas of the business are as effective and efficient as they can be.

One area that can potentially become neglected is your attraction’s retail space and yet it can make a significant contribution to secondary income if the products, marketing and management are of the highest order.  Pressures on budgets and resources may mean that this area is overlooked, with products not being refreshed. Clearly, this is particularly relevant if the products have a ‘sell by’ or ‘use by’ date on them.  However, this can be just as important if the products are no longer on trend and not hitting the spot as far as visitors are concerned.

Join us for our webinar on Wednesday 14th June at 10.30am where we’ll be exploring how to ‘Maximise Your Retail Offering’. This webinar will be delivered by ASVA members Merlinsoft Ltd, and aims to ensure that you’re maximising the potential, the sales and the profitability of your retail space.

Leading the event will be Owen Gleadall, founder of Merlinsoft, who has been supplying Retail Management Systems now for the best part of 50 years, working with many well-known brands including Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Nike 1948 and Zara.  He has also written the definitive guide to retailing, as used by students of the National Retail Academy in Sheffield.  A free copy of this book will be available to all attendees for just the postage and packing costs.

Key learning points will be:

• Effective Stock Control
• Perpetual Inventory
• Appropriate Pricing Policies
• Ensuring Margins are Maintained
• Gross Margin v Mark Up
• Maximising Profitability
• Keeping more of the money you take!

If you have a retail space within your attraction and want to ensure that it is delivering the best Return on Investment, then this webinar is for you! Using the collective knowledge and experience gained from many years working in a diverse range of retail businesses, visitor attractions and venues, the hints, tips and suggestions you will get from this webinar could be priceless. Take a real in depth look at your retail offering and see just how you can improve what it’s delivering.  Often, improvements can often be made by subtle changes and tweaks, with secondary income rising if you have the ‘upsells’ your visitors are looking for. The gift shop is an essential part of the visitor experience and very often a significant contributor to revenue and profit if managed effectively and efficiently. This webinar will help you do just that.

About Merlinsoft – Merlinsoft started originally back in 1981 as consultants to the retail sector and commenced as system builders and suppliers in 1983, offering PC based retail management systems to the smaller, multi-branch retailers who were looking to keep up with their larger cousins but on much reduced budgets.  This business continued in much the same form until 1995 when they were approached by a large visitor attraction who wanted to use their retail technology for their new venue but also asked if it could also ‘sell tickets’.  At the time it didn’t but over the next few months Merlinsoft added this feature to the retail system and, since that date, have continued to upgrade and enhance the offering, adding many more features and functions over the years.  The main ‘claim to fame’ of the Merlinsoft system is that it’s not a retail system, it’s not an admissions and ticketing system, it’s actually a fully integrated Attractions Management Solution.

Raise your glass and kick off the summer season with ASVA at our Members Only Summer Drinks Reception! Join us at the unique Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh on the evening of Thursday 22^nd June for a free networking event open to all who work in ASVA member organisations. From 6pm to 9pm, you’ll have the opportunity to mingle with fellow ASVA members in a relaxed and informal setting, as we come together to share ideas, meet new people, discuss the year so far and gear up for what is shaping up to be a busy summer season.

As you sip on an array of delicious drinks supplied by our hosts, you’ll also have the chance to explore the unique Holyrood Distillery, with staff on hand throughout the venue to engage with you and introduce you to the delights of this outstanding visitor attraction. With a maximum capacity of 120 attendees, this intimate gathering ensures ample opportunities for meaningful conversations and interactions with colleagues from across our membership.

And we are delighted to have Eastern Exhibition & Display on board as the sponsor of this networking event. Offering creative and practical solutions for any and all types of display, Eastern Exhibition & Display are experts in providing innovative and functional display solutions for a wide range of projects and are known for their exceptional support in branding events of all kinds. They are committed to making their customers’ vision a reality and are renowned for their on-time delivery of top-quality products.

Shevy Kapoor, Director at Eastern Exhibition & Display said:“Eastern Exhibition & Display are delighted to sponsor the forthcoming ASVA Members Summer Season Drinks Reception at the fabulous Holyrood Distillery that Eastern celebrated its 40th anniversary with in 2019. Most of all we are looking forward to meeting fellow ASVA Members and celebrate all things good in our vibrant Scottish Visitor Attractions sector.”

So, whether you’re a seasoned ASVA member or new to the community, this event is the perfect opportunity to expand your professional network, gain insights from peers, foster meaningful relationships and, of course, have some fun as we head into summer!

The Members Only Drinks Reception is designed to energise you for the upcoming summer season, and we can’t wait to see you there! Don’t miss this free networking event exclusively for ASVA members – mark your calendars for Thursday 22^nd June and join us at the Holyrood Distillery for an invaluable evening of networking, information sharing and relationship building.

