Visit Isle of Wight (VIOW) and the IW Chamber of Commerce are asking businesses to debate the future of tourism at a conference taking place on the Island on Tuesday 24th February at Park Resorts, Thorness Bay, near Cowes.
Aimed at tourism providers and related businesses, the conference will identify and discuss many of the issues the sector is currently facing, and will hopefully play a role in shaping the future agenda for the Island as well as raising the profile and importance of the visitor economy – worth an estimated £520 million to the Island.
The conference opens at 9.00am and morning speakers include James Berresford, the CEO of Visit England (pictured) as well as Council, Chamber and Visit Isle of Wight presentations.
David Thornton CEO of Visit Isle of Wight will present the 2015 marketing strategy, themes and campaigns during the day.
The morning will include a presentation from a mainland resort in the UK where tourism businesses can find out more of the challenges they share with other resorts. Afternoon speakers include a captivating talk by the former travel editor of the Sunday Times on social media and how to make the most of it, a session on cyber bullying and how to protect your online reputation, details about the Tourism South East Awards scheme, and a workshop opportunity for everyone to share views and ideas about the future of tourism on the Isle of Wight.
The event will also feature a trade exhibition and short break-out sessions to give people a chance to network with fellow delegates and speak directly with key speakers.
David Thornton, Chief Executive of VIOW said: “We face many challenges that require adapting to new ways of doing business, accessing markets and funding.
“Finding possible solutions to these challenges is the underlying theme for the industry conference and I would urge all travel and tourism operators to attend and be part of the solution”.
The VIOW Tourism Conference 2015 will take place from 9.00am to 4pm on Tuesday 24th February at Park Resorts, Thorness Bay, near Cowes, Isle of Wight, https://www.park-resorts.com/holiday-parks/isle-of-wight/thorness-bay/
Admission to this event is by ticket only, reserved in advance, and includes lunch, kindly sponsored by Wighfibre, the Isle of Wight’s provider of Fibre Optic Broadband, telephones and TVhttp://www.wightfibre.com/
To book a FREE place – maximum 2 delegates per business – please go to the tourism industry website,www.visitwight.org and click on the 2015 Tourism Conference banner.
