Emma Richards, Senior UK & Europe Corporate & Incentive Market Manager
Article Published 26/08/2021
This month we welcomed a new member to our business events team. Emma Richards joins us from the Scottish Event Campus as our new Senior UK & Europe Corporate & Incentive Market Manager.
Emma has more than 20 years of experience within the hospitality sector having worked in both sales and event manager positions for hotels and event venues.
As part of the VisitScotland team Emma will focus on corporate and incentive business events from the UK and Europe, with a key focus on strategic sectors. She will oversee the Corporate & Incentive team and help to develop engagement platforms for third party agencies, corporate planners and decision makers to generate enquiries and confirmed business.
We caught up with Emma to see what she is most looking forward to in her new role and where you can meet her in the coming months.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
I have plenty of experience within the hospitality sector and have always enjoyed promoting Scotland's beautiful cities, not that they need much selling! Working for VisitScotland and being able to promote the country was a natural next step in my career.
There is a lot to look forward to in my new role, but I am very excited about the direction that VisitScotland is heading with its Policy Driven Model and the Journey to Change campaign. I believe the messaging behind Journey to Change resonates with so many of us on a personal level, which can help the way we think about business events and in understanding and promoting how they can be used as a platform for change.
VisitScotland is an organisation that isn't afraid to talk about difficult subjects and strive for change. The team are passionate about promoting the country as a welcoming and forward-thinking destination, so it is a real honour to be working with them.
VisitScotland Business Events recently launched its Journey to Change campaign, how do you anticipate corporate and incentive buyers from across the UK and Europe will react to this campaign? And how will you incorporate the messaging in your conversations?
Change is imperative across all sectors and organisations, as was highlighted by the United Nations in its Climate Change report.
Over the past few years, many of us have started to live a much more sustainable lifestyle and have become more conscious of our impact on the environment. It is critical that we bring this thinking into the organising of events. In Scotland we're ahead of the curve and for example, there are some great examples of hotels and venues in Scotland offering luxury as a service but not at the cost of the environment.
VisitScotland Business Events has a fantastic opportunity to showcase that as a country, Scotland is leading the field in its attitude and actions when it comes to sustainability, equality and inclusivity.
With the events sector reopening, some of our industry's most-loved events will be taking place in the next few months. Which events will you be attending and what are you most looking forward to?
Well, after more than 18 months away from attending events, VisitScotland Business Events is ensuring it has a presence at as many events as possible, national and international, to make up for lost time.
I personally cannot wait to catch up with my industry colleagues and grow my network. I will be at The Meetings Show in September and CHS Birmingham in October before heading to Las Vegas for IMEX America in November and then to Barcelona for IBTM World in November/December.