Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland Visitor Economy Conference 2022

After a challenging couple of years for the visitor economy sector, Lincolnshire County Council and Business Lincolnshire are delighted to invite Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland businesses to attend this flagship conference dedicated to the industry.

This invaluable event will showcase the region’s visitor economy offer, along with its achievements over the last two years; explore the opportunities that lie ahead in the post-pandemic world and provide a great opportunity for networking and leaflet swapping.

Receive fascinating insights to help understand the new Covid-19 world from keynote speaker, Ed Gillespie, Environmental Entrepreneur, Futurist and author. This will involve ‘unlearning’ the mistakes of the past, asking the right (often awkward!) questions and moving beyond the discomfort of today into being the better, more resilient, responsible, sustainable and successful business of tomorrow.

Those attending will be the first to hear about the region's green tourism toolkit launched on the day. Enjoy engaging presentations on how to extend your season by tapping into lucrative business tourism spend, the latest news on the Tourism Commission recommendations and a DMO update, plus a selection of practical, interactive workshops ranging from digital marketing to how to green your business.

Book your place today to discover how to make the most of the opportunities and challenges ahead!

As the conference is a hybrid event, presentations will also be available for remote viewing simultaneously online.

Sign-up here

Introducing the line-up of speakers:

Cllr Colin Davie, Executive Councillor Economic Development & Tourism, Lincolnshire County Council

Colin has worked in the events sector for many years and was instrumental in setting up the Tourism Commission during lockdown. He established a grant pot of £11.5m which has supported around 900 visitor economy businesses, especially those who had been able to receive government support, and a further £500k to deliver the Tourism Commission Recommendations.

Mary Powell, Tourism Manager, Lincolnshire County Council

Mary started her tourism career at Derbyshire Dales District Council before joining Lincolnshire County Council as Tourism Manager in 1991. She has secured tens of millions of pounds in external funding for initiatives to promote the county and its visitor attractions and successfully managed the £22 million restoration of Lincoln Castle over a ten-year period. Mary is leading on the delivery of the Tourism Commission Recommendations.

Ed Gillespie, Environmental Entrepreneur, Futurist and Author

Ed Gillespie is a writer, communications specialist, serial entrepreneur and futurist. He is the author of ‘Only Planet – a flight-free adventure around the world’ a book about his circumnavigation of the globe without getting on a plane, which the Independent said “Allow[s] the world’s flaws and beauty to seep into your soul”. Ed’s core talent is to take the complex, interconnected, interdependent nature of the many challenges the world faces, from climate change to disruptive innovation, and make common sense of them for non-specialist audiences.

Ed co-presents two leading podcasts and was the co-founder of Futerra, a change agency that specialises in business transformation and creative communications and campaigns. For almost two decades Futerra has become internationally renowned for its influential and award-winning work on some of the biggest corporate sustainability initiatives.

Suzannah Newham, Senior Sustainability Advisor, Considerate Group

Adam Bates, Associate Director, Blue Sail

Adam has over 20 years experience working in international tourism – including for Disney and VisitBritain – as well as in local economic development, destination management, service commissioning and organisational change during a decade at the visitor-economy helm in Brighton.

While his knowhow stretches across both leisure and business, Adam is perhaps best known nationally and internationally for his expertise in business tourism, venues and events. He was Head of Business Tourism for VisitBritain, and directed Brighton’s convention bureau and international conference centre, including major venue redevelopment. Adam has recently produced a business tourism study for Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland.

Charlotte Goy, Chief Executive, Visit Lincoln

Deborah Goodall, Director, CDI Alliance Ltd

Deborah has 25 years experience of growing businesses through effective marketing. She specialises in marketing strategy through understanding target audiences and their triggers and motivations. Deborah has worked as a consultant for 10 years.

Prior to this she worked client-side, so understands the difficulties facing marketing departments and business owners. She is commercially astute and has experience in B2B and B2C environments. Deborah has a passion for direct marketing, with a background in mail order. Deborah also runs workshops to help businesses make the most of their marketing potential. Deborah is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Secure your place

The conference is fully funded and places are limited so be sure to book yours today.

To qualify for this funded support, your business must be a small to medium enterprise (SME) based in Greater Lincolnshire. Apologies, no support intermediaries, public bodies, or financial sector businesses.

The organisers would like to make all attendees feel as comfortable as possible on the day by providing a Covid-sensitive environment. We encourage delegates to take a lateral flow test prior to attending and, although face coverings are no longer a legal requirement, please feel free to wear one if you wish.

Am I eligible?

This event is available to businesses, partnerships, sole traders, and registered charities, with a trading address located within Greater Lincolnshire (North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire & Lincolnshire).

To attend, your business must complete an SME enrolment form to check the business’s eligibility against the funding criteria. (The form will be sent to you on completion of an Eventbrite booking - if one has not already been completed and on file).

Please note that attendance at Business Lincolnshire events will not preclude eligibility to access grant funding.