Wealth & Finance International - Business Awards 2016

Business Awards 2016 24 Best for Private & Corporate Events - Edinburgh The Scotch Whisky Experience is a visitor attraction with private events facilities, proving an entirely unique venue to corporate and private clients. We spoke to Wendy Neave to find out more about this one-of-a-kind venue. Company: The Scotch Whisky Experience Name: Wendy Neave Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk Address: 354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH1 2NE Telephone: 0131 220 0441 The Scotch Whisky Experience is the only business in the world which is owned by, and represents the Scotch whisky distillers, providing access to unrivalled industry-wide knowledge and expertise. Wendy is keen to talk us through what sets the company apart and makes for a truly remarkable experience. “The Scotch Whisky Experience is an entirely unique venue for a number of reasons. Firstly, as the only business in the world which is owned by, and represents the Scotch whisky distillers we are truly the expert home of Scotch whisky. “All aspects of the business reflect the globally renowned, quality product at the core of our business, including our location, as we are situated in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town world heritage site, providing a wonderful arrival up the cobbled Castlehill, beneath the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. Additionally, we are a multi-faceted venue allowing clients to enjoy a private meeting and experience a range of whisky tour and tasting options, followed by either private or restaurant dining and even retail and personal shopper options. “Alongside the experience itself, we offer excellent catering provided in-house by the team in Amber Restaurant, and guests can choose to dine in the restaurant itself or within one of the private dining spaces. Amber’s locally sourced, seasonal produce is accredited with the “Taste our Best” award.” The venue, which is fully accessible, has recently been refurbished, with a £484,000 investment on the venue’s top floor private events suite. This rejuvenation has helped the company to work around the various developments that Edinburgh’s tourism market has seen in recent years, as Wendy outlines. “There is exceptional growth in the Edinburgh tourism sector and with our varied business offering our biggest challenge is being able to accommodate the variety of requests and fitting with our availability. Managing the visitor attraction side of the business in balance with the unique private event offering is our strength. We have developed a wide range of different whisky themes offers over the years to enhance a conference, meeting or dinner booking. This range now perfectly accommodates differing group sizes, differing levels of Scotch whisky knowledge and specific luxury products, in addition to becoming more accessible from a physical and language point of view. “Another recent development for the Scotch Whisky Experience is that we also expanded our partnership with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo to offer an additional fully integrated hospitality package to meet increased demand. This now gives us an increased capacity every evening over three unique dining and whisky tasting packages prior to each performance.” Operating a personal and individual approach to each and every event is a strong part of the Scotch Whisky Experience ethos. No two events are ever alike and the feedback which the venue receives from clients strongly reflects this, ensuring that everyone who books an event there can be assured of a truly unforgettable, unique experience tailored to their individual tastes and preferences. Ultimately, the Scotch Whisky Experience has seen strong growth since its refurbishment, and is keen to capitalise on this and continue to grow and prosper in the months and years to come. “In the past twelve months we have seen an exceptional uplift in business, however perhaps the best benchmark of the success of the full service offer is measured by the extent of both new and repeat business. We have seen an increase in revenue year on year of 27%, of which 60% was repeat business, as many clients who had booked with us in past years have returned and booked regularly since our refurbishment. “Moving forward we are keen to continue to build upon this success and continue to offer our unique packages, with our PR campaigns focusing on attracting new bookers to our innovative events and package options. “Fundamentally, Scotch whisky is an icon of Scotland and on the ‘must see’ list for almost all leisure and corporate visitors. Our location, range of experiences and language provision is the perfect blend.” BU160011 The Scotch Whisky Experience