Visitor Elves – Details, episodes & analysis

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In my final episode of Series 3, I have a special guest, the wonderful and oh-so-stylish Lorraine Jarvie, General Manager of the Royal Crescent Hotel in Bath.  

This hotel has a five-star (red) rating and is one of the top 2% in the country.  With 40 bedrooms and 140 staff (180 during busy periods), the Royal Crescent is not only one of the West's most impressive hotels, it is also one of the ultimate jobs in the UK for a hotel manager.  

In our conversation, we talk about: 

• Lorraine's career and how she came to work at the Royal Crescent.
• The wonderful history of the hotel and how the Royal Crescent was one of Bath's roughest areas in the 1980s and 1990s. 
• How the American and Middle Eastern markets are busy with the Chinese market definitely coming back. 
• Types of guests willing to pay upwards of £1,100 for a junior suite. 
• The impact of Bridgerton and film tourism on the hotel and Bath as a visitor destination. 
• Getting trained staff to the service level required.  
• Going into schools to talk about her job to inspire the next generation of hospitality recruits. 
• The launch of a new set of toiletries with Jo Loves - the first hotel range in association with Jo Malone outside of London. 
• The Golden Keys concierge team who can access pretty much anything their guests require in the UK - no one else has this status in the West Country.  
• Her favourite places Iford Manor and Castle Farm, Midford.  

It was such a pleasure chatting with Lorraine. My only issue was the sound quality of my microphone. I am so sorry. 

Please stick with it, as Lorraine is who you most want to hear from, and she shares some wonderful insights into life as a General Manager in a luxury hotel. 

Enjoy the episode.  

Huge thanks to podcast sponsor Noble Performs.

Noble provide Unstoppable digital marketing to maximise your performance. From SEO to Paid Social and more, we have the tools you need.

Find out more about host Kelly Ballard and the Visitor Elves here.

Subscribe to the Visitor Elves newsletter, to receive the latest podcast releases and inspirational tips to help you with your visitor economy business.

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Welcome to this week's podcast, where I’m going behind the scenes of Bristol City Centre and talking to Tom Swithinbank.

Tom's work involves helping businesses become more sustainable and making the city a more appealing place to visit. Tom works for Visit West, specifically for the Business Improvement Districts, which support around 1,200 businesses in the city centre.

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How Tom’s work contributes to the Bristol City Council’s ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2030.
• A free bike check service called Dr Bike
• An initiative for city centre workers to bring their own lunch boxes to Finzels Reach food market to cut down on packaging waste - a great initiative that all of us can consider, no matter where we work. 
• The use of cargo bikes for businesses who need local deliveries 
• Making the city look more appealing using planters, murals and green walls, all of which make the city centre a better place.

We also discuss the future of the historic Castle Park and the exciting plans to redevelop that rather colourful derelict building on the corner. Along with the plan to landscape the area next to Cabot Circus to strengthen the park's link to the shopping centre.  

I hope you enjoy the episode.
 
Bristol City Centre BID 

Redcliffe & Temple BID 

Broadmead BID

Connect with Tom Swinthinbank on LinkedIn 

For more links to things and businesses discussed (podcast on website)

Huge thanks to podcast sponsor Noble Performs.

Noble provide Unstoppable digital marketing to maximise your performance. From SEO to Paid Social and more, we have the tools you need.

Find out more about host Kelly Ballard and the Visitor Elves here.

Subscribe to the Visitor Elves newsletter, to receive the latest podcast releases and inspirational tips to help you with your visitor economy business.

To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to:
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LinkedIn

If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏

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Digital marketing is constantly evolving, and it can be a challenge to keep up. I recently had a conversation with Jarrod Lopiccolo (CEO) and Kate Sikora (Managing Partner) from Noble Performs, a digital agency that specialises in travel and tourism marketing. 

With over 20 years of experience in the US, they established a UK agency in Bristol in 2019. Their clients include destinations like Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, Cotswold Tourism, and St George's music venue in Bristol.

In the visitor economy marketing industry, the US is often ahead of the UK. Therefore, talking to Noble was helpful in understanding what is coming down the line and what we need to plan for. 

