Minutes of Meeting of the VisitScotland Board held on 4 July 2014

Transcription

1 Meeting Minutes Minutes of Meeting of the VisitScotland Board held on 4 July 2014 Present: In attendance: Apologies: Minutes: Mike Cantlay (Chairman) Stephen Carter Paddy Crerar Steve Dunlop Dorothy Fenwick Manus Fullerton Russel Griggs Calum Ross Malcolm Roughead (Chief Executive) David Anderson (Head of HR) Paul Bush (COO, EventScotland) Riddell Graham (Director of Partnerships) Merv Brown (Head of Finance) Gordon Dewar Ken Neilson (Director of Corporate Services) Lynne Raeside PRESENTATION FROM BT AND SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT: DIGITAL ROLL OUT The Board welcomed Robert Thorburn, NGB Programme Manager, H&I, BT; and Colin Cook, Deputy Director, Digital Strategy & Programmes Division, Scottish Government. RT and CC updated the Board on the digital roll out programme of broadband. They outlined progress to date and explained the challenges faced. The Board discussed stimulation of demand from businesses. It was noted that lots of advice is being made available to businesses. Consideration is being given to a network of centres where individuals can seek advice about technology. It was suggestged that there may be synergies with VisitScotland Information Centres and it was agreed that further discussion should continue to explore opportunities. Action: Discussion to be taken forward with Scottish Government on synergies with Digital Roll Out project. MINUTES OF THE BOARD MEETING HELD ON 23 MAY The minutes of the Board meeting held on 23 May 2014 were confirmed as a true record of the meeting

2 MATTERS ARISING National Tourism Development Framework 2. The Chief Executive confirmed that Highland Council is aware of the National Tourism Development Framework. It was also noted that initial contact has been made with HIE to discuss a Board to Board meeting. Economic Geography Working Group 3. It was noted that the Strategic Forum is keen to consider tourism from the perspective of social deprivation. The next meeting of the group will involve all the economic development agencies and it will be chaired by the Scottish Government. A paper will be presented to this meeting regarding tourism and this will be linked to the National Tourism Development Framework. Action: update to be brought to the next Board meeting. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST 4. No conflicts were recorded. HEALTH & SAFETY 5. The Head of Finance presented the Health and Safety report. It was reported that there are no changes to the register. 6. It was reported that a meeting had been held following the incident at the Jim Clark Rally. A report was reviewed at the Audit and Risk Committee. It was noted that VisitScotland does not have jurisdiction in this matter, although more stringent checking will be put in place. 7. The Board noted the report. VISITSCOTLAND APP 8. The Chairman welcomed Sathpal Singh, Head of Digital Development & Delivery, to the meeting. SS presented the recently launched VisitScotland App, reporting that VisitScotland had launched not only the App but also a mobile friendly version of the visitscotland.com website. In developing the App, he reported that VisitScotland had worked closely with the transport agencies and integrated into their journey planning systems. 9. The Board raised the question of the existing Apps and it was noted that lots of organisations have a family of Apps. It was noted that it has been customised for mobile phones but not for ipads / tablets. The mobile friendly website is targeted at tablets. 10. The COO of EventScotland noted that the App has provided a solution to Scotland s National Events Calendar. It was noted that there is a daily feed from the Press Association and individual events organisers can feed directly in via visitscotland.com. There is a process through the Content Team to verify the event is suitable for inclusion in the events calendar

3 11. The Board thanked SS for attending the meeting and congratulated the team on a great new product. CHAIRMAN S REPORT 12. The Chairman presented a report on his activity since the last Board meeting and invited questions from the Board. He drew particular attention to the following: (a) Funding: a wealth of information has been provided to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth. (b) Prestwick: it was noted that our role is to work with the airlines rather than the airports as VisitScotland is marketing the destination on the back of airline routes. The Board discussed the future of Prestwick. It was suggested that Prestwick is more likely to focus on outbound routes. The Board stressed the need to ensure continued focus on the existing aviation priorities. (c) VisitBritain: the Chairs of the three Visits met recently with the new UK Tourism Minister. It was noted that a Triennial Review of VisitBritain will start shortly, led by Cabinet Office. VisitScotland will feed into this review. 13. The Board noted the report. CHIEF EXECUTIVE S REPORT 14. The Chief Executive presented a report on activities since the previous Board meeting. The Board discussed the following: (a) Food and Drink: VisitScotland has been tasked with producing a costed proposal for an overarching campaign based on the food and drink theme. A skeletal outline has been provided to Scottish Government. The Chief Executive gave an overview of the proposal noting that it could be extended should it prove successful in the established markets. It was noted that the bulk of the campaign would be targeted at consumers but there would also be a business to business element led by SDI. There remains a gap with retailers. (b) Bannockburn Live: In the context of taking on responsibility for the project in January, it was agreed that hitting capacity for the event was a huge success. A small surplus is expected and this will be reinvested in marketing following agreement with Scottish Ministers. It was agreed that there had been issues around queue management on the Saturday, although this was partly due to the advice which had been given in respect of the number of food outlets required for the event. It was noted that steps were taken to address queue management on the Sunday. A full debrief is underway and this will be shared with the Board. Action: circulate debrief report to the Board. It was also noted that media coverage had been extremely positive and that the VisitScotland staff working at the event had done a sterling job. The Board recorded their thanks to all those staff involved with the event. The Board discussed the lessons learned and how they might relate to the Ryder Cup. It was noted, for example, that there is a consolidated risk register from all the partners involved at the Ryder Cup. It was also noted that there needs to be a proper understanding of VisitScotland s role in individual events. While an event - 3 -

