Isle of Wight businesses are being asked to ‘save the date’ in 2024 for a visitor economy tourism conferenceorganised by the Island’s destination marketing organisation, Visit Isle of Wight.

The Visit Isle of Wight Visitor Economy Conference will be held at Medina Theatre in Newport on 01 February 2024, giving local businesses the opportunity to learn more about the work of Visit Isle of Wight, and hear from leading national and local tourism professionals about key topics including sustainability, accessibility, skills, marketing and branding.

The day-long Visitor Economy Conference will see the keynote speech delivered by VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes OBE.

The February conference will be open to all businesses who are Wight BID levy payers or Voluntary Contributors, alongside invited guests.

Among the topics to be discussed is the recent announcement of Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) with VisitEngland, what it will mean for the Isle of Wight and how local businesses could benefit from the new status.

Will Myles, MD at Visit Isle of Wight says the Visit Economy Conference will be of great benefit to Island businesses:

‘We’re very excited to host a wide range of distinguished speakers covering a broad spectrum of subjects means there is something for everyone at the Visitor Economy conference in February. The speakers have been chosen for their depth of knowledge and experience in their chosen fields, and local businesses might pick up any number of tips or be inspired to develop their own product and increase the strength of the great offer that the Island has for visitors.’

David Curtis-Brignell MBE, who was revealed as the new Chair of Visit Isle of Wight in November, says he is looking forward to the Visitor Economy Conference and the opportunity to meet with local business people:

‘I am looking forward to the Visitor Economy Conference scheduled for the 1st February when I hope to meet and talk to our partners and where Visit Isle of Wight will be able to share information and trends, report on past and future campaigns and show that we are determined to work as hard as we possibly can to grow the visitor economy of the Island in a sustainable way.’

Wight BID levy payers and Voluntary Contributors will receive a link to apply for tickets via email for the event on 01 February at Medina Theatre which runs from 11am to 4pm.