01/11/2011

Two hundred tourism businesses are expected to turn out to hear Gillian Cruddas MBE, Chief Executive of Visit York, announce plans for 2012.  Hosted by BBC Radio York presenter Adam Tomlinson, expert speakers also include Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire and Chair of Yorkshire Gold, Juliana Delaney, Chief Executive of the Continuum Group and Alison Rice, award-wining Travel Writer and Broadcaster.

Special guest, businessman and entrepreneur Gerald Ratner, will entertain the audience and impart some gems of business wisdom, with his wild up and down roller coaster story of how he made and lost millions. 

Gary Verity will be putting a Yorkshire perspective on the Olympics and highlighting key benefits for the region, whilst journalist and broadcaster Alison Rice will let businesses into a few industry secrets on how to keep travel writers and visitors happy.  York's chocolate heritage will come alive next year with the opening of the city's new visitor attraction - The Sweet History of York - and the driving force behind it, Juliana Delaney, will tell how the whole of York can benefit.   As well as a presentation of key achievements and investment over the last year, Visit York's Chief Executive, Gillian Cruddas, will announce major plans to grow the city's future visitor economy. 

Attendance at the Tourism Conference costs £24 for Visit York Members and £36 for non members, including lunch.  All Visit York member businesses are invited to attend the Visit York AGM free of charge, which will take place before the conference begins from 10.15 to 10.40.  To reserve your conference or AGM place, please contact Alison Ruddick - ar@visityork.org or telephone 01904 554458.  ENDS

Media interview/photo opportunities:

PHOTOCALL

Friday 11th November at:

1300, Meet Kay Hyde, PR Manager, Visit York, at the Royal York Hotel, Conference Centre

Guest speakers will line up in the hotel grounds with ‘2012' balloons.

Interviews

Interviews with guest speakers can be offered from 1300. 

All media are invited to attend the conference - please advise the Visit York press office in advance if you wish to attend.

Programme for the Visit York Annual Tourism Conference and AGM

9.30am onwards   Registration & Networking at the Royal York Hotel Conference Centre
Chance for tourism businesses to meet with the Visit York team

10.15am                 Visit York Annual General Meeting*

10.40am                 Break

10.50am                 Visit York Conference - ‘2012 - York's Year of Opportunity'

Update on Visit York activity & opportunities in 2012 -  Gillian Cruddas MBE, Chief Executive, Visit York.

What the Olympics mean for York and Yorkshire - Gary Verity, Chair, Yorkshire Gold/Chief Executive, Welcome to Yorkshire. 

York's next big attraction - what's it all about & how can you benefit? Juliana Delaney, Chief Executive, Continuum Group.                      

Improving your visitors' experience for profit - tales from a travel journalist - Alison Rice, Journalist/Broadcaster.                      

Do's & Don'ts of business - The Rise & Fall & Rise Again of Gerald Ratner - Gerald Ratner

 1.00pm - 2.30pm  Finger buffet lunch & networking.

Speaker Biographies

Gillian Cruddas MBE, MBA FCIM FTS, Chief Executive, Visit York

Gillian has spent over 25 years in the tourism industry and is now Chief Executive of Visit York.  Prior to York, Gillian worked for Hull City Council as a Tourism Officer and was responsible for setting up the Hull Conference Bureau.  Other tourism work included promoting the DFDS sea routes as Area Sales Manager for the North East and working in Italy and France, as a Ski Tours Manager for Cairngorm Travel.  A spell as a Hotel Manager in the Scottish Highlands and an Air Stewardess for Air UK created the initial interest in the tourism and hospitality industry (many years ago!).   Visit York is the driving force for the city's tourism industry and the official tourism body for York and the surrounding area.  Visit York aims to create a stronger more integrated approach to tourism, working with businesses, City of York Council and Welcome to Yorkshire.  Its aim is to market York as a must-see world-class destination to the leisure and business visitor, and ensure investment to develop the quality of tourism in York.  Gillian was awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours List for 2011, recognising 15 years of service dedicated to the York tourism industry.  Gillian will became a member of the Guild of Merchant Adventurers in April 2011.

