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VAC 2014

SPONSORS

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION SUPPORTED BY

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

THE ANNUALNATIONALCONFERENCE OF VISITOR ATTRACTIONS

THURSDAY 9 OCTOBER

THE QUEEN ELIZABETH II CONFERENCE CENTRELONDON

WWW.VAC2014.CO.UK

WelcomeWelcome to the Visitor Attractions Conference 2014.

As we come out of another summer, many attractions have the opportunity toreflect on how their season has been. More and more attractions still havesignificant parts of their season to experience including Halloween andChristmas. The ‘traditional’ holiday season has changed and this conference willreflect the different types of attractions that make up our industry.

During the early years of the ‘staycation’ it was felt that once prosperity returnedto the land, everyone would jet off to sunnier climates. It is possible that this yearhas seen the first year, for a while, that consumer confidence has returned. Earlyindications are that the attractions industry has stood up well against thetemptation to go abroad. There are many businesses who invested in theirproduct over the last few years and are now reaping the rewards.

I hope you enjoy the Conference this year and have the opportunity to learnfrom some of the success stories and be inspired by the individuals that make upthis fantastic industry.

GENERAL INFORMATIONVENUE The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (QEIICC)Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3EEThe plan below will assist you with finding your way around theQEIICC.

BADGES Please wear your name badge at all times. Namebadge holders have been colour coded to identify types ofparticipant: Full participants - ClearSpeakers - RedExhibitors - BluePress - Grey

BUSINESS CENTRE The business centre is located on theground floor of the QEIICC by the main entrance. This is openfrom 08:00 – 18:00 and can be utilised by delegates. Thebusiness centre offers the following services: photocopying,faxing, internet use, printing from discs and telephoneconference calls. Payment for these services can be made bycash or credit card.

CLOAKROOM The Cloakroom is located on the ground floor ofthe QEIICC and will be in operation from 08:00 – 19:00.

FIRST AID Should you require first aid assistance during theConference, please contact the staff located in the RegistrationArea who will be able to take you to the First Aid Room locatedon the ground floor of the QEIICC.

INTERNET There is complimentary WiFi available for allparticipants throughout the venue and the duration of theConference.

LOST PROPERTY Please hand in lost property to the RegistrationArea where it will be made available for collection.

LUNCH Lunch will be provided in the Pickwick Suite, 1st floor ofthe QEIICC.

MESSAGES The telephone number for people wishing to leavemessages for you during the conference opening hours is: 020 7798 4090.

MOBILE PHONES As a courtesy to speakers and other delegates,we ask that all mobile phones be turned on silent before enteringthe conference sessions.

REFRESHMENTS Coffee and tea will be available in the PickwickSuite, 1st floor of the QEIICC, during the official refreshmentbreaks.

SMOKING Please note that smoking is not permitted in any partof the QEIICC.

VAC 2015 We are pleased to announce the date for the nextAnnual National Conference of Visitor Attractions, which will beheld on Thursday 8 October 2015 at the Queen Elizabeth IIConference Centre, London. We hope to see you next year!

The event for – museums and galleries; theme and leisure parks; piers; zoos, aquariums and animal attraction heritage centres and sites; historic transport; landmark attractions; parks and gardens; farm attractions; scienc

1st FloorA - Pickwick Suite -

• Exhibition, Refreshments,Lunch and After ConferenceComplimentary Drinks Party

Ground FloorB - Churchill Auditorium -

• The VAC Legal Briefing• Conference Auditorium

C - Nightingale Room -• Speakers’ Lounge

D - Sanctuary Foyer -• Registration

E - West Foyer -• Cloakroom

Paul KellyVAC 2014Chairman

To succeed, we must keep learning new tricks and honing our skills.

