WELCOME TO YORKSHIRE CEO Gary Verity took time out of his packed schedule to tell us a bit more about our award winning regional tourism agency.
How long has the company been going?
We rebranded as Welcome to Yorkshire in April 2009 and haven’t looked back since.
Tell us a bit more about what you get up to at Welcome to Yorkshire?
Welcome to Yorkshire is the county’s official tourism agency, charged with increasing the value of the regional visitor economy by 5% year on year. The value of Yorkshire tourism has grown to £7bn, up from £5.9bn two years ago, adding 4,000 jobs to the 250,000 already employed in the industry. Our aim is to make Yorkshire the UK’s top destination.
Why did you choose the Dry Sand Foundry?
Welcome to Yorkshire needed to be centrally located within easy reach of all of its partners.
What else was important for you all when you were on the search for the perfect work space?
The open plan working environment was ideal for flexible working and in addition to the practicalities the building is a perfect showcase for hosting meetings and presentations.
You seem really busy at the moment, how are things going?
Despite the economic climate we are incredibly positive about the future. The county has been bucking tourism trends with more people choosing to visit us here in Yorkshire.
We have achieved several awards including the World’s Leading Marketing Campaign at the World Travel Awards 2010 – it’s the industry Oscar and a fantastic achievement against major global brands.
What are you currently working on?
Our next big thing is the Welcome to Yorkshire annual conference Y11. It’s the largest in the UK and is our big reveal of Welcome to Yorkshire’s major plans for the coming year. Those who are connected in any way shape or form to the tourism industry need to book a place now as they are going fast!
And after Y11? What’s next?
That would be telling. Come to Y11 and you’ll discover our ambitious plans for yourself.
That’s reason enough for me! Finally, obviously you love your offices but what else makes the Urban Village stand out for you?
The village has a fantastic sense of community. It’s a place where many of us work and enjoy time out. There’s a wonderful selection of places to eat and drink and the best thing is that everyone’s on first name terms.
To keep on top of all goings on in Yorkshire you’d do worse than to follow these guys on twitter @welcome2yorks or checking out their website. www.yorkshire.com