GLASGOW AND EDINBURGH RISING STARS- A WINNING COMBINATION
Innovation eg - the competition to encourage new ideas in tourism from young professionals with support and encouragement from industry mentors, came to a conclusion on the 23 May with the Final Event and judging at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh. Five shortlisted teams, made up of individuals working in the tourism sector across the central belt, went head to head to pitch their ideas to a panel of industry experts including Robin Worsnop from Rabbie’s Trail Burners, Jennifer Medcalf of Tall Poppies Scotland, Laura Gordon from the Glasgow: Edinburgh Collaboration Initiative and Aileen Lamb from Scottish Enterprise. The audience also had a chance to vote for the team they thought had come up with the winning idea. The top prize was a cash prize of £3,000 to help develop their idea, as well as the opportunity to travel overseas to see first hand how collaboration has worked in other areas of the world.
The five finalist projects were:
• ‘Slice of Life Tours’ combining the themes of gardens and food within Edinburgh and Glasgow…”Don’t be a tourist!” – get a real slice of life in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
• ‘The Food Tour – A Taste of Two Cities’ which transforms the visitor experience to Scotland through interactive use of Scottish produce in both cities using a combination of unique cookery demonstrations, special events and the additional opportunities provided by a dedicated web site.
• ‘A Trail of Two Cities: Historic Pubs in Edinburgh and Glasgow’, is a partnership between pubs and cities providing authentic experiences of Scottish culture, history and heritage.
• ‘Edinburgh and Glasgow: A tale of Two Cities’ is a unique one-day tour split between Edinburgh and Glasgow, where local guides with specialist knowledge, training and passion for their city will create a memorable experience for visitors.
• ‘Hidden Music Festival’, a unique, vibrant and distinctive festival where Glasgow and Edinburgh unite as hosts to promote and coming unsigned bands that will play intimate gigs in unusual places.
Each team was then supported in developing their concept by mentors such as Hans Rissmann, General Manager, The Bonham Hotel, Edinburgh and John Quigley, former chef to music stars such as Tina Turner and the Bee Gees, who now owns the Red Onion restaurant in Glasgow.
There was also an award for the most inspiring mentor, who was nominated by their teams. This was the Inspiring Minds Award and was developed in memory of Win Brogan, from Mercat Tours, Edinburgh, who sadly passed away last year. Win contributed so much to Scottish tourism and was well known as an inspirational mentor by all she came into contact with.
The winners this year were - A Tale of Two Cities, by a team who call themselves the Weegie Burghers. They are made up with individuals from Glasgow Grows Audiences, Radical Travel and the Scottish Tourist Guides Association. The second prize went to The Slice of Life Tours and third to Hidden Music Festivals.
The winner of the Inspiring Minds Award was Caroline Barr from Glasgow Museums Culture and Sport with the other two finalists being Hans Rissmann from the Bonham Hotel, Edinburgh and Sheena Kitchin from Scotland by Design, Glasgow.
Congratulations to all of the winners for their hard work and well thought out ideas.
Innovation eg also had some fantastic support from the tourism businesses of Edinburgh and Glasgow who donated some 26 prizes between them to give all of the teams a reward for their magnificent efforts.
Laura Gordon, Director of the Glasgow: Edinburgh Collaboration Initiative, said: “I have been very impressed by the range of ideas and talent that has been showcased by our young tourism professionals during the innovation eg challenge. The competition shows the huge potential for collaboration in the tourism and hospitality sectors when people come together and think creatively. These young professionals are an inspiration for the future of tourism, not just in Edinburgh and Glasgow, but throughout the whole of Scotland. The calibre and enthusiasm shown by everyone who has taken part, regardless of whether they have made it to the finals, means they are all winners.”
Sue Crossman, Project Director of the Tourism Innovation Group and mentor for one of the finalist teams, said: “The innovation eg concept is a brilliant idea that has given an opportunity for young tourism professionals to design and implement new business concepts. I was delighted to be able to work with such a group of dynamic and innovative young people, and the project has shown the potential to harness great business ideas between the two cities.”
Aileen Lamb, Project Manager, Scottish Enterprise, said: “This is the type of opportunity that we are keen to support – with experienced industry professionals sharing their skills and knowledge to help nurture young talent within Scotland’s tourism industry. The range and scope of the projects which have been developed prove that there is a culture of true innovation within Scottish Tourism. The ideas which have been developed show that our ‘Rising Stars’ really understand that collaboration is the way to provide our customers with the world class, cutting edge products and experiences which will make their visit to Scotland unforgettable.”
For more information about innovation eg, contact Jennifer Medcalf at info@tallpoppies-scotland.co.uk