During our conversation, we discussed the following topics:

• The differences in tourism marketing approaches between the US and the UK.
• Insights into the future of digital marketing, including Search Generative Experience, AI, and the first-party cookie approach to overcome the abolition of third-party cookies in 2024.
• Changing behaviours regarding search on social media platforms, such as TikTok, versus review websites.
• The growth of interest in second and third-tier destinations, luxury markets, and wellness and sustainable travel.
• Jarrod expressed his love for the Cotswolds (as a US citizen), and Kate shared her appreciation for the whole of the South West of England.
• We also talked about our favourite places to eat, including Roots and Snobbies, Pho, Riverstation (all in Bristol), and the Porthminster Beach Cafe in St Ives, Cornwall.

Read the transcript and find links 

Huge thanks to podcast sponsor Noble Performs.

Noble provide Unstoppable digital marketing to maximise your performance. From SEO to Paid Social and more, we have the tools you need.

Find out more about host Kelly Ballard and the Visitor Elves here.

Subscribe to the Visitor Elves newsletter, to receive the latest podcast releases and inspirational tips to help you with your visitor economy business.

To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to:
Instagram
LinkedIn

If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏

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Welcome to episode 35 of the Visitor Elves podcast.  

Today, I’m joined by Fiona Matthews, Creative Director of Super Culture, an organisation that creates cultural experiences in Weston-super-Mare. 

Super Culture creates large-scale events such as the annual light festival GLOW and Whirligig and works on initiatives involving the entire community. 
Super Culture is providing a key component of the regeneration plans for Weston.  

This episode will be useful for anyone interested in the arts, placemaking and destination marketing. It will also be useful to those at the top of the organisation responsible for setting the culture.   

Our conversation got me thinking about culture's key role in marketing a place.  
We all know that the distinctive local culture sets places apart. It’s often not about the big attractions, it’s about the people, the attitudes, and the vibe that makes a place distinct.  

Fiona relayed a quote from the international artist Morag Myrescough, working on a project in Weston; she said, ‘Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come’.   

Join me as I talk to Fiona about their work to put creativity and culture at the heart of Weston’s community and why culture is so important in uniting people and creating distinctiveness. 

Enjoy the episode.

Super Weston

Huge thanks to podcast sponsor Noble Performs.

Noble provide Unstoppable digital marketing to maximise your performance. From SEO to Paid Social and more, we have the tools you need.

Find out more about host Kelly Ballard and the Visitor Elves here.

Subscribe to the Visitor Elves newsletter, to receive the latest podcast releases and inspirational tips to help you with your visitor economy business.

To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to:
Instagram
LinkedIn

If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏

Send us a Text Message.

Welcome back to the first Visitor Elves episode of 2024.  I hope you had a good Christmas season and your plans for 2024 are shaping up.   

In today's conversation, I'm going behind the scenes of Ashton Gate Stadium, home of Bristol City Football Club, Bristol Bears, and Bristol Flyers, with the wonderful, Dublin-born CEO Mark Kelly of Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter.

We chat about:

• The exciting plans to develop a new Bristol Sporting Quarter with a 5,000-capacity conference centre,  two hotels, multi storey car park office, housing and retail space. 
• How concerts such as Take That (June 2024) are the biggest drivers of staying tourists at Ashton Gate.
• How they had to turn down £10m of potential conference business last year as the facilities were just not big enough. 
• Mark's career journey from a hotel management qualification to his amazing job today, which includes leading a new game reserve in Botswana for the Lansdown family. 
• Some of his favourite places to eat include Aqua, Sow & Cow, and Cafe Burra (owned by some of the Bristol Bears players).  

Enjoy the episode!

Read the transcription here. 

Huge thanks to podcast sponsor Noble Performs.

Noble provide Unstoppable digital marketing to maximise your performance. From SEO to Paid Social and more, we have the tools you need.

Find out more about host Kelly Ballard and the Visitor Elves here.

Subscribe to the Visitor Elves newsletter, to receive the latest podcast releases and inspirational tips to help you with your visitor economy business.

To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to:
Instagram
LinkedIn

If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏

Send us a Text Message.

In this festive episode just before Christmas, we have a returning guest, the lovely Kathryn Davis, Managing Director of VisitWest, shedding light on the key aspects of the recently launched Destination Management Plan (DMP). 

