BONUS – Tourism Business Survey insights with Adnams, Banham Zoo and Hippersons Boatyard

How does a headteacher at the top of her career come to live and work on the Broads? We find out, as Mary takes us on a journey that ‘cruises’ through a career working with troubled teens, into a battle with cancer, and out into the warmth and wonder of Beccles, a hugely popular part of the Norfolk Broads. 

After being told that the stress of her job was the likely cause of her cancer returning, Mary and her husband took this as a sign to pack up their London life and pursue their dream, starting a business in boat repairing. Mary was adamant, though, that she didn’t want to work in tourism!

Some number crunching later, and they realised that tourism was where their creativity and success lied, and the floating pods, day cruisers and water sports soon followed. 

Mary is outspoken about the challenges tourism faces when it comes to customer behaviour and trends, banning alcohol on board. She discusses how they have embraced social media, and the problem with green washing. 

The Sparrows see themselves as ‘custodians of the river’ and, with rewilding and other projects, aim to leave the river better than they found it. 

This is not to be missed for anyone thinking of investing in tourism, or who ever doubted why they got into it in the first place. Mary’s story, with her passion, is a shining example of what can be achieved in the sector, particularly with sustainability in mind, and why so many visitors continue to flock to the Broads.

Visit Hippersons Boatyard here
Visit the Broads 

GET IN TOUCH! We would love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode, email us at podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk. 

We would also love it if you could rate us 5 STARS on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, this really helps people find us!

You can also now watch on YouTube too, just click here  

Find more episodes from the series by visiting larking-gowen.co.uk/tourism-insights 

Check out our website to see how our team or tourism experts could help you and your business www.larking-gowen.co.uk

© Larking Gowen LLP 

The Tourism Business Survey was relaunched for 2023, after a ‘COVID-19 break’ and the results were announced at a seminar on 25 April to an audience of sector leaders. We recorded the panel discussions hihglights for listeners to enjoy who were unable to attend on the day. 

You can hear reflections on the results of the survey from the team of experts at Larking Gowen, and commentary from Andy Wood, CEO of Adnams, Claudia Roberts, CEO of Zoological Society of East Anglia which operates Banham Zoo and Africa Alive, and Mary Sparrow, owner of Hippersons Boatyard in Norfolk. Valerie Watson-Brown from the Visitor Economy Network Initiative provided detail on the work of this innovative project driving careers in the sector, and you can also hear questions from the audience there on the day.

This is the perfect accompaniment to the full survey brochure which you can download here. The brochure has the full results of the survey, and insightful commentary articles from leading businesses including Holkham Hall, ROARR! and many more. Many thanks to sponsors Adnams, Lloyds Bank, Swiss Camplings and insight6

For more details on the survey, including past results and why you should consider taking part next year, visit www.tourismsurveys.co.uk 

GET IN TOUCH! We would love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode, email us at podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk. 

We would also love it if you could rate us 5 STARS on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, this really helps people find us!

Check out our website to see how our team or tourism experts could help you and your business www.larking-gowen.co.uk

The Tourism and Leisure Business Survey is produced by Larking Gowen Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers. Please contact enquiry@larking-gowen.co.uk if you have any questions or would like to speak to one of our tourism specialists.  

© Larking Gowen LLP 

Chris whisked away some leaders in the tourism sector after the Tourism Business Survey seminar on 25 April 2023, and hosted a very special chat. His guests were Oliver Paul, co-owner of Suffolk Food Hall, Tarnia Robertson, a Hospitality Consultant and Business Coach (and former MD of Ufford Park) and Elliott Attew, Manager of Deer’s Glade Caravan and Camping Park. 

In this bitesize episode, they reflect on the results of the Tourism Business Survey and how the data has reflected concerns and stories around trends and sustainability. They discuss how to make sustainability part of your brand; the change in what customers want, including the rise of veganism; how they look for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) structure; and the ‘ramifications of green washing’.  

They also drive home the message that tourism business owners should remember that they are comrades of other businesses around them, and their community should be part of their decision-making process. They advocate that team members need to be empowered to be the masters of first impressions.

Highlights from the full event will be available soon, follow us so you dont miss out!