An extra big thank you to Debs Newman and the super-welcoming team at Holyrood Distillery for giving us the opportunity to host this event at their wonderful venue!

Please note bar snacks will also be provided, but we would encourage members to make their own dinner arrangements pre or post event.

The dress code is strictly informal!

BOOKING DETAILS

The special ASVA member rate to attend is £109.00 plus vat, whilst the non-member rate is £195.00 plus vat (please note that the amount you will pay via our online system is the cost inclusive of vat).

Recognising the economic challenges being faced by the industry, we have endeavoured to keep the member fee as low as we possibly can. We would like to acknowledge the willingness to help us do this from the trainers at Complete Works and the venue operators at Scottish Enterprise, City of Glasgow College and Highlands & Islands Enterprise, all of whom have taken steps to reduce the costs of putting on these elite training events.

Please note, cancellation of a booking (by emailing info@asva.co.uk ) must be received at least 7 days prior to the event to be eligible for a refund. Bookings cancelled less than 7 days before the event, and non-attendance, will be non-refundable.

BOOKING DETAILS

The special ASVA member rate to attend is £109.00 plus vat, whilst the non-member rate is £195.00 plus vat (please note that the amount you will pay via our online system is the cost inclusive of vat).

Recognising the economic challenges being faced by the industry, we have endeavoured to keep the member fee as low as we possibly can. We would like to acknowledge the willingness to help us do this from the trainers at Complete Works and the venue operators at Scottish Enterprise, City of Glasgow College and Highlands & Islands Enterprise, all of whom have taken steps to reduce the costs of putting on these elite training events.

Please note, cancellation of a booking (by emailing info@asva.co.uk ) must be received at least 7 days prior to the event to be eligible for a refund. Bookings cancelled less than 7 days before the event, and non-attendance, will be non-refundable.

On Monday 6^th March, ASVA will be hosting our first ever online ‘Marketing Meetup’ for our members. This event, hosted on Zoom, will provide those responsible for marketing and promoting their visitor attraction, and those with an interest in marketing visitor attractions, with the opportunity to come together to both hear and share marketing insights, with a specific focus on the season ahead. We have three brilliant guest speakers joining us to discuss three unique topics – the use of influencer marketing, how data can be used to build strong relationships with your audience, and key trends in attraction marketing. The floor will then be thrown open to attendees to ask any questions of our speakers or indeed to share any insights from their own perspective.

Our first topic of the day will be influencer marketing. During last year’s ASVA AGM, Kathryn MacDonald, Senior Manager of Global Marketing at VisitScotland, delivered a presentation where she discussed VisitScotland’s marketing strategy for 2023. One of the main topics of interest for ASVA’s members coming out of this presentation was VisitScotland’s use of influencers as part of their strategy for delivering for visitor attractions. A number of members commented that they would be interested to know more about this and look at how attractions can and should be engaging with VisitScotland with influencer activity. The Marketing Meetup will do just this, providing members with the opportunity to hear from VisitScotland’s expert in the field when it comes to engaging with influencers. Amanda Thomas is a social media and influencer marketing manager with ten years’ experience across both B2B and B2C sectors. From content strategy and development through to talent management and campaign execution, she brings a great deal of knowledge and insight to her role at VisitScotland as Global Influencer Marketing Manager. Hear from her about how VisitScotland has adopted influencer marketing as part of an ‘always on’ strategy, as well as how data-led decision making and the power of social advocacy can yield impressive results and should be a core part of the marketing mix for attraction operators.

Our second topic of the meetup is one which has been consistently raised as being of interest to members – how data can be used to improve visitor engagement. Alan McGarrie is Head of Marketing for Johnnie Walker’s eight-floor flagship visitor attraction in Edinburgh, as well as Diageo’s twelve other visitor experiences within Scotland. Prior to joining Diageo, he held Director roles at Tennent’s and adidas. Alan will be joining us to discuss the importance of a “digital backbone” in modern visitor experiences. He will provide a brief overview of the consumer journey at Johnnie Walker Princes Street and how digital touchpoints are integral to this, all with the aim of creating a “connected ecosystem” in order to build valuable long-term relationships with their visitors.

Our final topic looks at marketing trends in the round in 2023. For this, we are delighted to be joined by Anthony Rawlins, CEO of digital tourism marketing tourism specialists, Navigate. Anthony founded Navigate to help tourism businesses enhance their digital marketing and attract wider audiences locally and internationally. Over 20 years, he has worked across all segments of the travel and tourism industry for leading global brands worldwide. At Navigate, Anthony ensures the company is at the leading edge of industry insights and trends and drives innovation and business strategy so they can continue to deliver best-in-class growth for their clients. In his presentation, Anthony will present to members some key findings and trends on how attraction marketing is evolving at a rate like never before in 2023.