Programme

08:30 – 09:00 Registration and coffee

09:00 – 09:45 The VAC Legal BriefingSpeakers from Burges Salmon

Chris Seaton, Partner

Helen Scott-Lawler, Partner

10:00 – 10:05 Welcome from the Conference ChairmanPaul Kelly, VAC 2014 Chairman

10:05 – 10:30 Keynote AddressAttractions as Local Heroes; the impact on localcommunitiesWayne Hemingway, MBE, Designer, Hemingway Design

Eddie Kemsley, Director, Dreamland

10:30 – 11:00 Insights, Foresight and InspirationReview of 2014 – and foresight for AttractionsSharon Orrell, Head of Research and Insight, VisitEngland

Steve Mills, Director, BDRC

11:00 – 11:20 Coffee Break

11:20 – 12:15 National Overview and Key Issues ReviewMatthew Tanner, Chairman, Association of Independent

Museums, CEO, SS Great Britain

Nick Way, Director-General, Historic Houses Association

Jamie Christon, Managing Director, Chester Zoo

12:15 – 12:55 Creating Visitor ExperiencesFindings from a Review of the Impact of IPs/Themed Characters on Visitor AttractionsLesley Morisetti, Director, Morisetti Associates

An Overview of the Latest Technology for VisitorAttractionsDavid Hughes, Solution Development Manager,

The Interactive Institute

12:55 – 13:00 Questions and morning sessions resume

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch

ns; churches, cathedrals and places of worship; historic houses; ce centres; heritage railways and workplace attractions. WWW.VAC2014.CO.UK

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Programme CONTINUED

14:00 – 14:30 Exceeding Visitor ExpectationsHåkon Lund, CEO, Kongeparken

14:30 – 14:45 Management RealitiesSerene on the surface, but paddling like madbelowMartha Lytton-Cobbold, Managing Director, Lytton

Enterprises Ltd – Knebworth House

14:45 – 15:20 Working TogetherTourism Management in EnglandLyndsey Swift, Head of Strategic Partnerships,

VisitEngland

Melanie Sensicle, CEO, Visit County Durham

15:20 – 15:45 Tea Break

15:45 – 16:00 The Tourism Industry ReportKurt Janson, Policy Director, Tourism Alliance

16:00 – 16:55 The VAC Panel DiscussionLord Lee of Trafford DL, Chairman of the All-Party Group

on Tourism, UK Parliament

James Berresford, CEO, VisitEngland

Alison Rice, Travel Journalist & Broadcaster

16:55 – 17:00 Closing RemarksPaul Kelly, VAC 2014 Chair

17:00 – 18:30 After Conference – Reception andComplimentary Drinks Kindly supported by Burges Salmon


WWW.VAC2014.CO.UK

SPeaker PROFILES

James BerresfordJames was educated at the City of London University. His early career started in arts administration and theatre marketingbefore moving to countryside recreation. He then went on to Nottinghamshire County Council as Tourism Officer andsubsequently became Assistant Director of Leisure responsible for the management of various tourist attractions includingSherwood Forest. He was appointed to the Heart of England Tourist Board as Regional Director in the East Midlands beforejoining the Northwest Development Agency as Regional Business Manager for Tourism. He was subsequently appointed aDirector of the Agency with oversight for Tourism and Culture. On 2 July 2009 James took up the post of Chief Executive ofVisitEngland. VisitEngland is the official tourism body for England. Its role is to work in partnership with Government andindustry to grow the value of the visitor economy at all levels. James is married with one son. He lives in Battersea but has asmall bolt hole in the Peak District where he likes to make the most of his love of the countryside. He is a Director of theLiverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) and the National Skills Academy for Hospitality. James was recently given anHonorary Doctorate in Business from Chester University.

Jamie ChristonJamie is responsible for the business operation of Chester Zoo. The Zoo is the largest and most visited zoo in the UK and isdeveloping fast, with Islands, a new 6 hectare extension being opened in 2015. Islands is the second phase of Natural Vision, aplan sees further expansion of the site through to 2030. Before joining Chester Zoo in July 2014, Jamie worked for Stena Line,Europes leading Ferry Company managing group commercial activity across its fleet of 34 ferries across seven countries.Previous to that he was Managing Director of Exeter Airport and has also held a number of commercial and operational roleswithin The Manchester Airport Group. Jamie graduated from Leicester University with a degree in Politics and began his careerin FMCG retail within the food and fashion high street sector. He lives in Chester, is married and is also a school governor andinvolved in the tourism sector in the northwest.

