Visit Nottinghamshire is thrilled to be back hosting this year’s Visitor Economy Summit for 2024 at Sherwood Forest Center Parcs on Thursday the 21st of March 2024.
The summit will see businesses from across the hospitality, tourism and events sector come together to hear from a range of industry experts and guest speakers as we look to the rest of 2024 and beyond.
Ahead of the summit, we wanted to share more details about the guest speakers and give attendees a flavour of what’s to come:
Megan Powell Vreeswijk | CEO of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
Megan is the new Chief Executive Officer of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (MN&N), the region’s place marketing organisation, having previously worked as Head of Nottingham Trent University’s Dryden Enterprise Centre. Visit Nottinghamshire is the division of MN&N responsible for promoting the region’s tourism offer. Find out more about Megan here.
Annette Thornley | Head of Business Development at Visit Nottinghamshire
Annette Thornley is Head of Business Development at Visit Nottinghamshire, the division of Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire tasked with promoting the region’s tourism offer. Annette has been part of the Visit Nottinghamshire team since 2014 and has held various roles throughout her time at Visit Nottinghamshire, one thing which has remained the same though is her strong relationship with the local tourism industry. Find out more about Annette here.
Andrew Stokes OBE | Director of England at VisitEngland
Andrew Stokes OBE is the Director of the England division within Visit Britain and was responsible for leading VisitEngland’s response to the De Bois review and reshaping England’s Destination Managemet Organisation (DMO) landscape, as well as creating and running the Discover England Fund. You can find out more about Andrew here.
Richard Toomer | Executive Director of Tourism Alliance
Richard Toomer is the Executive Director of the Tourism Alliance, the UK’s umbrella trade association for the whole tourism sector. The Tourism Alliance has more than 70 member associations which are all trade bodies, membership organisations and DMOs. Richard has been with the Alliance since 2022 and has a background in communications, public affairs, policy and campaigning. Find out more about Richard here.
Catherine Bird | National Sales Manager for Center Parcs Conferences & Events
More information coming soon.
Kate Crossley | Bennerley Viaduct
Kate has worked in heritage in the Derbyshire area for 8 years, first at Erewash Museum and then Bennerley Viaduct since 2022. Particularly in the areas of community engagement, programming, and communications. Her background is in Anglo Saxon and Viking cultures, with an MA from the University of Nottingham on languages and storytelling. Find out more about Kate here.
Carol Zhang | Associate Professor in Tourism Marketing and Management at the University of Nottingham
Dr. Carol Xiaoyue Zhang is an Associate Professor in Tourism Marketing and Management at the University of Nottingham, overseeing the MSc in International Tourism Marketing and Management at the University. Constantly pursuing high quality research, with a particular interest in the role cultural heritage plays in place marketing. Find out more about Carol here.
Marina Novelli | Professor of Marketing and Tourism at the University of Nottingham
Marina is a globally renowned expert in sustainable tourism and development, whose research has been funded by some of the world’s most prestigious organisations, including the likes of the World Bank, the EU and the UN. Maria is well known for her inclusive research leadership and her commitment to collaborating with diverse teams in the global tourism community. Find out more about Marina here.
To book your tickets for this year’s Visitor Economy Summit, head to the Eventbrite link here.
Posted on 04 March 2024
