Welcome to the launch of our exciting Free programme of masterclasses, workshops and peer to peer support sessions designed specifically for the Tourism and Hospitality sectors in partnership with Experience West Sussex and the Institute of Hospitality.

Given the extremely challenging time this sector has experienced during the pandemic and Brexit, West Sussex County Council has prioritised funding for Small and Medium-sized enterprises to receive specific innovation support to recover and boost growth.

If you are keen to find out how to attract new customers, enhance their experiences, hear from experts and industry innovators, and develop new ideas for your business or organisation, this introductory webinar will explain more about the programme and the valuable opportunities it will offer.

We are holding two introductory events, where the RISE team will be joined by expert guest speakers to discuss innovations for Tourism and Hospitality, unpack the Horizons series themes, and of course be available to answer any of your questions.

The full Horizons programme will cover a range of highly relevant and interesting topics, all with a tourism and hospitality focus:

• New technologies for enhancing business operations and visitor experiences
• Understanding your customer/visitor journey from ‘look to book’
• The value of data analytics to the sector
• Enhancing your customer/visitor offer
• Sustainability and Net Zero support
• Diversity and inclusivity to attract new staff and customers
• Action Learning Sets to problem solve challenges with peers

The programme also culminates with an opportunity to access an additional £5,000 of specialist support for a new business idea or project where we can match you with university expertise to develop new services, processes, products or business models.

Guest speaker:

Dr Marina Novelli is Professor of Tourism and International Development at the University of Brighton.

Additional Guest speakers from the sector to be confirmed.

Please note this webinar will be repeated on 5 April.

This event is valued at £50 of State Aid support. State aid information is detailed in our T&Cs.