Visitor attractions across Scotland are invited to join us in our latest webinar taking place on Thursday 27 January 2022 from 11am until 12 noon. The webinar will focus on the importance of benchmarking in achieving best practice standards using insight from our VisitScotland Quality Assurance (QA) Scheme.
QA is the name we give to our official grading system for tourism businesses. This membership scheme helps us drive up standards across the industry, you can find out more about our QA Scheme on our website.
Over the last 20 months our QA team has been working on refreshing the website and creating new content including a best practice directory, which you can explore at the visitor attractions QA section of our website. This has been created using insights from the QA Scheme for visitor attractions and will be a dynamic reference tool for informing and inspiring businesses on how to create outstanding visitor experiences.
Tune in and hear about how to make the most of this new resource. We’ve also got guest industry speakers lined up, who appear within the directory, to share some tips on the importance of benchmarking and using QA scoring and feedback to focus on improvements and creating a visitor experience that is consistent in quality across all aspects.
Secure your space by booking now.
Due to the impacts of COVID-19, reassurance plays a huge part in why visitors book through the travel trade. Travel trade is seen as a trusted source to book and protect holidays.
Join Rona Wallace, Senior Manager Intermediary Marketing and Caroline Robertson, Industry Relationship Manager at VisitScotland to find out how you can work with tour operators and other travel intermediaries. Find out how they can help you reach more visitors, particularly in overseas markets, and what unique agritourism experiences they are looking for to sell to their customers. You will also hear from Caroline Millar from Scottish Agritourism on their latest Go Rural campaign, how you can get involved in the group and the support provided to members of Scottish Agritourism.
This session will finish up with the chance to ask questions and find out more about how to make the most of the opportunity to work with the travel trade.
Book your place now using this link.
The Scottish Wholesalers Association (SWA) is working with the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society (SAOS) and Scotland Food & Drink to deliver a ‘Meet the Wholesaler’ event as part of the next phase of the ‘Delivering Growth through Wholesale’ programme.
Designed to facilitate opportunities for engagement and business between producers and wholesalers, the Meet the Wholesaler event will follow a series of workshops that will provide the tools and information needed to maximise opportunities when working together.
The event will now take place on Tuesday, 15 March which is different to the date that was originally communicated, this is to avoid a clash with another industry event.
Event Information
The Meet the Wholesaler will be in person and take place at Dunblane Hydro, 9:30-3:15pm.
The day will consist of a series of short one-to-one meetings in the morning, followed by a lunch showcasing Scottish produce, then a producer exhibition in the afternoon. One to one meetings will be agreed in advance of the event using a simple diary system, further details to follow on this.
As well as the one-to-one meeting that will be requested by wholesalers, producers will be also given the opportunity engage with wholesaler representatives during the exhibition element of the day.
The event is open to all producers and wholesalers in Scotland. Attendance is free with limited places and producers may be required to pay a deposit, repayable upon attendance. We would encourage wholesalers to register multiple representatives to maximise meeting opportunities with producers across the day.
Applications for the event close on Monday, 24 January—successful applicants will be informed of their acceptance by mid-February.
Scotland Food & Drink is pleased to share details of a ‘Meet the Convenience Retailer’ event, providing producers and wholesalers with opportunities to secure national and local listings.
Representatives from a variety of multiple and independent convenience retailers will be at the event, with attendance already confirmed from Scotmid and One O One Convenience Stores. We expect representatives with buying responsibility for over 350 stores to take part.
This virtual opportunity is open to producers and wholesalers interested in supplying independent convenience retailers across Scotland or in a particular area of Scotland.
Qualification criteria
- Scottish Food or Drink producer
- Salsa or BRC accreditation preferred but not essential
- All categories considered
Additional Info
- Food to Go is a growing market in this sector.
- Seasonal producers are encouraged to apply speculatively, even if their product is not in season at the time of the event.
- Convenience retailers are increasingly seeing the benefits of local sourcing. Their customers are open to new and interesting products. Accessible pricing is often a key consideration for them.