You can download your copy of the full tourism survey results brochure here

For more information on the survey and why you should take part next year, visit www.tourismsurveys.co.uk  

Visit Suffolk Food Hall here

Visit Deer's Glade Caravan and Camping here

Contact Tarnia on LinkedIn here

(c) Larking Gowen 

What does your mind conjure up when we say Great Yarmouth? Whether we’ve been there or not, we likely all have something come to mind. That’s the power of marketing and positive experiences. Asa Morrison is Chief Executive of Visit Great Yarmouth, a Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) and tourism business improvement district, of which there are only three in the UK. 

Asa is passionate about where he lives and works, and his role is to increase support and visitors to Great Yarmouth, in a sustainable and responsible way. He chats to Chris about the issues with the public transport infrastructure, why visitors are good for ALL businesses in the area, and the issues business owners are facing with wages, costs and promotion. 

He discusses how Visit Great Yarmouth works with Visit East of England, and potential future central funding and the proposed Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP). 

Asa’s career in the tourism sector is a great example of how there’s room for growth, diversity and progression in the sector, and how tourism is not ‘just a stepping stone’ to a career elsewhere. They also discuss the power of ‘the influencer’ and why businesses should be embracing technological updates arising from lockdown. 

You can find out more by visiting Visit Great Yarmouth online here. 

GET IN TOUCH! We would love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode, email us at podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk. 

We would also love it if you could rate us 5 STARS on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, this really helps people find us! You can also now watch on YouTube too Click here

Find more episodes from the series by visiting larking-gowen.co.uk/tourism-insights 

Check out our website to see how our team or tourism experts could help you and your business www.larking-gowen.co.uk 

© Larking Gowen LLP 

This week, Chris speaks to two of East Anglia’s big hitters, Park Director of ROARR!, Adam Goymour, and the park’s Managing Director, Martin Goymour.

ROARR! is the UK’s biggest dinosaur themed adventure park, beloved by thousands of families, both locally and across the country.

This successful father and son team has taken the park to dizzying heights in recent years. They reflect on what prompted their decision to start up what is now one of the UK’s biggest Halloween scare attractions, PrimEVIL! They even discuss their legal battle surrounding a certain famous dinosaur called Dippy!

They see themselves as ‘memory makers’ and chat to Chris about how people, namely, their team members, and the families they serve, are at the heart of every decision they make.

Adam is open and honest about challenges they’ve faced, how new ideas get off the ground, how they managed during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and what they’ve done to make their attractions accessible during the cost-of-living crisis that is impacting so many visitors.

Martin reminisces about his time running Banham Zoo and Africa Alive, and why the decision was made to form a charitable trust, the Zoological Society of East Anglia, and ‘hand over’ his life’s passion in the interest of conservation and animal welfare.

This is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into what it really takes to run one of the region’s biggest tourist attractions. 

Visit ROARR! here 

GET IN TOUCH!  We would love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode, email us at podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk. 

We would also love it if you could rate us 5 STARS on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, this really helps people find us!

Check out our website to see how our team of tourism experts could help you and your business 

www.larking-gowen.co.uk

© Larking Gowen LLP 

Chances are, by now, you’ll have seen Steve’s bakeries on one of your days out, or if you haven’t, you likely will do soon!

Steve chats to Chris about how he met the founder of Two Magpies Bakery, Rebecca Bishop, and left the corporate life behind him back in 2018, to help invest and grow the then small bakery into the well-known chain it is today.

Steve speaks honestly on the financial situation they found themselves in during lockdown, and what they did to ensure the future of the business, and therefore the mortgages of his team, whom he speaks of with great pride. He elaborates on the current impact of the cost-of-living crisis, and the 600% hike in their electricity costs, but how this is not diminishing his hopes for the future of the business and its continued expansion.

A self-confessed risk taker, Steve is also a measured thinker (not a great baker though!). He chats to Chris about his hands-on business approach and reflects candidly on the last few years and how customer behaviour has changed post lockdown.

This is a conversation that might well ignite a fire in many, and will certainly make other business owners feel less alone in the face of ongoing challenges for the sector.

GET IN TOUCH!  We would love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode, email us at podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk. 

We would also love it if you could rate us 5 STARS on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, this really helps people find us!