The VisitWest regional area, including Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire, and North Somerset, brings in a staggering £2 billion to the local economy each year from tourism. Proving once again the importance of our industry.   

In our conversation Kathryn shares:  

• How business has been in 2023 up until September for the region.
• Headlines of the Destination Management Plan, unveiling key growth markets, distinctive themes, and the necessary elements for infrastructure, product development, and skills.
• How towns, villages, and businesses in the wider areas can leverage visitors by aligning with VisitWest's plans outlined in the DMP, launched in November 2023.
• The significance of VisitWest being one of the first Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEP) and how can lead to future opportunities for lobbying and collaboration.  
• Her insights into why a tourism tax is not a straight-forward solution to solving the funding gap for destination management. 
• A look into what's on the horizon for the region, including upcoming projects and initiatives that will significantly shape the visitor landscape.

I recorded the podcast on 2nd November 2023 a few weeks before the podcast was released so there are future references to openings such as the Bristol Beacon which have come and gone - nothing stands still in this industry!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous 2024!

Further links 

https://www.visitwest.co.uk/ 

https://www.visitwest.co.uk/about-us/destination-management-plan

Huge thanks to podcast sponsor Noble Performs.

Noble provide Unstoppable digital marketing to maximise your performance. From SEO to Paid Social and more, we have the tools you need.

Find out more about host Kelly Ballard and the Visitor Elves here.

Subscribe to the Visitor Elves newsletter, to receive the latest podcast releases and inspirational tips to help you with your visitor economy business.

To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to:
Instagram
LinkedIn

If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏

Send us a Text Message.

Today's podcast episode features the delightful George Combe, talking about the growth and popularity of the Mendip Activity Centre in North Somerset.

Spread across 250 acres, Mendip Activity Centre is the largest independent activity centre in the West. With a dry ski slope, toboggan run, watersports on the river, rock climbing, and much more.

During the pandemic, the team made the decision to open their campsite to the public, where previously it had only been accessible to schools and children's groups. The result has been over 100,000 visitors and a rapidly growing reputation for being one of the South West's best campsites.

In 2022, they won silver in the South West Tourism Awards for the best campsite, and they are eagerly awaiting the results of the 2023 awards, which will no doubt be fruitful.

There's a lot happening at the centre, from instructor training to a dedicated accessibility programme. Sustainability is high on their agenda as they explore more of the site with a resident ecologist.

If you're interested in what it takes to run a successful outdoor active experience and campsite, then you'll love this episode.

Find out more about Mendip Activity Centre.

Full transcript and summary

Interested in the Virtual Marketing Director Service - find out more.  

Huge thanks to podcast sponsor Noble Performs.

Noble provide Unstoppable digital marketing to maximise your performance. From SEO to Paid Social and more, we have the tools you need.

Find out more about host Kelly Ballard and the Visitor Elves here.

Subscribe to the Visitor Elves newsletter, to receive the latest podcast releases and inspirational tips to help you with your visitor economy business.

To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to:
Instagram
LinkedIn

If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏

Send us a Text Message.

With one in five households having someone with an impairment or disability, it is crucial for businesses in the visitor economy to prioritise accessibility. Your consideration and awareness of this market can make or break a visitor's decision to choose your business. 

Supporting people with access needs has always been essential, but in recent years, more information has become available, and businesses in the visitor economy are responding more proactively than ever before. 

In this episode, I talk to Larry Bush, Director of Noah's Ark Zoo Farm in North Somerset, one of the attractions that have been recognised for doing it particularly well, winning gold in the Visit England Award for Excellence for Accessibility and Inclusion. 

Noah's Ark Zoo Farm welcomes over 200,000 visitors per year, including 20,000 school children. This former family-owned dairy farm has now been turned into a charity, as the Bush family appreciates that this is more than just a family business. It is now a place for the future of wildlife education, conservation, and people. 

In this episode, we talk about 

• Larry's journey to joining the family business in 2019, which included bringing Doritos to the UK! 
• The recently achieved charitable status of Noah's Ark, why this was important to the family, and the ambitions of the charity. 
• What the zoo has introduced to make it more accessible and inclusive and why this will always be an ongoing process of feedback and improvement as people's needs are vast. 
• Lastly, we examine how they manage work experience at the Zoo farm and Larry's suggestions for anyone wanting to get a job at a place like theirs.

