From Meet in Wales:
Meet in Wales has partnered with SFA Connect to further expand its ambassador programme and increase knowledge and learning within Wales across the association conference sector. SFA will support the Ambassador Wales Conference Programme which mirror’s the destination’s wider strategy of working with specific sectors that underline the country’s industrial strengths.
The agency has already achieved early results within the programme, which remains the only national-level ambassador programme of its kind, adding two new members – Dr Rhian Heyward MBE – Aberystwyth University – AberInnovation, and Prof Denis Dennehy – Swansea University, who has already bought the IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS23) to Swansea School of Management in Sept 2023.
As part of SFA Connect’s scope of work, the team will use the ambassador programme to unlock international associations that share a natural affinity with Wales. Meet In Wales has access to 21 Welsh Government international offices in 12 countries, working alongside it’s International Strategy which sets its approach to international engagement and the efforts to ensure Wales has a growing profile and influence in the World.
In addition, SFA Connect continue to use their experience across the meetings and events industry to provide guidance around the use of Meet In Wales’s subvention budget. The destination currently has a share of the wider Event Wales annual budget, which is used to attract events across Sport & Mass Participation, Arts & Culture, and Business Events. The funds also support the wider Meet In Wales strategy to attract international events that will both flourish in the destination or enrich either its people or its business and academic strengths.
“SFA bring with them a wealth of experience and understanding and together we can ensure that organisers continue to see Wales as a leading conference and events destination,” commented Heledd Williams, Head of Business Events, Meet In Wales. “Our industry sector strategy is core to our ambassador programme and SFA are uniquely positioned to support this. We’re looking forward to working with them and building on the early successes of our programme.”
Earlier this year Meet In Wales announced the appointment of 10 new ambassadors to the programme, which has since grown to 12, all of which are already contributing to business events in the destination. Some of the major successes for the programme include confirmation of the arrival of the World Chefs Congress & Expo 2026, coming to ICC Wales, and the securing of the Euro Sims conference to ICC Wales and USW in January 2023. SFA’s target is to secure and manage 100 ambassadors over the course of their three-year contract, and aiming for 30 ambassadors per annum
Sarah Fleming – aligning bids to sectors
“There is so much knowledge capital, and so many growing industries across Wales at the moment. Our role is to find and motivate the right ambassadors that will bring in the events that sit best in the destination based on their sector fit, give them the optimum opportunity for success, leave a long-term legacy and support economic development,” comments Sarah Fleming, Managing Director, SFA Connect. “There is already some great work being done within this unique programme, and we’re looking forward to building on it.”
One of the many added benefits for the destination will come from SFA’s wider remit to support the business events community in Wales. This will include working closer with both Meet In Wales’s Hero Group and the brand’s Ambassador Wales Working Group, set up between the Wales’s six universities*, and its larger venues and destinations.
