Iolo to make keynote speech at Mid Wales tourism conference

Welsh naturalist and broadcaster Iolo Williams and Visit Cornwall’s chief executive, Malcolm Bell, will be two of the keynote speakers at the annual Mid Wales Tourism and Business Conference in November.
 
The conference, themed ‘Marketing the Real Mid Wales: A Shared Vision’, will be held at The Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells on Friday, November 10.
 
Sponsored by NFU Mutual and organised by MWT Cymru, the independent organisation that represents around 600 tourism and hospitality businesses across Mid Wales, the event will see the launch of a new marketing campaign focused on the ‘Real Mid Wales’.
 
“Those of us fortunate to live in this beautiful part of the country all have our own ideas about what makes the Real Mid Wales so special,” said MWT Cymru’s chief executive Val Hawkins. “It may be the environment and nature, adventure and sport, health and wellbeing benefits or the various transport routes that appeal to you.
 
“The challenge for tourism and hospitality businesses is how best to share our enthusiasm to attract visitors. With public sector funding under pressure, is it time for the industry to combine resources and collaborate on a concerted campaign to market the Real Mid Wales to target audiences?
 
“Our annual conference should help to answer some of these questions and focus all our thoughts on a shared goal: to attract more visitors and investment to Mid Wales.”
 
Iolo Williams, who lives near Montgomery and has worked in conservation for more than 30 years, will speak about the diverse wildlife of Mid Wales.
 
Best known for several BBC television series highlighting the wildlife of Wales as well as the popular Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch programmes, he loves living and working in Mid Wales and is a great ambassador for the region.
 
Malcolm Bell is a passionate brand ambassador for destination Cornwall, a spokesperson on tourism issues and sits on European and national advisory boards.
 
Having overseen the transformation of Visit Cornwall into a Community Interest Company, he is now at the helm of its future as a private enterprise and is responsible for overseeing the vision, strategy and delivery.
 
The conference will include a question and answer session with panellists Rob Holt, Visit Wales’ deputy director of tourism development and major events, Suzy Davies, AM, chair of National Assembly for Wales’ Cross-party Group on Tourism, Adrian Barsby, Wales Tourism Alliance chair and John Mercer, Wales NFU Cymru director.
 
Open to businesses of all sizes associated with the tourism and hospitality industry, the conference provides a great platform for networking. Early bird tickets are available from £12 and can be booked online at www.midwalestourismconference.co.uk . For more information, contact MWT Cymru on Tel: 01654 702653.
 
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For more information please contact either Val Hawkins, Mid Wales Tourism chief executive, on 01654 702653 or Duncan Foulkes, public relations consultant, on 01686 650818.