Winners of the 2024 Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards Announced
Added: 22 Nov 2024
The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) is proud to announce the winners of the 2024 Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards, celebrating the outstanding individuals whose passion, creativity, and commitment make Scotland’s attractions truly world class.
From front-line staff to behind-the-scenes heroes, the awards recognise those who create unforgettable visitor experiences. Whether through the innovation showcased by our Technology Innovator award, the world-class experiences created by our Experience Makers, the commitment to sustainability recognised in the Sustainability Champion category, the emerging talent celebrated in the Rising Star or the dedication to fostering inclusivity and building connections celebrated in the People’s Hero award. These individuals play a key role in delivering exceptional experiences that help showcase Scotland as a top destination for visitors from around the globe.
The winners were revealed at the ASVA Annual Conference, which took place at Perth Concert Hall on Thursday 14th November. The event welcomed over 390 delegates and brought together leaders and professionals from Scotland’s attractions and tourism sector.
Michael Golding, CEO of ASVA, said: “We are incredibly proud to announce the winners of the 2024 Scottish Attractions Inspiring People Awards. These individuals represent the very best of Scotland’s visitor attractions sector—each of them has demonstrated outstanding dedication and passion for their work, contributing to making Scotland’s attractions world class.
“It has been a privilege to celebrate their achievements here at the ASVA Annual Conference, where we’ve gathered experts and innovators dedicated to advancing Scotland’s visitor attraction and tourism sector.”
Celebrate of our Winners:
Sustainability Champion: Jonathon Dodds, Visitor Experience Manager at Mercat Tours
Jonathon Dodds said: “I’m so grateful to win this award! As part of our work at Mercat Tours, this year we became the first visitor attraction in the UK to become BCorp accredited, a global movement which symbolises our commitment to sustainability and ethical operations, a process that all-in took 2 years to achieve – but is such a worthwhile process to go through. I would actively encourage others to look into doing the same, as it allowed us opportunity to really find out more about ourselves and scrutinise our existing processes.
The certification is a huge step, but just the start, as we now move to focusing on our areas of improvement to become even more sustainable, resilient, and GREEN!”
Technology Innovator: Emilie Lumineau, Marketing Manager at The Real Mary King’s Close
Emilie Lumineau said: “I am incredibly proud to receive the Technology Innovator Award, especially as it is an industry-wide recognised accolade. This award highlights the strides we’ve made at The Real Mary King’s Close to enhance the guest journey through technology, from improving online booking to developing a dynamic online shop. Having this work acknowledged on such a prestigious platform is an honour. I also think it’s fantastic to see individual contributions celebrated in this way — it’s a wonderful way to inspire others to innovate and continue building their careers within this vibrant industry.”
People’s Hero: Fiona Johnston, Community and Access Programme Co-ordinator at Palace of Holyroodhouse
Fiona Johnston said: “It is an absolute honour to receive People’s Hero 2024 award. I am incredibly proud to work for Royal Collection Trust where I am supported and encouraged to deliver a range of creative and inclusive community and access programmes to ensure the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and the Royal Collection, are accessible and enjoyable for all. I particularly specialise in delivering dementia friendly programmes and audio describing for blind and partially sighted visitors. With experience, the right training and resources, I believe heritage sites and attractions can be incredible safe spaces for people to thrive, to create shared memorable moments, try new things, to combat social isolation and to nurture positive wellbeing. I hope by receiving this award, it highlights that if we all put accessibility and inclusion at the heart of every decision we make, whatever our position within an organisation, then we will all lead the way of best practice and creating lasting legacies of inspiring visitor experiences.”
Rising Star: Madeline Greene, Learning & Audience Officer at The Black Watch Castle & Museum
Madeline Greene said: “Winning ASVA’s Rising Star award means a lot to me as someone who values the work carried out daily at The Black Watch Castle and Museum, whether that work is the excellent customer service provided by staff in The Gift Shop and Bistro, administrative work, or the research and interpretation carried out by Museum staff. Working with school groups and finding ways for the community to connect to the story of The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) is only a small portion of what we do daily and I’m so honoured to have been nominated by my colleagues for my work in this area. I look forward to the coming year and more opportunities to grow professionally in the heritage sector.”
Experience Maker: Katie Scott, Operations Manager at The Real Mary King’s Close
Katie Scott said: “I am deeply honoured to receive the Experience Maker Award, which recognises the incredible work that goes into delivering world-class experiences both on the front lines and behind the scenes. As Operations Manager, I am immensely proud of The Real Mary King’s Close being named the Best UK Visitor Attraction on Tripadvisor this year – an achievement that reflects the passion and dedication of our entire team. The ASVA award is a personal milestone, and it’s a privilege to see this work celebrated on such a prestigious industry platform.”
Judy Rae, ASVA Co-Chair and co-presenter of the Awards said: “The winners of this year’s awards truly exemplify the incredible talent, dedication, and creativity that exists within Scotland’s visitor attractions sector. It’s a privilege to celebrate their achievements, as these individuals are at the heart of what makes Scotland’s attractions truly world-class. These awards shine a light on their hard work and the impact they have on the people and communities they serve.”
We’d like to congratulate our winners, finalists and everyone who took the time to submit an entry for this year’s awards. These awards are all about celebrating the outstanding individuals who help make Scotland’s attractions world class.