Experience UK, a not-for-profit trade association representing British businesses involved in the creation and delivery of world-class visitor attractions and experiences, has launched three new membership steering groups to help shape the organisation's future direction.
By bringing together leading voices from across the experience economy, these groups aim to strengthen the role of trade body members in shaping its priorities, programmes and future direction.
The new groups, Experience Creators, Experience Operators and Place Shapers, reflect the breadth of Experience UK’s membership and will offer a dedicated space for members to share their insights into the opportunities, challenges and emerging trends impacting different areas of the industry.
Delivering value for members
Serving as a key sounding board for Experience UK, the groups will help inform future programmes, foster greater collaboration across the membership, and ensure that the organisation’s work continues to provide meaningful value for its members.
The Experience Creators steering group will be chaired by Stephen Reid, founder of AttractionBrand.
Reid will be joined by Jim Broughton, independent; Anaïs Aguerre of Culture Connect; Dominic Baker of The Production Family; Paddy Jordan-Higgins of Story Factory Studios; and James Rowell of JR Creative Group.
The Path Entertainment Group's David Hutchinson will chair the Experience Operators steering group, alongside Richard Lang of ORBE; John Sullivan of The Big Picture; Ben Lheureux of Science Museum Group; Neil Dolan of Little Lion Entertainment; and Mat Way of Immersive Everywhere.
The Place Shapers steering group will be chaired by Paul Owens of BOP Consulting, with Samuel Kirk of BCIstudio; Julian Long of Foundation Recruitment; and Meri Mance of Mance Communications.
The three groups bring extensive experience, insight and expertise from across the industry. They will collaborate closely with Experience UK to identify emerging opportunities, respond to sector challenges, and help develop focused initiatives that deliver value to the wider membership.
Ian Clappison, chief executive officer of Experience UK, says: "Our members are at the heart of Experience UK, so it’s important that they have a meaningful role in shaping what we do and where we go next.
"The creation of our three membership steering groups gives us a valuable new way to listen to the different voices across our community.
"By bringing together creators, operators and place shapers, we can better understand the priorities of each part of our membership while identifying opportunities to collaborate across the wider experience economy.
"We have an exceptional breadth of knowledge and expertise within our membership, and I’m looking forward to working with the groups to turn that insight into activity that delivers real value for our members."
Over the coming months, Experience UK will work closely with all three steering groups and will provide updates on their activity and initiatives in due course.
Organisations interested in joining the Experience UK community can do so before IAAPA Expo Europe and save 20% on membership.
Last month, Experience UK announced the selection of Ticket Tailor as its official ticketing partner to cover events such as the association's Alice in Wonderland-inspired IAAPA Expo Europe Opening Night Mixer and its InnovateX conference.
Rebecca Hardy has over 10 years' experience in the culture and heritage sector. She studied Fine Art at university and has written for a broad range of creative organisations including artists, galleries, and retailers. When she's not writing, she spends her time getting lost in the woods and making mud pies with her young son.
