Experience Development Industry Event and Networking Session

25th October 2023

On Wednesday 25 October, Ards and North Down Borough Council (ANDBC) Tourism Development Team, welcomed 40 local tourism providers and experts to the Cultra Manor, Ulster Folk Museum, to share ideas and network in preparation for the Experience Programme 2024/25.

During this event attendees had the opportunity to meet other businesses in 'speed' 1-2-1 networking sessions and hear from a panel of local businesses about how collaboration can work. As well as learning how to become part of the Ards and North Down Experience programme for 2024/25, which provides opportunities to pilot new experiences. 

L to R :Host Jessica Hoyle, TNI, Cailin Lynn, National Museums Northern Ireland, Matthew Walton, Lake and Oak, Mark Rodgers, Dalriada Kingdom Tours, Lorraine Small, The Walled Garden Helen’s Bay, Nina Cristinacce, Lightfoot Zero Waste Market and Laura Johnston, ANDBC Tourism Development.

The programme is aimed at providing an opportunity for local tourism providers to “pilot” visitor experiences within the borough, whilst reducing the risk to businesses by ANDBC paying for the delivery of one pilot experience and inclusion of the experience in its promotional programme.  

The intention is to increase the visitor offering within Ards and North Down, along with visitor numbers and economic spend.  The programme allows businesses to test ‘experience’ ideas with the aim of long-term inclusion of successful pilots within businesses’ product/experience portfolio. The criteria to apply is available online via the link below. 

A very special thanks to our partners National Museums Northern Ireland for hosting us at Cultra Manor.

The Experience Development Programme 2024/25 Expression of Interest is open from Thursday 26 October and runs until Sunday 12 November at 6pm

For further information and the criteria to apply, go to ANDBC Experience Development Programme April 2024 - March 2025.