Bernard Donoghue – Chair of the VAC Conference CommitteeBernard is Director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, ALVA, which comprises 57of the UK’s most popular andimportant cathedrals, museums, galleries, palaces, zoos, gardens, heritage sites, historic houses and leisure attractions. He isDeputy Chairman of the Tourism Alliance; a Trustee of the Geffrye Museum of the Home, London; the Heritage Alliance; Kidsin Museums; and is a member of the Council of St Paul’s Cathedral. He is the Chairman of the award-winning LondonInternational Festival of Theatre; the Council of Ambassadors of WWF-UK and has been a judge of the Museums and HeritageAwards for several years. Prior to ALVA Bernard held communications and policy roles at VisitBritain, the Royal Household,central Government, campaigning charities, the UK Parliament and the Council of Europe.

Wayne HemingwayWayne’s experience spans fashion, urban design, housing, product and graphic design. As a fashion designer he was co-founder of Red or Dead, and after selling the business he set up Hemingway Design, specialising in affordable and socialdesign. Hemingway Design has won numerous awards for it’s work spanning regeneration and festival design. He is a trusteeof the Design Council; he created the Vintage festival; in 2013 he and his team designed a permanent installation at the RoyalFestival Hall, The Museum of 51 and a temporary exhibition, Beantown to help DC Thomson celebrate the 75th anniversary oftheir publication The Beano. 2014 sees the launch of more interior and furniture ranges as well as the team embarking onheading up the design and vision for the creation of the world’s first amusement park for thrilling historic rides, Dreamland inMargate.

David HughesDavid has a background in engineering design, flight simulation and 3D visual computing and is fuelled by a passion forinnovation, science communication and experimentation. He has extensive experience of emerging technology solutions in thevisitor attractions industry, including, museums, planetariums and interactive experiences. The innovation technologyconsultancy he founded specialises in visualisation and emerging technologies. He is currently working with a leading researchgroup in Sweden to help the world’s museums digitally unlock their storeroom collections, covering a remarkable range ofsubjects from ancient mummies to Martian meteorites. Using cutting-edge medical imaging and visualisation technologies, thisnew approach is resulting in significant discoveries as well as exciting new ways that museum visitors can engage with thescience.

Kurt JansonKurt is Policy Director of the Tourism Alliance, the umbrella trade association for the tourism and hospitality sector thatcomprises around 50 industry associations, including the major Visitor Attractions organisations, that together represent almost200,000 businesses of all sizes throughout the UK. Kurt’s role entails the monitoring of policy, strategy and legislative issuesand to prepare policy statements, and lobby, as determined by the TA Board. Kurt’s immediate previous experience was asPolicy Manager for the ETB, then BTA, and as Head of Strategic Planning for VisitBritain. Kurt graduated in New Zealand with aMasters degree in Public Policy and worked for the New Zealand Department of Conservation and the New Zealand TouristBoard before moving to Britain in 1997.

Paul KellyPaul has spent the whole of his working life in the attractions industry. As a student he worked on the ghost ride at ThorpePark, having spent many happy years there heading up the operation, he moved over to the London Eye in 1999/2000, as partof the Tussauds group to head up the operational launch of, what turned out to be Britain’s busiest paid for attraction. Afterfive years and a purchase by the Merlin group Paul worked on Business Development projects in the UK and around the world.After 25 years and a couple of years of consultancy work Paul joined BALPPA as CEO in 2012.

ns; churches, cathedrals and places of worship; historic houses; ce centres; heritage railways and workplace attractions.