Links to Noahs Ark Farm, the businesses mentioned and the transcript. 

Huge thanks to podcast sponsor Noble Performs.

Noble provide Unstoppable digital marketing to maximise your performance. From SEO to Paid Social and more, we have the tools you need.

Find out more about host Kelly Ballard and the Visitor Elves here.

Subscribe to the Visitor Elves newsletter, to receive the latest podcast releases and inspirational tips to help you with your visitor economy business.

To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to:
Instagram
LinkedIn

If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏

Send us a Text Message.

It's been a while but I'm excited to be back with my 30th episode featuring the team behind the Bristol restaurant absolutely smashing it on TikTok - Urban Tandoor.   

Urban Tandoor are now apparently the most followed Indian restaurant account on TikTok, with many of their posts reaching views into the millions.  

In today’s episode, I chatted with Sujith D’almeida Owner of Urban Tandoor, Bristol and TikTok queen Natalie Brereton from the agency Nonsensical.  

We chatted about:

• How Sujith went from working on cruise ships through to owning three of his own successful Indian restaurants 
• How important social media, in particular TikTok, has been on Urban Tandoor
• How Sujith manages to get his team so heavily involved in the creation of hilarious parodies and regular topical content   
• The growth of TikTok - and it’s not just with those below age 25  
• How brands such as Ryan Air and Lotus taking big risks on TikTok in order to push the boundaries of their brand and how they are achieving massive success  
• The advice Nat has for any business wanting to make it on TikTok

Urban Tandoor is fast becoming a must-go destination restaurant in Bristol as a result of its success on social media. 

There is just so much to take away from this episode if you’re interested in what TikTok can do for your business. 

Enjoy the episode!  

For links to the guests, contacts and mentions go to www.visitorelves.co.uk

Huge thanks to podcast sponsor Noble Performs.

Noble provide Unstoppable digital marketing to maximise your performance. From SEO to Paid Social and more, we have the tools you need.

Find out more about host Kelly Ballard and the Visitor Elves here.

Subscribe to the Visitor Elves newsletter, to receive the latest podcast releases and inspirational tips to help you with your visitor economy business.

To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to:
Instagram
LinkedIn

If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏

Send us a Text Message.

In this final episode of Series 2, I am bringing you my story. I’m being interviewed by my Visitor Elf sidekick Shonette Laffy, Digital Marketing Manager of Visit West and fellow freelancer. 

During my conversation with Shonette, I share how I got into the visitor economy and what life was like in marketing before the internet existed - remember that?? 25 years ago, virtually no one had a website, Friends Reunited was the closest thing we had to Facebook and faxing was still a thing. I share some of the ways we used to find and reach out to audiences before we had so much tech at our disposal.

This interview is a bit of a look back, but also a reflection on the challenges I have faced as a marketer who is juggling an increasingly complex  industry.

I share some of the opportunities I see for the visitor economy over the next couple of years, including AI, chatbots and podcasts (no surprises there!), as well as some top tips for those of you working in marketing in this exciting industry.

I hope that this conversation resonates with those of you in marketing trying to do it all - trying to be the digital tech specialist, the planner, the videographer, the writer. 

It will also resonate with those whose early careers were a little all over the place until you had your own sliding doors moments. 

Enjoy the episode!

Find out more:

Westonbirt Arboretum
Super Weston
Visit West
Culture Weston

Other mentions in the show:

Noble Performs
Tech Pixies
Weston Wallz
Foodworks
Puxton Park
The Grand Pier

Kelly's favourites:

Revo Kitchen, Weston-super-Mare
Sakura, Weston-super-Mare
Prior Shop, Bristol

Huge thanks to podcast sponsor Noble Performs.

Noble provide Unstoppable digital marketing to maximise your performance. From SEO to Paid Social and more, we have the tools you need.

Find out more about host Kelly Ballard and the Visitor Elves here.

Subscribe to the Visitor Elves newsletter, to receive the latest podcast releases and inspirational tips to help you with your visitor economy business.

To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to:
Instagram
LinkedIn

If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