Visitor Elves

Kelly Ballard
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Visitor Elves

Welcome to the Visitor Elves podcast, where I take you behind the scenes of tourism, hospitality, culture, and events in and around the West of England and Wales. Each episode dives into the stories, insights, challenges, and victories of inspiring people and businesses shaping the industry. Our stories resonate far beyond our region, connecting listeners worldwide. The Visitor Elves community brings together partners, future employees, suppliers, and peers across the UK, making it a must-listen for anyone in the industry!

  1. Ep 54 Clare Reddington on skipping school, creativity and financial resilience at Bristol's Watershed.

    DEC 11

    Ep 54 Clare Reddington on skipping school, creativity and financial resilience at Bristol's Watershed.

    Today I had the opportunity to chat with Clare Reddington, CEO of the Watershed in Bristol In a fascinating conversation, Clare shared how she and her team are navigating the challenges that many organisations in the visitor economy face with mounting financial pressures. We discuss the cultural cinema and events venue, which saw nearly half a million visitors last year. Established in 1982, Watershed is the UK's first media centre focusing on independent films and creative technology. Despite financial challenges, including a £75,000 National Insurance increase and rising energy costs, Watershed continues to innovate with new spaces and initiatives. We chat about: An overview of the Watershed: a cultural hub that includes a cinema, cafe, events space, and the Pervasive Media Studio.Clare's journey to the Watershed, from her background in media studies to her current role as CEO.The Watershed's focus on collaboration and supporting creative talent through the Pervasive Media Studio.The Playable City initiative which creates joyful, playful experiences in public spaces around the world.Clare's tips for maintaining creativity and resilience during tough financial times. For all links head to www.visitorelves.co.uk This episode is sponsored by Hello Starling. Hello Starling is an award-winning Media Planning and Buying agency that specialises in delivering advertising campaigns with great results for visitor attractions and destinations.  They've worked with brands such as Bristol Zoo Project, Visit Shropshire, Visit Conwy, Visit Herefordshire and the National Tourism Office for Poland. If you want to be the centre of attention, visit hellostarling.com today. FREE DOWNLOAD FREE GUIDE - 6 Steps to Finding Your Ideal Customer Do you want to know who your ideal customer's are and how you can focus your time and money reaching them?  Download my FREE guide now.  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. 🙏

    57 min
  2. Ep 52: Unpacking Ski Travel: How Online Ski Company Heidi is Redefining the Slopes, with CEO Marcus Blunt

    NOV 27

    Ep 52: Unpacking Ski Travel: How Online Ski Company Heidi is Redefining the Slopes, with CEO Marcus Blunt

    Send us a textIn a recent chat, Kelly caught up with Marcus Blunt, co-founder and CEO of Heidi, an online ski travel company based in Bristol that’s been making waves in the industry since launching in 2018. This year, they even made it onto The Times 100 list of fastest-growing companies in the UK.Marcus and his brother Alexander started Heidi to fix the headaches they faced when booking ski holidays, wanting to create an easier way for skiers to customise their trips. Despite tough tim...

    47 min
  3. EP 51 🏛️ From Forgotten to Fabulous: The Gloucester Food Dock Story with co-owner Sarah Mansfield

    NOV 14

    EP 51 🏛️ From Forgotten to Fabulous: The Gloucester Food Dock Story with co-owner Sarah Mansfield

    Send us a textIn this episode, I'm back in Gloucester exploring the fascinating world of urban regeneration and historic building redevelopment with Sarah Mansfield Co-owner of L&R Group and visionary behind Gloucester Food Dock. Sarah shares her journey from running luxury trains to transforming heritage spaces, focusing on her latest project, Gloucester Food Dock. We chatted about:Sarah's background in leisure, tourism and urban redevelopment including the development of Milsom Pla...

    53 min
  4. EP 50 – Increase your corporate bookings in 2025 with Helen Applin Head of Business Events, Visit West

    OCT 31

    EP 50 – Increase your corporate bookings in 2025 with Helen Applin Head of Business Events, Visit West

    Send us a textAre you looking to grow your corporate bookings in 2025? Business events like meetings, conferences, and team-building activities are key revenue sources, especially during off-peak times in the visitor economy.In this episode, Kelly chats with Helen Applin, Head of Business Events at Visit West, about the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) market opportunities in the Bristol, Bath, and North Somerset area. Many businesses miss out on opportunities ...

    44 min
  5. EP49 Behind the Scenes of Wales' AA Hotel of the Year 2024: Success Strategies from The Parkgate Hotel’s Damien Martin

    OCT 17

    EP49 Behind the Scenes of Wales' AA Hotel of the Year 2024: Success Strategies from The Parkgate Hotel’s Damien Martin

    Send us a textIn this episode of I chatted with Damien Martin, General Manager of award-winning The Parkgate Hotel in Cardiff. Just a year after opening its doors in 2021, The Parkgate Hotel scooped the prestigious AA Hotel of the Year for Wales title. Damien gives us an inside look at the hotel’s success and shares what it takes to run a standout hospitality business. One of the hotel's big highlights is its restaurant, The Sorting Room, which has earned two AA Rosettes...

    46 min
  6. EP 48 Unlocking the Secrets of Effective Content Marketing with Charlotte Laing, The Content Emporium

    OCT 3

    EP 48 Unlocking the Secrets of Effective Content Marketing with Charlotte Laing, The Content Emporium

    Send us a textWelcome to today’s episode! I’m super excited to chat with Charlotte Laing, the amazing founder of The Content Emporium. Her agency is thriving, with a team of 46 talented people, and they’re doing fantastic work for clients, including 20 shopping centres across the UK.Who’s This Episode For?If you’re creating content for businesses, especially in the visitor economy (think shopping centres, town or city centres), this one’s for you. Charlotte’s sharing some great tips and...

    51 min
  7. EP 47 Visit West Food & Drink Forum Sept 2024

    SEP 20

    EP 47 Visit West Food & Drink Forum Sept 2024

    Send us a textWelcome to Series 4 of The Visitor Elves Podcast!We’re back, and I couldn’t be more excited to kick off Series 4 of the Visitor Elves podcast. Whether you’re a long-time listener (you’re a total rockstar!) or it’s your first time tuning in, I’m thrilled to have you here. We’re two years in, with 46 episodes and over 4,200 downloads—so what’s next? This series is packed with insightful guests, actionable tips, and real stories from those on the frontlines of tourism, h...

    25 min
  8. EP. 46 Lorraine Jarvie - General Manager of Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath, talks luxury hotel management and Bridgerton

    JUL 31

    EP. 46 Lorraine Jarvie - General Manager of Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath, talks luxury hotel management and Bridgerton

    Send us a textIn 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 tal...

    43 min
See All (54)

About

Welcome to the Visitor Elves podcast, where I take you behind the scenes of tourism, hospitality, culture, and events in and around the West of England and Wales. Each episode dives into the stories, insights, challenges, and victories of inspiring people and businesses shaping the industry. Our stories resonate far beyond our region, connecting listeners worldwide. The Visitor Elves community brings together partners, future employees, suppliers, and peers across the UK, making it a must-listen for anyone in the industry!

Information

  • Creator
    Kelly Ballard
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Visitor Elves

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