Great Days Out Fair Exhibitor Focus
Taking place on 2nd February at the Reebok Stadium, in Bolton, is the annual Great Days Out Fair. Organised by Marketing Manchester, the tourist board for Greater Manchester, it is the largest one-day travel event in the UK and gives GTOs a prime opportunity to develop important working relationships with UK-based attractions.
More than 200 attractions will be represented at the Fair, providing new and exciting ideas for group days out. Many will even be offering special discounts for visits confirmed on the day or free passes for GTOs.
In addition, there will be various forms of entertainment on offer including hourly cookery demonstrations from regional chefs and performances from a star of the west end musical, The Sound of Music. There will also be prizes to be won every half hour, ranging from weekend breaks and free tickets to food hampers.
Entry to the event is free and, on admission, complimentary tea and biscuits will be provided to all GTOs, courtesy of Lancashire Tea. Over the following pages, you will find detailed information on a small selection of exhibitors at the Fair and details about what they will be promoting at the event.
History and heritage
To coincide with the Beijing Olympics, Leeds-based attraction Harewood House will be introducing a new ‘China and Chinoiserie’ theme for 2008. GTOs at the Fair will be able to learn more about its plans, which begin in March with the hanging of a 1760s Chinese wallpaper, an item that was left abandoned in an outbuilding for more than 150 years. It depicts scenes from 18th century Chinese life such as silk weaving, tea drying and planting rice fields and each detail has been expertly hand painted. Groups will be able to view the wallpaper in the East Bedroom where it will be displayed with Thomas Chippendale chinoiserie furniture. You will also be able to enjoy a new exhibition, featuring Chinese jade and porcelain and Chinese-inspired Chippendale furniture, which will be located in the adjoining Watercolour Rooms.
In addition, GTOs will be able to find out more information about visiting another popular attraction on the site, The Yorkshire Planetarium. Groups must pay a small supplement to enter the Planetarium, which gives you a chance to learn more about the Yorkshire night sky in its Star Theatre.
The new 16-page groups brochure will also be available at the stand, along with the opportunity to enter a free prize draw, in which one lucky GTO, and a guest, will be rewarded with a complimentary day ticket to Harewood House and dinner, bed and breakfast at the nearby Chevin Country Park Hotel and Spa.
The National Railway Museum is another attraction that will be exhibiting at the Great Days Out Fair next month. The team from the York-based attraction will also be promoting its new China theme, which runs from March until the end of the year, beginning with an exhibition called ‘The Last Days of Steam’. The exhibition runs from 21 March until 31st August and comprises 57 digital images, by railway photographer Michael Rhodes, of the Jitong line, industrial railways and narrow gauge lines in China.
In addition to this, the Museum will be hosting a Chinese Festival from 21st March to 6th April, which will comprise 17 days of activities, such as Chinese wok cooking demonstrations and the chance to try your hand at Tai Chi.
Continuing on the China theme, GTOs visiting the Museum from 2nd May will have the chance to board the cab of the Museum’s Chinese Locomotive for the first time in 30 years. Once open it will be permanently accessible to visitors. Accompanying the locomotive will be a brand new exhibition about the Engine and a programme of daily talks explaining how the Engine operated and what life was like for its crew.
Furthermore, the Museum will be breaking new ground with its first online exhibition, to be launched in August. Running until the end of the year, ‘A Modern View of China Railways Today’ will explore China’s railways in the 21st century and the impact on people’s lives.
GTOs visiting the Fair can also learn more about the Museum’s new Library and Archive Centre, known as Search Engine, which was launched last month. It allows visitors to access the library and archive collection from the main area of the Museum and features more than 1.5 million photographs, over one million engineering drawings and a collection of British railway posters, graphic art and advertising material.
Also exhibiting at the Great Days Out Fair will be the East Lancashire Railway, a heritage railway dating from 1846, which now offers vintage steam and diesel-operated travel between Heywood and Rawtenstall. Representatives will be manning the stand ready to discuss the various options available for group visits, which includes assistance with itinerary planning. For instance, groups might wish to combine a trip on the Railway with a visit to another attraction in the region, such as Bury Market or Oswaldtwistle Mills Shopping Village. The 12-mile journey has four station stops en-route, Bury Bolton Street, Summerseat, Ramsbottom and Irwell Vale, and fares vary depending on the distance travelled.