Eddie KemsleyEddie’s career in leadership of leisure operations began when she became a General Manager to a business with a £3m turn overat age of 23. Some years and much success later, she was named within Evening Standard’s top 5 most influential eventorganisers. She was an original member of leadership team that devised and operated the ‘LOVEBOX WEEKENDER’. She tookover as Festival Director of a troubled Beach Break LIVE – 25,000 capacity student music festival – and turned it around withonly 7 days to go, and went on for it to win Best Medium Sized Festival at UK Festival Awards. Eddie was Chair of BALPPA’sSales & Marketing Committee (2012-2013).

Lord Lee of Trafford DLLord Lee of Trafford is the Chairman of ALVA, a role he has held since his appointment in 1990. He was a Conservative MP for nelson and Colne and later for Pendle. His ministerial roles included Tourism, Employment andDefence. He entered the House of Lords as a Liberal democrat in 2006 and was the party’s spokesperson for Trade and Industry2006-07, Culture, Media and Sport (Tourism) 2006-10, Defence 2007-10, Whip 2007-10. He was a Member, English TouristBoard 1992-99; Chair: Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester 1992-99.

Håkon LundThe Lund Group is one of Europe’s oldest amusement companies, established in 1895. Today the company operates one of theleading theme parks in Norway, Kongeparken, and Lunds Tivoli and is taking over Skånes Djurpark, Sweden in 2015. In additionthe company runs and owns some of the largest fairs and music festivals in Norway and rents out attractions and experinces allover the world including to Winter Wonderland in London, UK. Håkon Lund is the fourth generation Lund. He was growing upamong popcorn and candyfloss. He graduated as a lawyer with MBA. He was nominated for EY Entrepreneur of the year for2013. Håkon Lund has developed Kongeparken to be one of the leading theme parks for the age group 0-14 year. Among otherattractions it has the Children’s Fire Station, which won the THEA Award 2011 for the best new attractions in the world.

Martha Lytton CobboldMartha is the Managing Director of Knebworth Estates and Lytton Enterprises Ltd. She is responsible for the management ofKnebworth House, Gardens, Park and Estates, a complex combination of a busy leisure management business, a privatecharitable trust, a franchised conference and banqueting centre, a family estate with forestry work, two tenanted farms and asmall clutch of residential and commercial rental properties. Martha has worked directly with all licensed events including theOasis concert (1996), Ministry of Sound (2001), Robbie Williams (2003), RedBull Soapbox Derby (2004), Hedgestock (2006),The Renaissance Wild in the Country Festival(2006-2008), Sonisphere Festival (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014), Red Hot Chili Peppers(2012).

Steve MillsSteve is a Director of BDRC Continental, the largest service-sector based research consultancy in the UK. Steve’s career in leisureand tourism research spans 15 years, the last 10 of which have been as a BDRC Director. Visitor research and development onbehalf of attractions is a particular specialism of his, along with visitor and market segmentations, membership studies andfundraising research. BDRC has an impressive range of tourism and attractions clients including Visit England, ALVA and manyindividual attractions. Steve is a member of both the Tourism Society and the Market Research Society.

Lesley MorisettiLesley is Director of Morisetti Associates. Lesley started her career in the entertainments industry 29 years ago, working for theTussauds Group (now part of Merlin). She gained invaluable experience there in operations, marketing and revenuemanagement and new attraction development roles. In 2002 she moved into consultancy and became a Director of EconomicsResearch. In 2010 Lesley set up Morisetti Associates, to focus on advising clients on attraction and entertainment operatingperformance and the development of new attractions. Client work includes projects for major operators such as MerlinEntertainments and Universal Studios, the National Trust, Natural History Museums of London and Copenhagen and branddevelopments such as Silverstone Race Circuits.

