From Virtual Beginnings to Global Adventures: Enya’s Journey in the Business Events Industry

For a lot of people my age, we share a similar beginning to our careers. In 2020, I was halfway through finishing my master’s degree, excited to be finished with sitting in on three-hour lectures and submit, what seemed like, endless pages of my dissertation. But as we all know 2020 was a unique year where everything changed.

I started my first marketing job in the summer of 2020 and trying to learn how to do your job when your only point of contact with people is through a screen is certainly a challenge. But having good mentors and people who are understanding of your situation is always fortunate and there were many people who helped me get to where I am today.

Since then, I’ve joined the VisitScotland Business Events team, and this has opened so many learning opportunities for me which have helped me to progress in my career. This year alone, I’ve joined the team at trade events in London and Leeds and have had the creative freedom to branch out with our social media content and make engaging videos and blogs that appeal to our stakeholders and partners. I’ve seen how marketing practices are rapidly changing, with AI on the rise and TikTok quickly overtaking other social media channels for monthly active users. It’s an exciting time to be in this field and my most recent learning experience opened my eyes to the many changes we are going to face throughout our lifetime.

In February 2023, I was presented with the opportunity to apply for Destinations International 30 Under 30 programme, a destination focused initiative that brings young people from all over North America and the rest of the world together. Needless to say, I was delighted to have been chosen to represent Scotland on a global platform.

To begin the year-long programme, we convened at the Annual Convention in Dallas, Texas last month. The Annual Convention was a celebration of the organisation’s achievements and brought people from all over the world to share their industry knowledge and expertise. The main theme of the conference was ‘The Year of RE: Reimagine’ and the sessions were certainly modelled off this concept, with particular emphasis on future-proofing destinations in the face of the climate emergency.

We are facing record-breaking temperatures across the world, with the UK experiencing our hottest June on record, so for me discussions on the climate emergency were crucial. I learnt a lot about destination safeguarding and ensuring local communities are reaping the full rewards and benefits of tourism whilst protecting our natural heritage sites. It was interesting to learn how destinations like New Zealand and Hawai’i are taking a community-led approach to tourism, facilitating innovative initiatives to ensure local populations are being protected. Scotland was constantly praised for its position as a leader in climate emergency policy and transformational initiatives. However, understanding the full extent of what other destinations are facing I believe we can do more to protect our environment and the people living in it.

As part of the 30 Under 30 group, we were also invited to talks that were specific to our learning including an opportunity to speak with industry leaders across the organisation and discuss our current challenges and opportunities whilst leaning into their experiences and advice for us as we begin our careers. It was a thoroughly enjoyable week and when in Texas, it is certainly go big or go home! A unique experience I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

It’s exciting to be part of an organisation that facilitates opportunities such as these and once again, grateful for the ongoing support from my VS team who have helped me further my development and learning within the role. I’m excited for the year ahead with Destinations International and believe it will make a significant impact on the work that I do for VisitScotland Business Events.

This team-focused blog series shines a light on members of the VisitScotland Business Events team, offering personal insights on the work they do within the business events industry. We hope to learn from one another through these blogs and showcase some of the amazing work being done by our people and celebrate their achievements.