Tourism NI supports AVEA Spring Forum

The gathering, which took place at the Game of Thrones Studio Tour in Banbridge, marked the first AVEA forum event to be held at a Northern Ireland AVEA member site, with members travelling to the event from across the island of Ireland.

AVEA represents 130 visitor attractions and experiences Ireland-wide including Glenarm Castle, the Game of Thrones Studio Tour, the Guinness Storehouse, and Fanad Lighthouse.

Those gathered were welcomed by Anne O’Donoghue, Chair of AVEA and Sam Harding, Managing Director of Game of Thrones Studio Tour.

The attendees also heard from Liz Steele, Culture and Heritage Tourism Manager at Tourism Northern Ireland and Catherine Flanagan, CEO of AVEA.

The session covered a number of topics including Website Effectiveness, Innovation and Product Development in the Attractions Sector, and International Market Sentiment.

Guest speakers included Olivia Mulhern, Research and Insights Officer at Tourism Ireland, who explored the latest consumer sentiment results.

Those gathered also heard from Paul Marden, CEO of Rubber Cheese, an agency which designs websites for visitor attractions. Mr Marden spoke about the result of the 2024 Rubber Cheese survey of visitor attraction websites.

Finally, Paul Claffey, Marketing Manager at World of Illusion Dublin, spoke about the opening of the city's new visitor attraction.

The forum ended with a networking session followed by a tour of the Game of Thrones Studio Tour.

Liz Steele, Culture and Heritage Tourism Manager at Tourism Northern Ireland, said: “Tourism Northern Ireland was delighted to partner with AVEA to bring the Spring Forum to the enthralling setting of the Game of Thrones Studio Tour at Banbridge.

“Culture and heritage attractions are such strong motivators for our visitors. We know that they are looking for authentic experiences which tell them where we have come from, who we are and what we do, in new and old spaces.

“The forum provided an excellent opportunity for businesses and organisations of all shapes and sizes to gain insights, share experiences and discuss prospects and challenges. There is no doubt the contacts made today will lead to further conversations and co-operation as we embrace 2025.”

Catherine Flanagan, CEO of AVEA, said: “In today’s presentations, we got a sneak-peak preview of Tourism Ireland’s consumer research in key overseas markets, which will greatly enable visitor attractions’ to better target their marketing.

“We also revealed the details of AVEA’s Annual Business Survey and this year, as a pilot scheme, we will be including visitor attractions in Northern Ireland.

“There is nothing like getting together with your industry peers to exchange ideas and discuss opportunities for the season ahead."