Sharon OrrellSharon is Head of Research and Insight at VisitEngland. A market researcher with 20 years experience gained across a widerange of sectors and countries, she has worked in the UK and Germany, agency and client-side. Sharon joined VisitEngland inJune 2008 where she has responsibility for delivering of a range of quantitative and qualitative surveys, providing intelligence tothe tourism industry about the volume and value of the sector, as well as many other areas including business performance,consumer trends and visitor satisfaction. She has also played a leading role in ETRIP (English Tourism Research & IntelligencePartnership) initiatives to improve the quality, scope and communication of tourism statistics. Sharon also manages ad hocmarket research on topics such as the impact of the recession, quality assurance, and holiday decision making and informationneeds – to help VisitEngland and its stakeholders better understand the behaviour and attitudes of our visitors in the presentchallenging economic climate.

Alison RiceAlison is a journalist and broadcaster who regularly comments on tourism issues on national TV and radio. She is chair of theFamily Holiday Association charity and new board member of the Tourism Society. She is a long-standing judge for the nationalVisit England Awards for Excellence and former editor of VisitBritain’s daily Britain Calling features. She also worked withVisitBritain’s corporate communications team during the 2012 London Olympic Games. Alison’s career includes producing andpresenting travel programmes for both BBC TV and ITV, Director of Programmes for the Travel Channel, Editor of BBC Holidaysmagazine and award-winning series for the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Guardian and Observer. She is the former AssociateLecturer in tourism and the media at the University of the Arts, London and is now also in demand for workshops on howtoday’s media work and how to communicate more effectively.


SPeaker PROFILES CONTINUED

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Helen Scott-LawlerHelen joined Burges Salmon in 1993 and is now Head of the firm's 40-strong Commercial team, having spent the previous fouryears on the firm’s strategic board. Helen has a very broad range of experience in commercial contracts, with a particularspecialism in Intellectual Property and Brands and has worked with a number of operators in the leisure sector over twodecades. Her clients include The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Royal Armouries; At-Bristol; Andrew Brownsword Hotels; Bristol2015 European Green Capital and The Racecourse Association.

Chris SeatonChris joined Burges Salmon after a career as an officer in the Royal Navy. He led the firm’s 25 strong employment team for 15years and is now on the firm’s strategic board with responsibility for the firm’s international strategy, regularly lecturing in theUK and abroad on employment issues. Chris acts for a wide range of businesses from FTSE 100 companies to charitableorganisations and public sector organisations. He has advised a wide range of businesses in the leisure and activity sectorincluding the National Trust, Event Network, the Royal Armouries, The Queen’s Club (Tennis), The Royal Horticultural Society,Great Eastern Hotel, Force India and the FIA.

Melanie SensicleMelanie worked in theatre, publishing and higher education before joining Visit Brighton as Head of Marketing. In 2003 sheassumed responsibility for the city’s convention bureau and became Assistant Head of Tourism. In 2006, she moved to Durhamto set up Visit County Durham, the county’s first destination management agency. Visit County Durham has the full remit ofdestination management and marketing as well as playing a significant role in developing large scale festivals and events andleading for the county on place marketing. She represents the county on Visit England’s Destinations Forum and regularlyspeaks and writes on the subjects of destinations and the visitor economy. She is a Common Purpose Graduate, a boardmember of Durham’s Business Improvement District Company as well as the county’s cultural and economic partnerships, amember of Durham’s World Heritage Site Management Committee and a founding member of the Northern Tourism Alliance.

Lyndsey SwiftLyndsey leads on the Strategic Partnership Engagement agenda for VisitEngland to achieve the objectives and targets of bothVisitEngland and the Strategic Framework for Tourism 2010 to 2020 – England’s tourism strategy. Lyndsey works in partnershipwith a number of national organisations and trade bodies to drive forward actions in the Framework. She is responsible forVisitEngland’s key industry engagement structures – the Visitor Economy Forum and Strategic Industry Advisory Group.