Check out our website to see how our team of tourism experts could help you and your business

 www.larking-gowen.co.uk

© Larking Gowen LLP 

Norfolk is famous for a lot of things, and back in 2015 when the BBC commissioned a behind the scenes reality TV series about life on Wiveton Hall Farm; Normal for Norfolk, Desmond MacCarthy and his infamous eyebrows were added to the list! Chris chats to Desmond about life on and off camera; Desmond’s passion for the environment; and how you pivot a business model from fruit picking and farming, into a successful tourist destination.

Desmond highlights the importance of sustainability within the tourism sector, how agricultural firms need to embrace this, and how all those in the sector need to start engaging with the concepts of sourcing local, reducing their carbon footprints and how returning to traditional farming techniques may be the key.

They also delve into life in lockdown, and the impact that this had on the farm café and, along with Brexit, the ongoing struggle of recruitment within the fruit farming facet of the business, which is intrinsic to the USP of the café. They also discuss the practical changes that COVID brought to the day-to-day running of the business, and what will stay as a result of the positive impact they had on profit and minimising outgoings.

They discuss the potential for growth in the sector throughout Norfolk, and the unique positioning it has in the region, and how investment has been key for them, particularly with their holiday cottage lets. Desmond also takes us back in time, on a whimsical journey into his family heritage, and the evolution of the family business.

Chris gets Desmond to open up about his time being filmed by the BBC, what impact his celebrity status had on the farm and its visitor numbers, and the pro’s and con’s this brings when you have a message you want to get out into the world, but all they are interested in are your ‘animated’ eyebrows!

This is an unmissable chat with one of Norfolk’s most eccentric, interesting, and well-known figures, working successfully, and consistently pivoting within the sector. Desmond is proof that a positive attitude and a love of people is key to success in customer facing business.

You can learn more about Wiveton Hall Farm here

Catch up on Desmond’s antics on Normal for Norfolk on BBC iPlayer, or on YouTube here

Thank you for listening, and for supporting the podcast into series three! We would love if you could subscribe, and rate and review us where you can, it helps others to find our podcasts. 

We would love to hear from you, get in touch with us on podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk or tourism@larking-gowen.co.uk. 

We will be back for more Tourism Business Chat in the Autumn when series 3 continues, looking at life after the first school holiday fully open...

www.larking-gowen.co.uk/tourism-insights 

(c) Larking Gowen LLP

Nick oversees the well-known, and well-respected, Imperial Hotel, in Great Yarmouth. In February 2020, the business won the title of ‘Customer at the heart of everything’ at the Norfolk & Suffolk Tourist Attractions awards. No sooner had they got the award on the mantle-piece, COVID-19 hit and Nick reflects on the headless chicken feeling they experienced. As a hotel that could remain open, they found themselves constantly moving goalposts and pivoting at every turn. They were offering rooms to the East Anglia 1 wind farm offshore teams but, whilst servicing key workers, they still needed to follow guidelines, and protect their staff. Nick talks in detail about their experiences in the early stages of lockdown, and what they have learned and implemented.

Chris also chats to Nick about the pitfalls, and necessity of TripAdvisor; how investment is key for seaside towns and businesses; and the importance of a USP – in their case, Nick’s knowledge as a wine sommelier and the experience they offer connoisseurs in the region. They also talk all things ‘supply and demand’ in the world of COVID-19 delays and Brexit inflation; not being afraid to price things at what they are worth; the importance of first impressions; whether Eat Out to Help Out really worked; and what councils need to do to help support seafront businesses in particular.

Nick also treats us to a history lesson, as he looks back on the early days of hospitality in Great Yarmouth, as well as the foresight his father had and investments they have made. Also, Nick advocates for businesses to become members of UK Hospitality Association, who were a support to their team during lockdown.

You can find out more about the Imperial Hotel here, and can contact Nick on LinkedIn

Thank you for listening, and for supporting the podcast into series three! We would love you to rate and review us where you can, it helps others to find our podcast. 

We would love to hear from you, get in touch with us on podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk or tourism@larking-gowen.co.uk.

www.larking-gowen.co.uk/tourism-insights 

(c) Larking Gowen LLP 

We are back for series three with a bang! There are not many with more experience or passion for the tourism sector than Peter Williamson, former Chair, now Vice Chair of the Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO), Norfolk & Suffolk Tourist Attractions.

