A Message from the Chief Executive

Welcome to the February edition of our newsletter.

On Tuesday 23 February we held Lincolnshire’s Annual Tourism Conference 'Success through Quality' at Woodhall Spa; the event was a huge success and I’d like to thank everyone who supported it by attending.

Information from the conference is available online, through a clever program called SlideShare. Have a look by clicking on slideshare.net/VisitLincolnshire and you’ll see my presentation, plus the workshop notes and hand outs. You can even leave us feedback and comment on the event.

Also, in the next couple of weeks we’ll be flying the county flag during the UK’s largest tourism campaign – British Tourism Week (BTW), which runs from 15 - 21 March 2010.

British Tourism Week was launched to raise awareness of the size, value and importance of Britain’s £114 billion visitor economy; we will be raising awareness of Lincolnshire’s role in contributing to the national picture.

The most significant events taking place during BTW include Discover Lincolnshire Weekend, Saturday 13 to Sunday 14 March and a Lincolnshire stand at the largest domestic trade and consumer exhibition of the year BOBI, Wednesday 17 to Saturday 20 March.

Get in touch with us to find out how you can be part of BTW, and how we can work together to raise the profile of Lincolnshire as a short break destination.

Penny Baker

Chief Executive, Visit Lincolnshire

Save £295 with our new online booking opportunity – ends 31st March

We’ve negotiated a deal for all Lincolnshire based tourism businesses to receive free online booking software and training that saves you a massive set up charge of £295 (based on the RRP).

The system, called Eviivo Front desk, is suitable for all attractions, event organisers and quality assured accommodation providers. It allows you to publish your availability to potential visitors, allowing them to book online through your own website or other online channels. This can help boost sales for your business.

For more information or an informal chat please contact Clare Fryer on 01522 561666 or email Clare@lincolnshiretourism.com.

More information and Q&A can be found on our corporate website.

Business Opportunities for London 2012

Business Link is hosting a free event to outline what the opportunities around London 2012 will be, particularly for medium and smaller sized businesses.

The workshop sessions are hands on, practical and jargon free. So far over 100 East Midland businesses have won contracts to support the London 2012 games.

For more information please call the Business Link Team on 0845 058 6644. Booking forms are available for the morning session or for the afternoon session.

Date - Thursday 11 March, 9.30am or 1.30pm, Lincoln.

British Tourism Week (BTW) - Opportunities & Dates for your diary

To kick start the 2010 season Visit Lincolnshire is inviting businesses to a series of events and workshops led by industry experts, including internet marketing guru Susan Hallam (pictured).

How to Save Money and Increase Market Share Workshop – Wednesday 10 March (10am for 10.30am start)

Join us for this one day workshop, run by Andy Clegg and Sandra Barnes-Keywood of the Green Training Company. Intended for businesses with little experience or knowledge of sustainable tourism, this introductory course provides a background to the whole concept of green and sustainable tourism, and an introduction to Green Start and The Green Tourism Business Scheme. For more information contact sharon@lincolnshiretourism.com or call 01522 561661. Venue – Epic Centre, Lincolnshire Showground.

Discover Lincolnshire Weekend – Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 March

Join tourism businesses over the county for a weekend celebration which inspires visitors and local residents to Discover Lincolnshire! Over one weekend a host of attractions will be throwing open their doors for free, encouraging residents to explore what’s on their door step, whilst also attracting visitors from outside the county. The aim is to raise the profile of Lincolnshire’s visitor attractions and encourage repeat visits. We’d like to invite your business to join us. If you are interested in participating or want further information read our press release and then contact Sharon for an application form at sharon@lincolnshiretourism.com or 01522 561661.

Leaflet Swap & Social Media Marketing: A Successful Tool for Tourism - Monday 15 March (10.15am – 3.30pm)

Join us for the Leaflet Swap and learn about the benefits of Social Media for your business in this fascinating session by internet marketing expert Susan Hallam. For more information contact sharon@lincolnshiretourism.com or call 01522 561661. Venue - Bainland Country Park, Woodhall Spa.

Best of Britain and Ireland (BOBI) Olympia - 17 to 20 March 2010

As part of British Tourism Week (BTW) Visit Lincolnshire will be exhibiting at Best of Britain and Ireland (BOBI), the largest trade and consumer travel event of the year. The show takes place at Olympia in London and over 400 exhibitors from destinations, hotels, attractions and tourism suppliers will be attending. Visit Lincolnshire will be part of the brand new East Midlands area and will be supported by a number of Lincolnshire businesses who took advantage of our invitation to take part.

Entry for the exhibition is now closed but Visit Lincolnshire will be flying the county flag throughout the event – or if you’re in London come and see us and help us celebrate the best of British tourism.

Members Meeting & Getting your Business into the Media – Thursday 18 March (10am for 10.30am start)

At our members meeting we will also be running a workshop by Jon Grubb, our Chairman and current Editor of the Lincolnshire Echo, about how to get your business into the media. For more information contact sharon@lincolnshiretourism.com or call 01522 561661.

One Step Ahead Workshop – Thursday 25 March (10am for 10.30am start)

Join us for this one day One Step Ahead workshop, run by Jude Sefton MBE of Access Unlimited. This workshop is designed to provide delegates with the relevant knowledge on how to successfully achieve NAS 1 (Mobility) using the ‘One Step Ahead’ framework as an effective tool. This will also embrace issues relating to accessible information provision ensuring that the messages you are giving to visitors are accessible ones. For more information contact sharon@lincolnshiretourism.com or call 01522 561661. Venue – Petwood hotel, Woodhall Spa.

Visit Lincolnshire's 'Success Through Quality' Conference

There's a big tidy up afoot today - and no, we're not doing an early office spring clean...(yet)

Sharon Stone, Executive Assistant to the CEO organised a fantastic day for over 100 delegates set within the sprawling and luxurious facilities of the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire. Our annual 'Success Through Quality' Conference is always a chance for Lincolnshire's tourism businesses, valuable stakeholders and partners to enjoy a day of inspiring presentations, workshops and speeches celebrating Lincolnshire as a visitor destination.

Highlights included an enlightening keynote speech from Phillippa Forrester, of 'Tomorrow's World' fame and more recently a champion for environment and sustainability. We were amazed how Phillippa had travelled the world and seen so many fascinating creatures and sights...all with 3 small children in tow, and in some pretty remote locations.

We were then given a great insight into the lives of Paul and Flora Bennett from Brackenborough Hall Coach House Holidays. The couple have won awards for their committment to family holidays, making their 5* converted coach house accommodation (sleeps up to 24, in case you're interested in making a visit)  into a haven for families. Everyone was delighted with Flora's idea to assemble a dressing up box and put it in the cottage for kids (and adults, so we heard!) to act out merry pirate and cowboy adventures.

After a spot of Lincoln Red Beef & all the trimmings for lunch, followed by yummy Plum Bread Pudding (I feel full just thinking about it again) we dived off into a selection of workshops to learn something for the afternoon. I ran the social media/online arm of the Top Marketing Tips - altogether a very useful session, if not a little like speed-dating for our delegates, who had to swap rooms every 20 minutes.

So we're all having a bit of a sort out here...(Sharon particularly - she's certainly clocking up the recommended 10,000 steps)...clearing up the aftermath of display banners, goodie bags and feedback forms...

If you'd like to view some of the documents and presentations from the day, we're happily loading them onto our SlideShare account http://www.slideshare.net/VisitLincolnshire


Useful links:

•  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Forrester

•  http://www.brackenboroughhall.com/