Matthew Tanner MBE Matthew has worked in the heritage sectors for some 20 years. Formerly he worked for the Scottish Fisheries Museum, andNational Museums Liverpool. He was appointed as Director & Chief Executive of the SS Great Britain Trust in 2000. Theproject, completed in 2005, was awarded the Gulbenkian UK Museum of the Year Prize 2006, the England Large VisitorAttraction of the Year 2007, and the European Museum of the Year’s Micheletti Award for Best Industrial/ TechnologyMuseum. In 2010, Matthew led the project to create the new Brunel Institute learning and archive centre in Bristol,incorporating the National Brunel Archive. He is Chairman of the Association of Independent Museums, a Trustee of the BlackCountry Living Museum Ltd., and has advised on many other museum projects. He is a Non-Executive Director of DestinationBristol Ltd.

Nick WayNick has been the Director General of the Historic Houses Association since 2005, during which the HHA’s membership hasgrown to 1,570 historic houses, castles and gardens and the number of Friends of the HHA has risen from 26,000 to 38,000.Nick is also a Board Member of the Heritage Alliance, the umbrella body for 90 heritage organisations for England, and theSecretary of the Heritage Conservation Trust, a charity that has helped restore works of art in over 40 historic houses open tothe public and supported educational initiatives in historic houses. He is also a Council Member of the Attingham Trust, whichsupports the academic study of the fine arts in and the architecture of country houses. Before joining the HHA, Nick wasDirector of Policy at the Country Land and Business Association and a member of the Prince of Wales’ Affordable RuralHousing Initiative and of the Advisory Council to the School of Rural Economy and Land Management at the Royal AgriculturalCollege in Cirencester. His early career was in EU and international policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, having graduated inEconomics from Cambridge University.

John WhittingdaleJohn has represented Maldon in Parliament since 1992. If you are a constituent and would like to get in touch, John would bevery happy to hear from you. If you are an organiser of a local group, a teacher at a local school, or involved in a local businesswhich you feel would benefit from a visit or a meeting, do let John know. The majority of the former Maldon and EastChelmsford constituency forms the basis of the new Maldon seat. Additionally, the areas around South Woodham Ferrers comein from the former Rayleigh constituency and Stock and Margaretting are added from the former West Chelmsfordconstituency. Other wards from the previous Maldon and East Chelmsford form parts of the new Witham and Chelmsfordconstituencies which are represented by John's colleagues Priti Patel and Simon Burns.


Sponsor and Exhibitor Profiles

2-3 North Mews, London WC1N 2JP

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7269 5150Email: [email protected]: www.acoustiguide.comLike us on Facebook

A global developer and manufacturer of hand-heldinterpretive systems for multilingual audio andmultimedia content for over 50 years, Acoustiguide is atthe forefront of interpretation in the museums andheritage sector; providing equipment, content and nowapps to hundreds of prestigious sites around the world.The UK client base comprises of many of the best known museums and heritage sitesincluding Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Science Museum, The Roman Bathsand Cardiff Castle.


Kingsbourne House,229-231 High Holborn,London WC1V 7DA

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7400 0381Fax: +44 (0) 20 7405 4778Email: [email protected]: www.bdrc-continental.com

Your issues: understanding the visitor experience, visitorengagement and interpretation, visitor/market segmentation,marketing and communications, membership issues,benchmarking, brand positioning, economic impact, new productdevelopment, special events.

Our insight: BDRC Continental informs your decision making through insights derivedfrom innovative quantitative and qualitative research among your visitors and yourmarkets. To meet us at VAC today, contact Steve Mills on 07980 712 563 or MaxClapham on 07989 165 635.

BDRC Continental: Providing Intelligence.

BDRC CONTINENTAL LTD. – SPONSOR STAND 10

ACOUSTIGUIDE – SPONSOR STAND 5

Burges Salmon is a leading UK law firm. With 79partners and more than 650 people, with officesin London and Bristol, we act for national andinternational clients on all aspects of UK law. Wehave a leading hotels, leisure and tourism practiceand act for a wide variety of clients in the sector.Excellent client service underpins all that we do. Our unique working culture – how wework – is open, collegiate, collaborative and strongly client-focused. To find out more,see www.burges-salmon.com or follow us on Twitter @BurgesSalmon.