To help facilitate the conversations following the presentations, if you have any questions that you would like to put to any of our speakers or any questions/topics you would like to debate at the Meetup, please contact us at info@asva.co.uk and we will endeavour to ensure you get the opportunity to discuss at the event.

The Meetup takes place on Monday 6^th March, from 11am to 12:30pm. Please register your free place by clicking here.

In conjunction with VisitScotland, on Wednesday 20th September we will be running one of our popular Be a QA for a Day workshops. This event gives those participating the opportunity to visit and grade another attraction as if they were a VisitScotland Quality and Tourism Advisor. Delegates will get a thorough understanding of how the QA scheme operates, what the advisors are looking for, and inspiration for positive changes that can be made to enhance the visitor experience at their own attraction.

The ability to conduct a ‘mystery visit’ is crucial to the course, so we don’t reveal the venue in advance. However, this course will take place at a venue in Central Scotland.

Course Info
The day is led by an experienced VisitScotland Quality and Tourism Advisor, who will begin by giving an explanation of the grading process, including a thorough overview of the grading visit and the scoring structure.  This is a practical course which includes a mock grading visit to an actual visitor attraction. The aim is to ensure that delegates attending will gain a greater understanding of the VisitScotland Quality Assurance scheme and be able to identify how they can improve the visitor experience at their own attraction. The course teaches attention to detail, the art of benchmarking, and gives insight into the inner workings of the QA scheme.

The course also provides excellent networking opportunities with industry colleagues.

For further details on the course content please click here.

Delegate Info

To ensure the optimum experience for those taking part, numbers on these courses are limited to 12 delegates, with members being able to book 2 places per organisation. The cost is £120 per delegate (inclusive of vat).

Should you have any questions, please contact Helen Henderson, ASVA Membership Manager on helen@asva.co.uk

Please note, cancellation of a booking (by emailing info@asva.co.uk ) must be received at least 7 days prior to the event to be eligible for a refund. Bookings cancelled less than 7 days before the event, and non-attendance, will be non-refundable.

In conjunction with VisitScotland, on Thursday 18th May we will be running one of our popular Be a QA for a Day workshops. This event gives those participating the opportunity to visit and grade another attraction as if they were a VisitScotland Quality and Tourism Advisor. Delegates will get a thorough understanding of how the QA scheme operates, what the advisors are looking for, and inspiration for positive changes that can be made to enhance the visitor experience at their own attraction.

The ability to conduct a ‘mystery visit’ is crucial to the course, so we don’t reveal the venue in advance. However, this course will take place at a venue in the central Scottish Borders.

Course Info
The day is led by an experienced VisitScotland Quality and Tourism Advisor, who will begin by giving an explanation of the grading process, including a thorough overview of the grading visit and the scoring structure.  This is a practical course which includes a mock grading visit to an actual visitor attraction. The aim is to ensure that delegates attending will gain a greater understanding of the VisitScotland Quality Assurance scheme and be able to identify how they can improve the visitor experience at their own attraction. The course teaches attention to detail, the art of benchmarking, and gives insight into the inner workings of the QA scheme.

The course also provides excellent networking opportunities with industry colleagues.

For further details on the course content please click here.

Delegate Info

To ensure the optimum experience for those taking part, numbers on these courses are limited to 12 delegates, with members being able to book 2 places per organisation. The cost is £120 per delegate (inclusive of vat).

Should you have any questions, please contact Helen Henderson, ASVA Membership Manager on helen@asva.co.uk

Please note, cancellation of a booking (by emailing info@asva.co.uk ) must be received at least 7 days prior to the event to be eligible for a refund. Bookings cancelled less than 7 days before the event, and non-attendance, will be non-refundable.

Join us on Monday 20th February at 10.30am for our webinar exploring how technology can help address some of the challenges faced by those operating visitor attractions in 2023. We will be joined by two well known and highly respected friends of ASVA, Lesley Judge of Traveltech for Scotland and Carly Straughan of QLine Consulting, for this interactive webinar session, designed to give you ideas and inspiration as to how you can use tech to streamline your processes and boost your revenue, and to introduce you to some nifty, free assets to support you.

The Traveltech for Scotland Tech Collective for Visitor Attractions project, funded by the Scottish Tourism Leadership Recovery Fund, has enabled a small group of visitor attractions to address shared challenges through trialling new technologies, working together with industry experts to identify and improve business strategies for engaging with visitors; and to apply technology more effectively to the customer journey.

The collective approach has led to the creation of a set of free, downloadable playbook and video resources covering membership management, contactless donations, digital marketing and NFT’s & the Metaverse.

Lesley and Carly will focus on some of the key areas of project focus, prompting attractions to really consider what they sell and who their customers are. They will offer examples of the tech solutions matched to these focus areas in the project, how participating attractions have benefited, and what ideas and tips can be found in the playbook and video resources. There will also be the opportunity for a Q&A session so plenty of time to get advice and support from the experts and your industry peers.