Orkney’s profile was given an airing at no fewer than 19 major national and international exhibitions throughout 2007, VisitOrkney announced this week. The tourism organisation attended five major exhibitions across the UK and organised the distribution of Orkney brochures at 14 other events, both at home and abroad.
Marketing Executive for VisitOrkney, Carly Simpson said: “We kicked off our exhibitions with the Destinations, Holiday & Travel Show in London in January, followed by the Ordnance Survey Outdoor Show in Birmingham, in March. Next came the VisitScotland Expo in Edinburgh in early April – it was a busy start to the year! The ‘Orkney Village’ at the Bath and West Show followed in June, in Somerset, and finally we headed down to the Country Living Christmas Fair in London in November.”
Copies of the Orkney brochure were distributed at a range of exhibitions and festivals through the year, in a range of countries, from the Quessant Festival in Brittany and Reiseliv in Oslo, to the Miami Beach Sea Cruise Shipping Convention and the Cannes Film Festival, to name but a few.
The VisitOrkney team will be just as busy this year as they head for the Destinations, Holiday and Travel Shows in London and Birmingham in February and March respectively. Carly continues: “Each of these shows attracts more than 50,000 visitors and over 300 travel companies, so they present an ideal opportunity for us to exhibit alongside some of the world’s leading travel destinations.”
Orkney brochures will feature at numerous international exhibitions and events throughout 2008, including the London Boat Show and Reiseliv in Oslo in January, and at events in Berlin and Gothenburg in March.
Carly adds: “Our attendance at shows and exhibitions like these is hugely important for raising Orkney’s profile, and we generally notice a significant increase in the visits to our website and general inquiries in the following weeks, so we know we’re making a considerable impact. Orkney has such a fantastic tourism offering and these events are prime opportunities to promote this.”