One Glass Wharf,Bristol BS2 0ZX

Tel: +44 (0) 117 939 2000Fax: +44 (0) 117 902 4400Email: [email protected]: www.burges-salmon.com

BURGES SALMON – SPONSOR

Choc Affair is a well-established, independent UK confectionerymanufacturer, producing an exciting and innovative range ofchocolate products, with a proven appeal to the visitor attractionaudience. We offer a bespoke service of own label bars made in anarray of mouth-watering flavours to delight the most discerning ofclients, as well as a stunning range of lollies designed to appeal tochildren of all ages! Please take a few minutes to visit us at the conference for a taste ofhow we can enhance your valuable retail offering! We look forward to meeting you.

CHOC AFFAIR LTD. STAND 7

Parkview, 82 Oxford Road,Uxbridge UB8 1UX

Tel: +44 (0) 1895 554 199Email: [email protected]: www.levyrestaurants.co.uk

Levy Restaurants UK is the sports, leisure andhospitality sector of Compass Group UK &Ireland. We provide individual character to eachof our cafes, restaurants and events spaces for clients including, Tom’s Kitchen atSomerset House, Salisbury Cathedral, as well as Liberty London and TheGlyndebourne Festival, designing bespoke catering and sales and marketing solutions.

Our work is recognized by major accolades, including UK Customer Experience Awardand Restaurant and Bar Design Award.

LEVY RESTAURANTS STAND 12

Unit 1 Yorvale Business Park,Hazel Court, James Street, York YO10 3DR

Tel: +44 (0) 190 454 1541Fax: +44 (0) 843 658 1309Email: [email protected]: www.choc-affair.com

Russell Play specialises in the design and build of bespokeplayscapes for the external environment. Our unique areasare constructed using steel, rope and timber and we cancreate stunning one-off designs for every site. We aim tobuild exciting and child-focused play environments which arefun for the whole family. We work with our clients to bringtheir ideas to life, ensuring any facility will provide maximum impact and enjoyment.

Brightwater House,Market Place,Ringwood,Hampshire BH24 1AP

Tel: +44 (0) 1590 675652Fax: +44 (0) 1590 670092Email: [email protected]: www.russell-play.com

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Bishops Hill House,Gravel Hill,Swanmore,Southampton SO32 2PN

Tel: +44 (0) 1329 836 420Fax: +44 (0) 1329 835 501Email: [email protected]: www.pictureworkseurope.com

Pictureworks Europe are specialists in bespokesouvenir photographic solutions for visitorattractions, the leisure industry and theme parks.

As the “Supplier of Souvenir Photographic Services to the London 2012 OlympicGames” we have a proven record for delivering reliable, efficient and profitablephotography operations.

Pictureworks are innovators of imaging technology including photo tagging, greenscreen, fixed ride and roaming photography solutions. Many world leading brandscontinue to trust Pictureworks Europe as their souvenir photography partner.


PICTUREWORKS EUROPE STAND 2

RUSSELL PLAY STAND 4

2nd Floor,Armstrong House,38 Market Square,Uxbridge UB8 1LH

Tel: +44 (0) 1895 817 000Email: [email protected]: www.people1st.co.uk

Train your staff to deliver a memorable customerexperience with WorldHost – the world-renowned customer service programme that wasused to train over 100,000 support staff andvolunteers at the London 2012 Games – and gainthe much acclaimed WorldHost Recognised Business Badge for excellence service. Wecan train your staff in-house using one of our accredited WorldHost trainers or we canhelp you set up your own in-house training for maximum return!

PEOPLE 1ST STAND 1

TOR Systems offer high performance ticketing and bookingsolutions that can manage high volume admissions, timedactivities such as tours or educational programmes and bespokeseated events. The solution not only assists attractions byoffering the highest levels of functionality in ticketing, but alsohas features required for complex group and event bookings,memberships, fundraising and customer relationshipmanagement.