4 management company may be contracted to deliver an event, if VisitScotland is the event owner, then ultimate responsibility lies with VisitScotland. The Chief Executive reported on the positive media coverage, confirming that there had been 200 media representatives, 30 TV crews from 17 countries. He summarised some of the key highlights, including the follow up Christmas special which has been commissioned by TF1 following their visit to Bannockburn Live. Finally, the Chief Executive reported that the Permanent Secretary had recorded his thanks to VisitScotland for delivering Bannockburn Live. (c) EventScotland: updates were provided on a number of ongoing projects, including the Tour de France, European Football, the Diamond League, the proposal for a Scottish Open Qualifying Tournament, the National Movie Awards, the Classic Brit Awards and the Ryder Cup Gala Concert. It was reported that the Ryder Cup Gala Concert will be in two parts, with a dinner preceding the concert itself. The COO of EventScotland was invited to give an outline of the concept for the concert and it was noted that this would be lanched on 15 July. The Board discussed the risks associated with an event of this scale and nature. They further discussed the importance of stakeholder management at the dinner and throughout the guest programme. It was agreed that the full VIP list should be shared with the Board. Action: briefing on the Gala Concert and the full VIP list to be shared with the Board. 15. The Board noted the report. EVENTS STRATEGY 16. The COO of EventScotland presented a paper updating the Board on the output of the consultation process around the revised Events Strategy. He reported that the consultation process is on schedule and work has now commenced on the first draft. The first part will focus on a strategy for the events industry, with the remainder of the strategy focusing on the role of EventScotland in terms of operational delivery. This will be presented to the Board in September. 17. It was suggested that the strategy should include a paragraph which clarifies where events fit into the wider VisitScotland priorities. It was agreed that this would be included within the first draft coming to the Board. 18. The Board discussed the definition of industry in relation to events. It was noted that the events industry and the tourism industry should be viewed as one in the same but only if there is a shared objective. VisitScotland s objective is economic regeneration but many events are focused more on cultural and social objectives. 19. The Board noted the update. FINANCE PAPER 20. The Head of Finance introduced the finance paper which gave an update on the annual accounts; and the 2014/15 budget. He reported that the audit on the annual accounts had been completed at the end of June, with no points arising so far. There is a - 4 -

5 balanced cash outturn. Some further work is required on the narrative and consideration will be given to presentational issues. 21. It was reported that there had been a slight increase in income. This is linked to projects, e.g. Winter Festivals and food and drink. It will be reflected in the Autumn budget revision. 22. The Board discussed declarations of interests. It was noted that Board members are now required to declare if they are a private shareholder in a business and VisitScotland has done business with that business. 23. The Board noted the report. KEY PERFORMANCE ISSUES 24. The Head of Finance introduced a report on progress against key performance measures. 25. The Board noted the report. INFORMATION STRATEGY 26. The Director of Partnerships introduced a paper providing a progress report on the information strategy and outlining the direction of travel for the VIC network. He noted that a project team would be set up and a transition plan would be presented to the Board in January It was reported that significant cost has been taken out of management costs from within the network. Discussion with Digital Scotland will offer lots of different opportunities. 28. It was suggestd that consideration should be given to how VisitScotland engages with Destination Organisations on VIC provision. The Board further discussed the role of industry in providing information. It was suggested that businesses could be identified through the QA system. 29. Further information was sought on the QA schemes. It was agreed that a paper would be brought to the September Board. Action: paper on the QA scheme to be presented to the September Board. 30. The Board noted the update. ANY OTHER BUSINESS 31. It was reported that progress is being made towards appointment of a new Marketing Director, with a view to an appointment being made later in the summer. 32. The pay submission has been approved in line with Scottish Government guidelines. 33. The Accessible Tourism project is developing well and has enthused Ministers. Additional funding has been secured to develop a new initiative and this has been match funded by Glasgow This has sparked interest within Europe, especially in Italy

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