Event details
Date: Thursday 3 March, 9am-12pm
Platform: This event will be virtual and take place online with details given once companies are shortlisted.
How to register
To register your interest, please complete the application form by 5pm on Thursday 20th January. Shortlisted companies will be notified at least seven days in advance of the event with further info provided. Any questions on this event or the criteria, please email showcasing@luxevents.co.uk
Places are limited and, there is no fee to attend this event. Applicants who have ranges best suited to the needs of the retailers attending will receive priority
The Scottish EDGE is a funding competition aimed at identifying and supporting Scotland’s innovative, high growth potential entrepreneurial talent. To date the Highlands and Islands Enterprise region has benefited from awards in excess of £1.6m. In its 18th round, winners included; Organlike, Creag Dhu Whisky and North Uist Distillery. You can read more detail on round 18, here.
Round 19 will open in January and anyone interested in finding out more is invited to attend a webinar on Thursday 13th January 2022. At the session, you’ll learn about the competition categories and the support HIE can provide to help you apply. The competition is open to businesses and social enterprises as well as a wider base of organisations who have been trading for less than five years.
Click here to register for the introductory webinar.
A chance for supply chain businesses to meet with the Dounreay Executive Committee and find out about the upcoming programme of work on site
Caithness Chamber of Commerce is delighted to offer the opportunity to come and meet with the Dounreay Executive Committee on 3rd March 2022.
Dounreay’s executive committee has welcomed some new members over the past few months so the Chamber will be hosting an event for them to meet the supply chain and make important connections. This is a chance to hear about the projects that have taken place on the site over the last year, the upcoming programme and an opportunity for the top team at Dounreay to get to know you and learn about your organisation’s capabilities.
This is not a procurement event, just a get to know you session and networking.
The event will be delivered both in person and online – please select the appropriate ticket type when booking your free place.
To book to attend, please do so online using this link.
Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) are taking a new approach to facilities management across their 11 airports. This new approach will provide more stability and consistency to the supply chain and allow them to modernise the provision of facilities management through digitisation.
Dougie Cook, General Manager North at HIAL, would like to invite you to join him on Monday 6 December from 15:00-16:00 to hear more about the approach and the upcoming opportunities for local suppliers to provide services to Wick John O’Groats Airport.
The session will be hosted virtually via Microsoft Teams. For more information and to book your place, contact Dougie Cook on dcook@hial.co.uk
In this webinar Lizi Blackwood, technology development manager for HIE’s Northern Innovation Hub will explain the opportunities available to SMEs to hire a graduate to potentially improve their productivity, competitiveness, and growth potential.
Find out more and register your free place today.
Scotland Food & Drink are working with The Scottish Grocers Federation and The Scottish Government to bring an exciting Meet the Buyer opportunity to producers and wholesalers across Scotland through the Go Local project.
In its second phase, Go Local supports convenience retailers throughout Scotland to provide dedicated, long term display space for locally sourced Scottish products, including fresh and healthy produce.
We are now bringing a further 25-30 retailers into the project. Stores involved are spread widely across Scotland including, the islands. The Scottish Government is providing match funding to help increase the space given to Scottish products and the engagement around them.
This virtual opportunity is open to producers and wholesalers interested in supplying independent convenience retailers across Scotland or in a particular area of Scotland.
Qualification criteria
The participating convenience retailers are looking for products in the following categories:
- Ambient grocery (excluding biscuits, cakes, crisps, savoury snacks and confectionery)
- Sugar-free soft drinks
- Frozen Foods (excluding desserts)
- Dairy (excluding liquid Milk)
- Chilled prepared foods
- Prepacked meat, fish and poultry
- Seasonal, Scottish grown fruit and vegetables (apply now regardless of season)
All participating stores are looking for value and everyday ranges and “food to go” products.
This opportunity is open to producers and wholesalers interested in supplying convenience retailers across Scotland or in a particular area of Scotland.