The National Visitor Attractions Conference has been held for the 19th time
The event took place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham on 13 October – the first time it has been staged outside London
First held in 2004, VAC attracts a wide range of professionals and experts from across the visitor attraction industry
Attractions Management editorial director, Liz Terry MBE, hosted a panel looking at HR challenges in the sector with Tina Lewis, director of people at the National Trust and Judith Owens, CEO of Titanic Belfast
The National Visitor Attractions Conference (VAC 2022), has been held for the 19th time.
Taking place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham on 13 October, VAC is the UK's leading networking and learning event for visitor attractions organisations and businesses.
VAC attracts a wide range of professionals and experts from across the visitor attraction industry, from operators and designers to policymakers and academics.
Topics discussed included sustainability, marketing, tourism policy and market insight and intelligence.
Speakers at VAC 2022 included Patricia Yates (new CEO of VisitBritain) and Bernard Donoghue OBE (CEO, ALVA).
Attractions Management magazine is a co-founder of the event and its editorial director, Liz Terry MBE, was among those on stage at this year's conference.
Terry chaired a session on HR Innovation called 'The Battle for Talent', which offered insights into how to win at recruitment, retention and motivating your workforce, with panellists Tina Lewis, director of people at the National Trust and Judith Owens, CEO of Titanic Belfast.
Terry said: "Our industry is bouncing back strong from the pandemic and now, more than ever, it is important that companies and brands in the sector recruit the best talent out there.
"As people return to attractions, parks, museums and galleries, it is paramount that we are ready to deliver more exciting, creative and enticing experiences. And having a talented, motivated and knowledgeable workforce will be at the heart of that.
"We must acknowlege that we are in competition with other sectors for people with great skills and experience and step up our game to bring them into our sector."
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