South of Scotland Destination Alliance Conference 2023

South of Scotland Destination Alliance annual conference

The South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) conference 2023 will take place on Tuesday 14 March 2023 at Peebles Hydro, Peebles. You can book tickets now through the SSDA website.

The South of Scotland Destination Alliance annual conference is for anyone keen to help grow the tourism sector to its full potential. After a successful conference last year, the SSDA look forward to welcoming the industry back again for an exciting opportunity to:

• Spend the day with industry leaders
• Meet the new CEO, David Hope-Jones
• Hear about all the developments and actions SSDA has undertaken this year in promoting the South of Scotland to the world
• Hear from a variety of speakers
• Participate in workshops
• Network

The agenda for the day

• 09:30 -10:00 Registration
• 10:00 -10:30 START Welcome from SSDA Chair and CEO
• 10:30 -11:15 Celebrating our visitor economy
• 11:15 -11:45 Refreshments and networking
• 11:45 -12:30 Shaping our visitor economy
• 12:30 -13:30 Lunch and networking

• 13:30 -15:00 Sustainable Business Focus: 2023 & Beyond with industry breakout sessions

• 15:00 -15:30 Refreshments and networking

• 15:30 -17:15 The future of our visitor economy

• 17:15 - END closing remarks - SSDA Chair

Speaker | Lynn Donnelly, VisitScotland Senior Responsible Tourism Manager

Speaker, Lynn Donnelly

Lyn Donnelly, our Senior Responsible Tourism Manager, will be a key speaker at the conference during the "Shaping our visitor economy" section. 

Lyn leads our Responsible Tourism Strategy, driving the ambition for Scotland to be a leader in 21st century tourism. With a passion for travel, Lyn has over 20 years experience in the travel and tourism industry working in New Zealand, Australia, and Scotland. 

Based in our Industry Destination Development Directorate since October 2015, Lyn was responsible for devising, and implementing, our "Shop Local" initiative supporting over 200 Scottish suppliers on their sustainable retail journey. Lyn initially joined our Event Directorate in 2013, as part of the themed years team, and has previously worked across the tourism sector supporting responsible growth.   

As our Senior Responsible Tourism Manager, Lyn leads on sustainable and inclusive tourism, and has played a key role in developing responsible tourism support for the industry and driving our commitment to develop Scotland as a world leading responsible destination.  

A full list of the speakers can be found at the SSDA website. There are also opportunities for discounted accommodation rates and there is a bus running from Dumfries and Galloway, all information is available on the booking page.