A press release from Destination Lincolnshire
A trailblazing event talking about Lincolnshire’s £131m regeneration journey through a series of unscripted conversations with local and national experts who will bring the projects to life and tell businesses how they can be part of this transformation.
It is an incredible opportunity to learn all about the millions in funding that is being invested across Greater Lincolnshire and how it will support the visitor economy, this event promises to paint the bigger picture in a way that all visitor economy businesses can understand and share research and insights that has never been available before.
A huge role Destination Lincolnshire has to play moving forward is to look strategically across Greater Lincolnshire and identify where focused visitor economy activities need to be, so that a cohesive approach for the visitors and businesses/owners/operators can be achieved.
Having looked into the emerging UK Shared Prosperity (UKSP) policy and funding and having already had experience of bidding and winning a £1.5m Town Deal programme for the visitor economy, Destination Lincolnshire knows that engagement with the visitor economy business community has to happen now. Starting with this ‘Levelling Up Lincolnshire through the Visitor Economy’ event.
Hosted by Destination Lincolnshire and delivered in partnership with District Councils, this inaugural event will be taking place on July 19, 9am-2pm, at Market Rasen Racecourse in the Altiors Restaurant.
Open to all businesses across Greater Lincolnshire, this event promises to throw the doors to the future of the county’s visitor economy wide open, with the day actively looking at how, as a whole, visitor economy businesses can contribute to the Lincolnshire place agenda, driving the county as an unrivalled destination.
Following a welcome from Destination Lincolnshire’s Chief Executive, Charlotte Goy, the key note speech will be delivered by Professor Cathy Parker, Chair of the Institute of Place Management. Highlighting the importance of place and how every business in the room has a role to play in that agenda, Cathy will also be
offering examples of the best practices that Lincolnshire can adopt.
As compere, Richard Askam will also host an ‘In conversation with’ panel with the Assistant Directors from all the Councils that are Levelling Up or participating in a Town Deal project.
Ian Thomas, Destination Director from Newcastle Gateshead Initiative (NGI) will be the final speaker, providing a first look at the 12-month visitor economy research that NGI Solutions has undertaken on behalf of Lincolnshire. Following lunch, an afternoon Visitor Economy research workshop will be hosted by NGI solutions.
This will be a truly immersive and interactive event, with lively discussions around emerging themes and joined up thinking across Lincolnshire as a whole – giving businesses the chance to feed in their thoughts, ideas, and visitor insights into the plans.
Charlotte Goy said: “Change is coming to Greater Lincolnshire from the Levelling Up agenda, it is vital that businesses are given the chance to be kept up-to-date as their surroundings begin to change. We want everyone working within the visitor economy sector to know what is going on and when, to allow for strong, forward-thinking, innovative, and collaborative plans for the future to be put in place.
“From the outside, things may seem as though they are back to normal but working from within the destination management world, we are painfully aware that for many the next few years will still very much be about strategic recovery. Many are still struggling, and while at the moment it is understandable that businesses may not want to look ahead, for fear of what the future may bring, it is so important to lift our gaze and understand how our place is growing as a visitor destination and how we could use that in our own business development and recovery. Looking ahead now to the bigger picture will allow businesses to plan a future that is achievable and sustainable.
“We are thrilled to be hosting this event, the first of many we have planned at Destination Lincolnshire. We are looking to provide our partners, as well as those we are yet to work with, with a higher level of transparency in our processes and the work that goes on behind the scenes to market Greater Lincolnshire.
“From the get-go Destination Lincolnshire is flying the flag for a joined-up approach across the entire visitor economy. We want to continue to build a genuine level of trust and buy in from the very beginning among the visitor economy business community.”
Booking for this event is essential and places are limited. Maximum of two tickets per organisation. For all the latest information and tickets.