CONFERENCE TO BOOST DIGITAL TOURISM IN SCOTLAND
Businesses from across Scotland’s tourism industry are being urged to take up their spot at an upcoming conference which will explore and discuss the power of digital technology and its integration in order to capitalise on commercial opportunities.
The event taking place on Friday 20 November at the EICC will bring together tourism and digital technology representatives from across the country, to showcase some of the digital solutions available and how these can lead to development of new and enhanced tourism products and services.
As part of this conference, delegates will hear for the first time from tourism experts participating in the Digital Tourism Think Tank: Innovation Campus in Barcelona via a live link up as well as from a range of top industry key note speakers here in Scotland.
The line-up includes; Vicki Miller form VisitScotland, Danny Cusick from Scottish Enterprise, Kevin Bain from The R&A (Royal and Ancient Golf Club) as well as Chris Chambers from Postable Limited and Thomas Hoyrup Christensen from Wonderful Copenhagen who will be based in Barcelona.
Danny Cusick, Senior Director of Food & Drink, Tourism and Textiles at Scottish Enterprise, said: “This conference is the first of its kind in Scotland and will provide a networking platform for any business in the tourism sector looking to maximise its potential through innovative digital engagement.
“The conference will offer insight from industry leaders from around the world on how digital tourism products and services are already proving to be a useful asset to enhancing visitor experiences and destination awareness.
“It’s a great opportunity for Scottish businesses to find out more about how digital technology can help them grow as well as showcasing the latest in innovation. In today’s climate this industry needs to realise the importance of a digital strategy as visitors now expect to use digital tools to communicate with both destinations and businesses.”
There are currently 17 scheduled exhibitors who will be showing off how their digital products and services can enhance the Scottish tourism industry. For example, GearedApp who produce cross-platform mobile apps for Android and iOS devices will be demonstrating how businesses can use their service to ensure their websites are supported no matter what type of device guests or customers choose to use. This would therefore make engagement quick and simple for the user.
Sky View Scotland will also be in attendance showing off their professional drones. This company offers aerial imaging services that can be used to help tourism businesses market themselves. They create unique perspectives of locations, castles, beautiful landscapes, beaches and rivers providing awe inspiring content which business can then use to differentiate themselves from competitors.
The Digital Tourism Scotland Conference is the first part of a new partnership programme which has been created by Scottish Enterprise, The Scottish Tourism Alliance, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, VisitScotland, Business Gateway and Scottish Government.
Marta Eizaguirre, Project Manager for Digital Tourism Scotland at Scottish Enterprise, said: “This conference provides a great platform for launching Digital Tourism Scotland, as it will inspire tourism businesses to think about new ways of implementing digital technologies in their businesses and will highlight, through national and international case studies what can be achieved when digital technologies are exploited effectively.
“This is a three year project that will offer Scotland’s tourism industry the tools and experience required to continue its digital evolution.
“From now until 2018, DTS will be hosting annual conferences, tourism workshops, surgeries and online resources to guide Scottish businesses through the process of developing their own digital strategy for growth.
“The wealth of experience and knowledge on offer at this conference will inspire tourism businesses to look at new ways of exploiting digital technologies and become a more productive and innovative tourism business. It’s really an opportunity not to be missed.”
Tickets are limited to two per company which can be purchased here: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/digital-tourism-conference-2015-tickets-18326630445
A small business rate is also available.
- Digital Tourism Scotland (DTS) is a £1.2M partnership programme to help tourism businesses across Scotland to improve their digital skills and capitalise on the business opportunities that new digital technology offers. Running until June 2018, the programme will signpost businesses to existing digital support and provide access to new, tourism specific, support.
- The Digital Tourism Scotland partners include; Scottish Enterprise, The Scottish Tourism Alliance, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Visit Scotland, Business Gateway and Scottish Government.
- Improving the visitor experience is a priority for the tourism sector and DTS will contribute to the mission of achieving annual visitor spend of between £5.5bn and £6.5bn by 2020.
- The DTS programme aims to help 3,000 businesses take a strategic approach to integrating digital technologies into their business over the next three years.
- The conference is the first event in the programme and will run on Friday 20 November 08.30 -16.15. Ticket prices start at £25 and there’s a maximum of two allocated to each company.