The Railway itself offers a choice of catering options for groups, ranging from onboard tea and coffee refreshment to Diners trains, available on Fridays, and Sunday Lunch trains. GTOs will have a chance to win one of these Diners or Sunday Lunch packages by entering a competion at the stand.
There will also be a chance to gather some information on the special events hosted by the Railway this year, which include the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the End of Steam, a week-long event in August to commemmorate the year that British Rail withdrew its last steam train from service in the north west.
Group travel packs will be available at the stand, along with updated timetables.
Shopaholics
Exhibiting at the Great Days Fair next month will be Lancashire-based attraction, Botany Bay. The venue comprises five floors and is popular with coach groups because it combines shops, three restaurants and a garden centre under one roof.
The highlight of its events calendar is the opening of the Christmas shop on the August Bank Holiday and representatives at the Fair will be on hand to discuss this year’s plans. In the past, visitors to Botany Bay have been treated to elaborate displays, which include Father Christmas having to be rescued from the roof of the building by the Lancashire Fire Brigade and Father Christmas being transported to the attraction by helicopter. This year’s plans are still to be confirmed; however it has been revealed that they might include an ice rink and real reindeers over the Bank Holiday weekend.
A new addition to this year’s events programme is the Ghost Nights, which will be hosted throughout the year by Jason Karl from Living TV’s ‘Most Haunted’. Prices will include a meal, a talk from Jason Kyle and a ghost tour around Botany Bay.
Visitors to Botany Bay must normally pay a membership fee in order to gain entry to the site; however groups receive free admisison. A promotion will be running at the Fair that will entitle all GTOs visiting the stand to free lifetime membership, which provides unlimited entry to Botany Bay and exclusive offers and discounts throughout the year.
Another shopping village based in Lancashire is Oswaldtwistle Mills, an attraction that also offers more to do besides shopping. Staff will be attending the Great Days Out Fair to promote its four new itineraries, which can be combined with shopping to create a full-day outing. ‘Shop and Shout’ features cream teas and bingo in the Hungry Tackler restaurant, ‘Shop and Psychic’ includes private tarot card readings, ‘Shop and Ceramics’ provides an opportunity to paint your own piece of pottery and ‘Shop and Sample’ is a wine tasting experience.
Also popular with group visitors are the variety shows, which are a chance to combine a two-course lunch with live entertainment. Two new performers have been confirmed for this year, Manc Sinatra who is a Frank Sinatra tribute, and a Tom Jones tribute artist.
GTOs visiting the stand will also have the chance to find out more about a new extended coach tour from Oswaldtwistle Mills, taking in the Ribble Valley and Pendle Hill country. A tour guide will board your coach for the two-hour guided tour, which will feature myths, murders and legends from the area.
In addition, there will be the opportunity to quiz the staff about the new food hall area, adjacent to the exisiting building, which is due to open in March. Featuring a new restaurant, chocolatiere and Polish delicatessen, the area will have seating for more than 100 people and will also feature live cookery demonstrations.
GTOs can find out more information about meet and greet services, GTO gift vouchers and group discount vouchers at the stand, along with information on forthcoming events, the 2008 groups brochure and the chance to enter a free prize draw.
Take a break
The Lindum Hotel, in St. Annes-on-Sea, will be exhibiting at the Reebok Stadium where GTOs will have the chance to learn more about what the 80-bed hotel has to offer group visitors. Staff from the Lancashire-based hotel will be promoting the food and drink options, which include three-course lunches, two-course high teas and festive lunch and tea dance options that comprise a three-course lunch and two hours of dancing, followed by afternoon tea. The latter option is available from mid-November until the new year.
If your group is after more than just a meal stop, the Hotel also offers competitive group rates on dinner, bed and breakfast, both mid-week and at weekends. Prices are detailed in the new groups leaflet, which will be available to collect at the stand, along with literature on the meal options. A free prize draw will also be running all day.
Also exhibiting at the Great Days Out Fair is Lancashire & Blackpool Tourism, a stand which GTOs can visit to find out more information on the 65-bed New President Hotel, in Blackpool. The Hotel has undergone a £750,000 renovation over the past year and was recently awarded the Investors in People award, which recognises the business’ commitment to staff training and development. The Hotel is also actively pursuing a three star rating with Quality in Tourism, which will be achieved by the summer.
The Atlanta Restaurant, which affords sea views, completed a refurbishment last month and groups visiting the Hotel will be able to enjoy a new carvery menu, prepared by a head chef who has cooked for the Queen and other members of the royal family.