Peter is the former owner of the hugely popular Merrivale Model Village, but when he sold the village in 2017 retirement didn’t suit him, so he returned to work by launching The Old Penny Arcade. This attraction allowed him to pursue his passion of refurbishing vintage fairground and amusement arcade machines, where families can revel in exchanging their modern money for big old pennies! His love for the leisure sector and the promotion of tourism in East Anglia is infectious, and his insights into the future recovery of businesses in this region make for a must listen.

Peter chats to Chris about how attractions need to invest in order to improve the customer experience, and how that’s not just about plumbing in new toilets! They discuss how investment needs to be made in new experiences, because this is the key to ongoing survival (past the initial excitement of the post-pandemic freedoms).

They chat about the changes COVID-19 brought and sped up, and how they will probably continue into the future. They discuss why businesses should embrace these changes, particularly with remote bookings, and how this will help with day-to-day planning, and potentially make expenditure savings in areas such as staffing.

Peter believes that customers and their expectations have changed and whilst businesses need to meet those expectations, they also need to consider revamping how they provide their service to customers moving forwards e.g. just because you CAN open 7 days a week, doesn’t mean you should.

A theme running through this chat is reinvention, with Peter discussing the need for businesses to look at how they can ‘bring families together’, and how social media will be key for reputations. He reminisces about a time that he managed to turn a complaint at the model village into global PR gold, proving the old adage of ‘sex sells’ really works! This episode is worth a listen for this anecdote alone and is a fantastic example of how to turn a negative into a positive, and the power media can have over your business.

Peter believes that businesses need to embrace the inevitable changes that will come from life after lockdown but harnessing the themes of tradition and nostalgia might still be good for business in the ‘new normal’ tech era, particularly for seaside town attractions.

You can check out the work of Norfolk & Suffolk Tourist Attractions here

Find out more about The Old Penny Arcade here.

We would love to hear from you, get in touch with us on podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk or tourism@larking-gowen.co.uk.

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and whilst you are there, we would really appreciate a 5* review, as this helps other people find our podcast!

www.larking-gowen.co.uk/tourism-insights

© Larking Gowen LLP

The series finale is a chat with Karen Hester, Chief Operating Officer of Adnams brewery in Southwold. Karen describes her story as ‘from mop to top’ – starting her career at Adnams as a cleaner, she’s now an award winning, glass ceiling breaking COO.

She chats to Chris about all things lockdown, pivoting, the digital revolution, stay-cations, the importance of wellbeing coming out of the pandemic, and much more, but this episode is really about the story of Karen’s personal journey into the world of business, and of her successes along the way.

Karen started her career, as a young woman, in the army, in part to help escape a turbulent childhood home. When she became pregnant, she was forced to leave, whilst her husband, also in the army, could stay. So, she sued the MOD, and won! Her case is still cited to this day in reports and teaching, and this experience also led to her personal pursuit of justice for all, and her current role as a magistrate.

Karen later joined Adnams as a part-time cleaner, where her potential and work ethic was spotted. She began working her way up, gaining experience in all areas of the business, including logistics, and has spent decades breaking down the barriers that society puts up around women in business, and smashing stereotypes, particularly around executive roles for working mothers.

During her trailblazing career, she has overseen multi-million pound rebuild projects with a focus on sustainability; has been voted East of England Businesswoman of the Year; and has been given an honorary doctorate from the University of Suffolk.

Despite all of the focus on her success as a woman in a male-dominated world, she does not believe that women should be given roles they don’t deserve, believing that giving a woman the role of a director BECAUSE she’s a woman is just as insulting as NOT giving it to her because she’s a woman! She speaks candidly about the challenges women need to overcome in order to reach their potential, including resisting imposter syndrome, and combating emotional bias in decision making.

This episode is a must-listen, not just for business leaders, but for anyone interested in the role gender plays in the workplace, and anyone in need of a little bit of inspiration, and motivation to succeed!

Visit Adnams here

We would love to hear from you, get in touch with us on podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk or tourism@larking-gowen.co.uk.

If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and whilst you are there, we would really appreciate a 5* review, as this helps other people find our podcast!

www.larking-gowen.co.uk/tourism-insights 

(c) Larking Gowen LLP