AI Marketing Expert set to showcase AI on a Shoestring to visitor attraction operators at upcoming AVEA Conference
The upcoming AVEA (Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions) Conference planned for October 13th to 15th in Kilkenny will see the founder of ProfileTree and AI expert Ciaran Connelly take to the stage to showcase how to effectively use AI on a shoestring to maximise marketing efforts.
Ciaran has grown ProfileTree from a small team of 2 into a strong team of 24. Online he creates videos and training, which are delivered through YouTube and various websites. He continues to drive innovation in the digital marketing landscape through the adoption of AI tools in business practices and designs, develops and supports optimised websites and e-commerce sites for a large number of companies from the USA to Australia. At the conference, he will share his expertise in using AI to get the most for your marketing efforts and team productivity.
CEO of AVEA Catherine Flanagan says, “We are very excited to welcome Ciaran to the conference. He works at the cutting edge of AI and is up to speed on what technology is evolving daily. He will demystify AI and share insights into some of the best tools for the best results. Tourism and hospitality are all about the personal touch, and AI can be a powerful and positive behind-the-scenes tool that enables us to spend more time connecting and engaging with the visitor.”
Ciaran says, “In any business, we are always looking for ways to improve what we do. A lot of tasks are robotic and repetitive, and by effectively using AI we can remove some of these more basic tasks that we no longer need to do and allow business team members to focus on the higher-level strategic parts of the business.
The speed of AI adoption since November 2022 is phenomenal. It is clear AI is the future, no matter what happens next — it will be a bigger part of everyone’s life. One of the biggest challenges I see is getting staff onboard with using AI. We are all naturally resistant to changing how we work; for example, when you ask a team of writers to adopt ChatGPT, they initially think that they are sacrificing part of their creativity but AI is a tool for facilitating creativity and content writing, instead of staring at a blank screen or putting hours into research for an article, there is a tool that could help do all of that a lot quicker.
My delivery at the upcoming conference is to arm the visitor attraction industry with some key knowledge and tools to focus their marketing efforts and reap the most reward by doing so.”
Over 200 delegates will gather in Kilkenny at the Ormonde Hotel for the 7th annual AVEA conference. In a bid to tackle tourism visitor numbers and issues head-on and work towards providing the best experience for visitors, the industry will come together. The owners and operators of Ireland’s leading visitor attractions will gather to discuss how the industry can drive further visitor numbers and future-proof their businesses under the theme of ‘Innovation – Agility – Inclusion’.
A conference’s leadership panel discussion will include Tourism Ireland CEO Alice Mansergh, Failte Ireland’s Jenny De Saulle, Chief Executive at Irish Tourism Industry Confederation Eoghan O’ Mara Walsh, CEO at Tourism Northern Ireland John McGrillen.
In addition to the leadership panel, the international speakers include Laura Magee, CEO of Thoroughbred Country, Nik Wyness, Head of Marketing, the Tank Museum, Dorset, Alison Bowyer, Executive Director, Kids in Museums, Eleanore Hutch and Kat Riddell, Diageo Brand Homes, Sally Booth and Olivia Hewley from VocalEyes, Michael Faley, Sector Lead for Travel, Google, Gary Farrington, Senior Partner Manager EMEA, Expedia Group, Rachel Kuhn, Senior Director, BOP Consulting and Anne O’Donoghue, CEO, Irish Heritage Trust.
A highlight of the conference is sure to be the Gala Dinner at St Canice’s Cathedral, which expects to welcome over 150 of Ireland’s tourism leaders. St Canice’s will be showcasing the illuminated Book of Ossory, which is on display in its new home for the first time in its 700-year history.
AVEA is the collective voice of the visitor attraction and experience sector, with members ranging from the Guinness Storehouse to Fanad Lighthouse, and provides a strong voice in tourism for businesses operating as Visitor Attractions and Visitor Experiences that entertain and engage visitors in Irish heritage and culture.
For details on the upcoming AVEA conference see www.avea.ie
