The ASSC Annual Conference and Exhibition is the only major event aimed directly at the people and businesses providing short-term let and holiday rental accommodation in Scotland. We are delighted to announce that the 2018 Conference will be a UK-wide event, attracting fellow self-caterers / short-term rental operators, suppliers and industry representatives from all over the United Kingdom.

The Conference will be held on Tuesday, 30th October 2018, at the Hilton Glasgow. We will be focusing on The Business of Self-Catering, gleaning essential insights into future developments in the sector; drawing on the expertise and knowledge of UK-wide experts; understanding the challenges being faced in different parts of the country and offering the opportunity to take away valuable and essential practical knowledge from our break-out sessions.

We expect over 300 business owners, property managers, service providers and industry decision makers to attend. It will offer the opportunity to network with other accommodation providers, industry leaders and providers of sector-specific products and services. It will inspire, motivate and educate.

The Conference will once again be hosted by Willie Cameron, Director of Visit Loch Ness, Director of Highlands & Islands Tourism Awards and Founding Director of the Cobbs Group.   We are delighted to confirm that Xavier Font, Professor of Sustainability Marketing, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Surrey; Geoff Ramm, motivational and inspirational speaker and Creator of Celebrity Service and OMG Marketing; Stephen Whitelaw, Digital Marketing consultant, Social Media Evangelist and Technology public speaker; and Mark Beaumont, Athlete, Broadcaster and Ambassador will be presenting in the afternoon.

Further session details below including short synopsis of each session –

Hear first-hand from Geoff Ramm, Speaker & Author, Geofframm.com / Creator of Celebrity Service and OMG Marketing on how to Discover the Gap In Your Service You Never Knew Existed.  “You think you deliver great service and then along came an A list celebrity?  And everything about you and your business changed.  Forever”.  The Celebrity Service philosophy will rethink and re-design your levels of service for each and every customer.  Through Consistency, Excitement, Love, Engagement, Bravado, Response, Independence, Thank You and You and Your Team will leave the conference with ideas to go way beyond 10/10 for customer service.

Stephen Whitelaw, Managing Director, Orthic Consulting – will deliver a live interactive and in-depth look into the future of the web covering technologies that will affect your tourism business in the next 5 years. The “Future of the Web“ session will reveal some of the up to date tricks and techniques that will save you time and money enabling you to stay relevant in the 21st century.

Xavier Font, Professor of Sustainability Marketing MSc PhD, Surrey University will explain Five Benefits of Marketing Your Authenticity and Sustainability for Self-Catering Businesses – Self-catering businesses will benefit from improving their products and communications, to show the uniqueness of their offering. This session will review how better marketing and communication of sustainability can help businesses save money, increase demand, improve customer satisfaction, improve the quality of service, and reduce seasonality.

We will also have a UK Industry Overview with representatives from Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales participating.
Questions will be asked from a panel of UK-wide experts about the Challenges & Opportunities Throughout the UK. The session will be hosted by Linda Battison, Vice-Chair of ASSC; Owner Cologin Country Chalets and Lodges (Oban); Director Oban & Lorn Tourism Alliance Ltd and Development Agent Argyll and the Isles Tourism Cooperative Ltd.  Panel members to include:

• Chris Greenwood, Senior Tourism Insight Manager, VisitScotland
• Alistair Handyside, Professional Association of Self-Caterers
• Martin Sach, The Holiday Home Association (formerly English Association of Self-Catering Operators)
• Peter Downey, Chair of Irish Self Catering Federation
• Felicity Elphick, Board Member, Wales Association of Self-Catering Operators
• John Donnelly, Chief Executive, Marketing Edinburgh Ltd

There are four fantastic break-out sessions happening throughout the day (when booking through Eventbrite please choose which session you wish to attend ie either 1a OR 1b and 2a OR 2b)

Break-out Session 1a (sponsored by HomeAway):

• James Cassidy, Senior Director, Partner Success EMEA, HomeAway UK Limited will discuss The Usage of Real Time Data to Improve Traveller Experience and Conversion – Renting out a holiday home is an excellent way to make money and use of a place which otherwise would be vacant outside of one’s personal holiday time. But how to set the rates holidaymakers should pay? How to stay competitive with others in the area, increase the occupancy or adapt prices to market needs when necessary? Figuring out the optimal rates for a holiday home owner’s property can be complex and time consuming. HomeAway designed a new revenue management tool that gives its partners real time insights to help them make informed decisions, set competitive rates in alignment with their personal goals and ultimately increases their revenue.