Behind our Ticketing and Booking system lies a UK based business with a wealth ofexpertise, built up over 3 decades. The team at TOR have knowledge in designing anddeveloping products for attractions of all types, as well as experience in thecommercial and operational aspects of managing visitor attractions.

TOR SYSTEMS LTD. STAND 6

58-60 Longton Road,Trentham,Stoke on Trent ST4 8YZ

Tel: +44 (0) 1782 644 755Fax: +44 (0) 1782 644 346Email: [email protected]: www.torsystems.co.uk

Sponsor and Exhibitor Profiles CONTINUED


Universal Mail produce International Postcard Stamps promotingtourist attractions and regions throughout the United Kingdom forthe tourism industry. Our stamps can be used to send postcards toany destination worldwide. An access agreement with Royal Mailenables any postcard bearing a UniversalMail postage stamp to bemailed through their network.

UNIVERSALMAIL UNITED KINGDOM LTD. STAND 11

Suite 410,Southbank House,Black Prince Road,London SE1 7SJ

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3176 0541Fax: +44 (0) 20 3176 0542Email: [email protected]: www.universalmail.co.uk

Usborne House,83-85 Saffron Hill,London EC1N 8RTTel: +44 (0) 20 7430 2800Fax: +44 (0) 20 7430 1562 Email: [email protected]: www.usborne.com

Usborne is the largest and most successfulindependent children’s book publisher inthe UK, and IPG Children’s Publisher of theYear 2014. We create brilliant books forchildren of all ages, from babies to youngadults, including fiction, non-fiction,novelty and baby books. Usborne booksare already stocked in a wide range ofmuseums, galleries, visitor attractions andheritage sites, and we actively publishbooks which are aimed at this market. Ifyou haven’t stocked Usborne books before, our experiencedsales team can work with you to come up with a selection thatwill suit you and your business.

USBORNE PUBLISHING STAND 3

VisitEngland, the national tourist board, works in partnership withthe industry to develop the visitor experience across England, plannational tourism strategy, grow the value of tourism in England andprovide advocacy for the industry and our visitors. Our work isunderpinned by robust research and customer insights. You canaccess the latest in-depth market intelligence and statistics onwww.visitengland.org/insight-statistics. VisitEngland activity isorganised through four key specialisms: Research and insights – providing data,intelligence and analysis to the industry and to government, integrated marketingcampaigns developed by working with both commercial and public sectors, businesssupport – including development and implementation of national quality standardsand advocating for the visitor experience and partnerships – working with a range ofpartners throughout the country to ensure successful delivery of the StrategicFramework for Tourism in England and forging national commercial partnerships tooptimise routes to market.

VISITENGLAND STAND 8

Sanctuary Buildings20 Great Smith StreetLondon SW1P 3BT

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7578 1451Fax: +44 (0) 20 7578 1405Email: [email protected]: www.visitengland.com

PICKWICK SUITE

SUPPORTING SPONSORS/EXHIBITORS

Company Stand No.

Acoustiguide 5

BDRC Continental Ltd. 10

Choc Affair Ltd. 7

Levy Restaurants 12

People 1st 1

Pictureworks Europe 2

Russell Play 4

TOR Systems Ltd. 6

UniversalMail United Kingdom Ltd. 11

Usborne Publishing 3

VisitEngland 8

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Exhibitor Listing and Floor Plan


VAC 2014

Conference Organiser

Contendam Limited, 26-28 Hammersmith Grove, London W6 7HA, UKTel: +44 (0) 20 8748 8868 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8237 4093Email: [email protected] Website: www.vac2014.co.uk

Programme designed and produced by MWGC 01892 677702 www.webberdesign.co.uk

Front cover photo credits: Top Right: (pirate) VisitEngland/VisitKent, Boy by HMS Gannet.Middle left: VisitEngland/Diana Jarvis, Broadway Tower, WorcestershireMiddle Right: VisitEngland/Iain Lewis, Holkham Hall, Norfolk. Bottom left: VisitEngland/VisitBritain/Pawel Libera, Science Museum, London, England, UK.

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