Unlocking the Potential: The Power of Inclusive Marketing

This series aims to increase understanding and capability of tourism businesses to provide an inclusive visitor experience. The series has been designed to take businesses on a journey from raising awareness of the accessible tourism market, learning about marketing insights and the resources available to marketing and practical insights to help you enhance your spaces and better meet the needs of a diverse range of visitors. The series will finish up with two free in-person training events, as part of the Welcome to Excellence training programme.

These topics are identified as opportunities for growth for tourism events and businesses within the Tay Country region.

The programme will feature 4 different sessions, both online and in-person:

• Session one: Unlocking the Potential: The Power of Inclusive Marketing (webinar) - 17 September
• Session two: Inclusive Facilities and Features (Inclusion Design) (webinar) – 2 October
• Session three: Welcoming All Customers  (in-person event) venue tbc - 29 October
• Session four: Welcoming All Customers  (in-person event) venue tbc – 13 November

Unlocking the Potential: The Power of Inclusive Marketing

Date and Time: 17th September 11am-12pm

Join us for an insightful session designed to help you maximise your impact in the inclusive tourism market. We’ll explore:

• Current market insights from Sarah Muir, Product Manager (Abbey UK), a travel intermediary working directly with clients seeking inclusive holiday experiences. Learn what information these customers need to confidently choose your business.
• Inclusive marketing in action with expert Carrie-Ann Lightley (Accessible Travel Writer & content creator ), who will share practical tips on how to use photography, content, and messaging to authentically connect with this growing market.
• Support tools and resources available through our Business Support Hub to help you implement what you’ve learned and enhance your visibility to inclusive travellers.

This is a valuable opportunity to strengthen your approach and better connect with the inclusive tourism market.

Registration - Unlocking the Potential of Inclusive Marketing

Sign-ups for further sessions will take place after session 1.

Session two: Creating Welcoming Spaces: Inclusive Design for Tourism (webinar)

Date: 2nd October 

Time: TBC

Join us for the 2nd learning event in the Tay Country Destination Pilot led by Karen Ross, Head of Consultancy at AccessAble, where we’ll explore how inclusive design can be embedded  across a wide range of tourism settings—from heritage buildings and large-scale developments to small refurbishments and everything in between.

We will guide you through:

•            Key principles of inclusive design and why they matter in today’s tourism landscape.

•            Simple, low- to medium-cost design changes that can make a big difference in accessibility and comfort.

•            Real-world examples tailored to a variety of tourism sectors, helping you visualise how inclusive design can be applied in your own context.

This session will provide practical insights to help you enhance your spaces and better meet the needs of a diverse range of visitors. Any business attending this session live will be able to access follow-up one to one AccessAble consultancy support for any refurbishment work they are planning to do in the next 6 months. Details of how to access this free offer will be given in the session.

The 3^rd learning event in the Tay Country Destination Pilot is an in-person Welcoming All Customers free training event (part of the Welcome to Excellence training programme which normally cost £75 per delegate).  This session will focus on providing you with tips and advice on how to improve your customer service for all disabled customers including people with limited mobility, hearing and sight loss as well as neurodiverse customers - which we know also benefits other customer groups. 

Participants will learn about:

•         Adopting a positive attitude to all customers and anticipating accessibility requirements

•         Successful communication styles to identify customer needs

•         Legal obligations and types of discrimination

An interactive way session which will include activities, exercises, and discussions. Each participant will receive a guide containing practical tips. Participants also receive a jointly branded VisitScotland / Welcome to Excellence attendance certificate.

To allow more businesses the opportunity to be trained, only one person from each business can attend.

Sign-Up information for session 2,3 and 4 to follow.