Wild About Argyll and CHArts join forces.
Culture, Heritage and Arts Assembly Argyll and Isles (CHArts) recently joined forces with Wild About Argyll who were working with Food from Argyll, to showcase some of the best Argyll makers and producers during its first Argyll Food and Drink Festival at the Briggait in Glasgow on the 19th August.
Over 350 people passed through the old market building in Glasgow at the first of what is hoped to be many events which showcase the food, drink, cultural, creative and heritage assets of Argyll and the Isles. Wild About Argyll’s development manager Carron Tobin said of the event:
“There are not many areas of Scotland with their food and drink, creative and tourism sectors working so collaboratively. This is a real showcase of what Argyll has to offer across tourism and food, design and drinks. This first event certainly felt like it has legs and we look forward to exploring doing more in the future.”
CHArts invited eleven makers, artists and producers to showcase their work alongside Argyll’s food, drink and tourism offer, with a catalogue created and bound by one of the fantastic makers, Gillian Stewart of Juju Books.
(www.jujubooks.co.uk)
“I am a new member of CHArts and was really impressed by the quality of work from the other makers showcased, reflecting the diversity of our work. For me the benefit was without doubt the opportunity to speak with the other makers, our shared experiences in business and the challenges of working remotely”. (Sarah Selman, Design in Harmony, www.designinharmony.co.uk)
CHArts is a growing network which brings together creative people and organisations who live and work in the region, aiming to promote itself through local and national platforms and provide real opportunities for growth for culture, heritage and arts. The Argyll Food and Drink Festival was the first in a long line of upcoming opportunities which the network can benefit from, promoting Argyll as a must-visit Scottish destination, as told by the people who know it best.
“The venue was visually stunning, and the quality of the products and services on display was very high, an excellent showcase for Argyll”. (David Price, Three Wee Crows, www.threeweecrows.co.uk)
Makers and visitors alike were impressed by the quality and diversity of work on show at the Briggait, reflecting the skill and passion of the people working in, and being inspired by, this region of unique heritage and landscape.
“I hope that the CHArts network will help me get more exposure in a wider area and with events like the Briggait get to meet like minded makers who I would not get to see otherwise”. (Ray Beverley, www.raybeverley.co.uk)
With work on display ranging from jewellery to furniture design, printmaking to textiles, music to theatre, there was great engagement with the makers’ work and exciting new connections made between them, allowing everyone to take home their own piece of Argyll.
MORE OPPORTUNITIES WITH WILD ABOUT ARGYLL AND CHARTS.
In October Wild About Argyll and CHArts will be teaming up once again.
Are you an organisation, venue or individual who would welcome small tours to your space? CHArts will be attending a speed dating session on the 22 October organised by Wild About Argyll with the SDMA.
https://www.wildaboutargyll.co.uk http://www.scotland-sdma.org.uk
CHArts will showcase your venue or practice to touring companies, along side promoting our catalogue of makers, producers and artists who attended our Briggait event in August.
Fill out this form to be included in our promotion of culture, heritage and arts activity to touring companies.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeX9P8naGkRUSIO81Coxb-tVcWy1-CzBk-RSPUyueMqQ9bTfw/viewform
Wild About Argyll have also released additional places for the CHArts network to their Wild About Argyll Digital Roadshow.
These events are a direct follow up from the AITC’s mini summits last winter and DMO summit in March — and are aimed at tourism operators accommodation, attractions, events and activities.
AITC’s digital community manager Daniel MacIntyre will be updating on AITC’s digital strategy and content calendar and explain how we can all achieve so much more by collaborating online as a digital community — both within your local area and across Argyll. Changes in how Facebook and others operate are making it harder for individual organic activity to achieve results so digital collaboration is definitely the way to go to get the reach and impact.
AITC will be sharing the plans for the exciting £100k campaign with People Make Glasgow, Love Loch Lomond, the Council and VisitScotland Growth Fund which goes live imminently. AITC are working with all the travel partners — Scotrail, Calmac, Loganair, West Coast Motors, Enterprise rent-a-car and Glasgow Airport. The campaign is called Glasgow & Argyll — The Heart & Soul of Scotland. There is a great creative for this campaign and AITC and partners will be promoting itineraries to ten areas of Argyll using short inspirational films celebrating what Glasgow and each area of Argyll has to offer. You will see the creative, hear about the media plan starting at the end of September through to March next year — and find out how to get involved and make this campaign work for your local DMO/area and individual business members.
AITC will also be providing an update on the next programme of Digital Tourism Scotland with several new workshops available in Argyll in the coming months which will be of interest to businesses who interact with visitors.
These roadshows are being supported by EXPEDIA who will be presenting on ‘OTA’s — The Benefits beyond Bookings’ — dispelling many of the myths around Online Travel Agents. This will be of particular interest to accommodation providers and activities and attractions.
The full programme is set out below. If you haven’t already booked and are interested simply click the link for your area for the venue and timings and how to book your place.
WILD ABOUT ARGYLL DIGITAL ROADSHOW 2018
‘OTA’S — THE BENEFITS BEYOND BOOKINGS’
Supported by Expedia
COWAL 20 Sept
https://waadigitalroadshowcowal.eventbrite.co.uk
ARGYLL’S SECRET COAST 20 Sept
https://waadigitalroadshowsecretcoast.eventbrite.co.uk
BUTE 21 Sept
https://waadigitalroadshowbute.eventbrite.co.uk
MULL 24 Sept
https://waadigitalroadshowmull.eventbrite.co.uk
OBAN 24 Sept
https://waadigitalroadshowoban.eventbrite.co.uk
HEART OF ARGYLL 25 Sept
https://waadigitalroadshowinveraray.eventbrite.co.uk
ISLAY 26 Sept
https://waadigitalroadshowislay.eventbrite.co.uk
LOMOND AND CLYDE SEA LOCHS 27 Sept
https://waadigitalroadshowhelensburgh.eventbrite.co.uk
KINTYRE 28 Sept
https://waadigitalroadshowcampbeltown.eventbrite.co.uk
TARBERT 28 Sept
https://waadigitalroadshowtarbert.eventbrite.co.uk
CHArts and Argyll and Bute Council have secured funding from Creative Scotland and Argyll and the Islands LEADER programme to undertake a Place Partnership project over the next two years. The development of CHArts will be undertaken through various funded projects. These have come from steering group, meetings, consultation with the hubs and the Strategic Action Plan for Culture, Heritage and Arts 2014.
www.explorechartsargyllandisles.org