Gary Verity, Chief Executive, Welcome to Yorkshire.

Gary has successfully raised the profile of Yorkshire on a national and international level having overseen award winning marketing campaigns and major tourism initiatives. He works closely with tourism businesses, local authorities and other partners to further grow the county's visitor economy, which has increased to £7b since his appointment, and make Yorkshire a destination of choice for visitors worldwide.   A dynamic and motivational leader, Gary has gained a strong reputation as a results-driven Managing Director with international experience in brand building and managing complex businesses. Gary's proven record of inspirational leadership ranges from entrepreneurial start-up situations to large-scale transformations within FTSE100 companies.   A passionate Yorkshireman, in his spare time Gary is an award-winning Dales sheep farmer and lives on a working farm near Leyburn. He is also a strong advocate of cancer support and has raised just under £450,000 for charities in Yorkshire.

Gerald Ratner, Entrepreneur

Gerald is a British household name. He took over his family's jewellery business in 1984 which had at that time 130 stores. By 1990 it had 2,500 stores, 25,000 employees, annual sales of 1.2 billion and profits of 121 million.  Unfortunately he went down in history (he was then Chairman-Chief Executive of Ratners Group, the world's largest jewellery retail company which included H Samuel and Ernest Jones), when at a corporate speaking engagement in 1991 at the Albert Hall for the Institute of Directors, he described a sherry decanter (one of their products), as ‘total crap'.  Gerald Ratner is very much in demand as a business speaker and has also built an American business from scratch, building it to over 1000 shops in the USA becoming one of the few UK retailers to succeed on the other side of the Atlantic. He now runs the UK's largest online jewellery business GeraldOnline. 
It's a wild, up and down roller coaster ride which Gerald Ratner talks about and he is not doing too badly now with his house, swimming pool and Bentley Continental GT in the drive and not forgetting his bicycle which he rides every day when he can. 

Juliana Delaney,  Chief Executive, Continuum Group

Juliana has been at the forefront of visitor attractions success stories for the last 27 years: Instrumental in promoting the Jorvik Viking Centre on the international stage and a founding member of the company under its first brand - Heritage Projects Management Ltd.    Juliana led the team which marketed and ran Jorvik at the height of its success attracting over 980,000 visitors a year.  She led the refit of Jorvik in 2001 and re-opened it for its owner.  Juliana was involved in the set-up, launch and marketing of all of Continuum's leading heritage and cultural attractions and those of the UK and internationally including; The White Cliffs Experience (£15m), The International Centre for Life (£60m), The ARC, York, Juliana's marketing expertise has helped The Deep, Hull, Castle Howard and Newby Hall, all in Yorkshire.  Juliana has been involved in destination marketing roles with the City of York and is currently a Director of Visit Kent. She is also a Merchant Adventurer of the City of York.  Juliana is also an alumni of the Disney Institute.

Alison Rice, Journalist and Broadcaster

Alison regularly comments on tourism issues on national television and radio.  She regularly appears on BBC Breakfast television, BBC News and Sky News as well as BBC Radio 4, 5 Live, Radio Scotland and Radio Wales.   She has presented and produced television travel series for BBC, ITV and BSkyB.  Alison's radio career spans all the major BBC national stations except Radio 3 and includes ten years as travel expert for Radio 2 and many appearances on Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Money Box Live, Start the Week, You and Yours, Excess Baggage, Traveller's Tree and The World Tonight.  Former posts include Director of Programmes for the television Travel Channel and Editor of BBC Holidays magazine.   Alison's award-winning writing has included major series for the Observer examining the sustainability of tourism, consumer travel features for the Daily Mail and destination reports for most UK national newspapers on places as varied as Scarborough and Shanghai, Canterbury and Kyrgyzstan.  Alison has for ten years been a judge for the finals of the Enjoy England Excellence awards.

For further information please contact:
Kay Hyde - PR Manager - Visit York
Direct Line: 01904 554451
Mobile: 07961 828092
Email: kh@visityork.org

Katie Porter - PR Executive - Visit York
Direct Line: 01904 554436
Email: kp@visityork.org