The second phase of the renovation began this month and is due for completion by the end of February. It includes the refurbishment of Rhett’s Bar and the sun lounge, as well as a makeover for some of the bedrooms, which will involve replacing the bathrooms and installing new bedroom furniture. Group rates are available and GTOs go free.
Fylde-based Coastal Coaches is another company that will be represented on the Lancashire & Blackpool Tourism stand. The company, which is a triple winner of the title ‘Small Coach Operator of the Year’ at the routeONE Operator Excellence Awards, is a small group travel specialist, offering full transport within the UK and itinerary assistance for groups visiting the Blackpool, Preston and Fylde region. It offers luxurious travel in its eight-strong fleet of Mercedes Benz vehicles, ranging in seating capacity from 16 to 41, with all coaches featuring air conditioning, reclining seats and drivers in collar and tie uniform.
Great for groups
As well as a number of independent visitor attractions and hotels, there will also be various tourism bodies attending the Great Days Out Fair to promote attractions and destinations within the locality.
One of the tourism bodies with a presence at this year’s event will be Southport Tourism. The Merseyside town has recently undergone a rebranding exercise to become ‘England’s Classic Resort’, which recognises the town’s growth in the tourism sector, in contrast to the trend of decline experienced by many other British seaside resorts.
Representatives at the stand will be promoting the resort’s amenities, many of which have benefited, in recent years, from a £200 million investment. This includes a pier refurbishment and the pedestrianisation of Chapel Street, as well as brand new additions to the town such as a sea wall, the Ocean Plaza retail and leisure complex, an Eco Visitor Centre, the Dunes Leisure Centre and the Splash World water park attraction. Also attracting visitors to the resort is the ornate Victorian and Edwardian architecture and the mile-long Lord Street shopping boulevard.
This year, three new hotels will be opening in Southport. These include a 135-bed four-star hotel on the promenade, which will form part of the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre complex, an attraction re-opening in May following a major refurbishment, as well as a 60-bed boutique-style four-star hotel in Lord Street and a 62-bed four-star development at Formby Hall Golf Resort and Spa. More information about each of these developments will be available on the stand.
Additionally, GTOs will be able to discuss the possibility of arranging a sporting day out to ‘England’s Golfing Capital’. The resort is most famous for the Royal Birkdale golf course; however is also home to six other championship courses and will be hosting The Open Golf Championships at Royal Birkdale, in July.
Southport welcomes more than 6,000 coaches a year and has been identified as one of only nine ‘coach-friendly’ destinations in the UK by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), in recognition of its coaching facilities and promotions targeted to the groups market. Facilities include four town centre set-down and pick-up points, a secure coach park with an on-site driver’s lounge and a meet and greet team of coach hosts, available to welcome your group. Southport Tourism also has a dedicated Group Sales and Travel Trade Officer who can advise GTOs on places to visit and give details about discounts available when buying tickets to events in Southport.
GTOs interested in planning a visit to the town will find a broad range of literature at the stand including a ‘2008 Short Breaks and Accommodation Guide’, a ‘2008 Pocket Guide’ and a ‘2008 Group and Coach Rates Guide’. There will also be a competition to win tickets to the Southport Flower Show at Victoria Park, in August, and a family pass to Splash World water park.
Another tourism body exhibiting at the Great Days Out Fair will be St. Helen’s Council, where representatives will be launching its first ever visitor guide. St. Helen’s is a large town in Merseyside, which became a significant centre for coal mining and glassmaking in the 19th century, a heritage which can be explored at many of the town’s popular visitor attractions.
GTOs can pick up a copy of the guide at the Fair, which contains information on bars and restaurants, accommodation providers, attractions, such as Haydock Park Racecourse and the Northwest Museum of Road Transport, and a year-round events programme featuring the Eclectica Music Festival and Truckfest Northwest.
GTOs visiting the stand will also have the chance to win a hand-crafted item from the World of Glass, an attraction in St. Helen’s that offers glassblowing demonstrations, a 3D multi-sensory special effects show and a chance to tour the oldest glass-making furnace in the world, complete with its labyrinth of underground tunnels. The attraction also features two museum galleries, exploring the industrial heritage of St Helens and the history of glass. Discounts are offered for groups of 12 or more, along with free entry for GTOs. Groups also receive a 10% discount on selected purchases in the gift shop.