Break-out Session 1b:

• Do you want to appreciate The Importance of Quality Assessment & Accreditation in the Hospitality Industry? Stephen Martin, Managing Director, International Serviced Apartment Accreditation Process (ISAAP) will guide you through the six important steps to improve upon the quality you already provide. The aim of the session is to consider the value of Quality Accreditation as a differentiator in the hospitality industry, and for the audience to participate in this exciting interactive session to develop a comprehensive list of Best Quality Practices for the Self-Catering sector.

Break-out Session 2a (sponsored by CritonApps):  

• Julie Grieve, Founder and CEO of Information Apps Ltd outline How a Bit of Tech Can Go a Long Way in the Self-Catering Industry  – what technology is available nowadays to help you enhance your guest experience whilst also improving your efficiency? How is guest-technology going to change in the future according to your guests’ needs?  And…. find out what your guests expect and how you can embrace the change.

Break-out Session 2b:  Fire Safety in Self-Catering Properties – What You Need to Know

• Join Caroline Millar, Owner of The Hideaway Experience and Garry Marshall, Temporary Station Manager, Deputy Head of Fire Safety Enforcement, Prevention & Protection, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service to hear first hand how having just invested in a new luxury lodge on the edge of their farm, Caroline and her husband were informed of higher specification fire safety requirements now in force since they built their last properties. They experienced issues around the many “experts” and their varying interpretation of the requirements which provided solutions varying from £30,000 to £900, and, in the end the £900 solution worked. Caroline is keen to make fellow hospitality owners aware of what they experienced so they are informed for any future developments they are planning.
• Garry Marshall, from Scottish Fire & Rescue Service will outline fire safety regulations in current and new self-catering / holiday properties including – duty holder responsibilities; fire risk assessment and guidance; common issues in smaller sleeping premises and potentially look at fires in the hospitality industry.

Confirmed programme – ASSC Conference 2018 – Programme

SuperControl is sponsoring the pre-event drinks reception the night before the main ASSC Conference. It’s the perfect networking opportunity for both existing clients, and those interested in finding out more.  Join us at this informal evening, you can:

• meet the SuperControl team
• find out what’s new and what we’ve got in the pipeline
• get expert advice (including best practice tips)

About the ASSC

The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) is the only trade association working exclusively for self-catering in Scotland. The ASSC supports high and consistent standards in self-catering, and a first-class experience for visitors and guests.  It is led, managed and inspired by the people who own and run holiday cottages throughout Scotland. Membership is around 650, representing about 7,000 properties across Scotland.

 Sponsors, Exhibitors & Advertisers

The ASSC conference offers unique opportunities to engage with highly valued and active industry professionals; interact directly with self-catering accommodation owners; have direct discussions with key decision makers; increase your brand awareness and position your organisation at the forefront of the self-catering industry.  A number of sponsorship, exhibition and advertising opportunities exist for businesses and organisations to get involved in and be profiled as during the run up to and on the day of the conference. A range of opportunities are available to suit all budgets. ASSC conference audiences have always highlighted the value of speaking face to face with suppliers they may have heard of but been reluctant to buy from. Our delegates like gaining fresh ideas, and hearing about the latest opportunities within a fast-moving industry.  We invite you to seize this opportunity.

or download the manual booking form – ASSC-Conference-2018-Booking Form

Delegate Booking Payment Terms: Full payment is due on booking / as invoiced. Cancellations must be received in writing by email before 1st October 2018. NO refunds will be made after 1st October 2018. Conference places are transferrable to colleagues, please advise name change as soon as possible.

Data Protection: The information you supply will be used by ASSC for administrative purposes within the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998. We shall not supply it to third parties. In readiness for the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) – effective May 2018 – booking via Eventbrite confirms that you give consent for your contact details to be safely retained for ASSC administrative purposes regarding membership and/or event details. Personal details will not be shared with any supplier, speaker or exhibitor. You can opt out at any time. 

For further information contact our event organiser:

• Joyce Borthwick, Crescent Events Ltd
• Tel: 0131 554 8998
• Email: joyce.borthwick@crescentevents.co.uk

Conference management by Crescent Events.