Corporate > About Destination Bristol > Meet the Team

Meet the Team

The Destination Bristol team comprises about 20 staff working in two separate business units, tourism marketing and skills development.

Managing Director - John Hallett

John Hallett
John was appointed as Chief Executive of Bristol Tourism and Conference Bureau at its inception in 1999 having previously served as Assistant Director of Leisure for Bristol, and has held tourism and leisure operational and marketing positions throughout the UK since 1979 as well as having undertaken consultancy work. He founded the South West Tourism Skills Networks and is a qualified European Assessor for the European Foundation for Quality Management. His job is to serve as an advocate for the tourism industry and translate the company's corporate plan into actions that will improve the competitiveness of the industry.

email: john.hallett@destinationbristol.co.uk

Tourism policy
Research
Property investment
Strategic partnerships

Commercial Services Manager - Kathryn Davis

Kathryn Kathryn joined the company in 2000 having worked in the media and hotel sectors, and at Bristol City Football Club, and has been at the forefront of the delivery of the company's ground breaking e-commerce strategy. As Commercial Services Manager, Kathryn heads the team responsible for supporting the company's membership scheme, the tourist information service and the marketing of the city as a conference destination.

email: kathryn.davis@destinationbristol.co.uk

Membership services and benefits
Local partnerships
Visitor services
Business travel

Marketing Manager - Feisal Khalif

Feisal As head of the marketing team, Feisal's job is to promote the city as a leisure travel destination, to manage the company's PR, travel trade and leisure marketing activities, web based marketing and liaison with tourism bodies at regional and national levels. Feisal came to the company directly from a tourism operations background having held senior marketing roles at the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum, At-Bristol and Merlin Entertainments.

email: feisal.khalif@destinationbristol.co.uk

City marketing strategy
Travel trade and consumer marketing
Leisure travel
PR

South West Regional Skills Director - Wendy Samuel

Wendy Wendy Samuel was the inaugural manager of the West of England Tourism Task Force and became Regional Skills Director in 2003 following the company's appointment as the managing agency for the regional Tourism Skills Network. Wendy's brief encompasses both the hospitality and retail sectors and her team manages contracts on behalf of the South West RDA and Learning and Skills Councils raising skill levels and improving access to training. Wendy joined the company following a successful career as a hospitality training consultant and in hotel management.

For contact details of the Tourism Skills Network team, please see www.tourismskillsnetwork.org.uk/meettheteam

Conference Sales Manager - Helen Davies

Helen Helen joined the company in 2006 to lead a new proactive sales drive to boost the number of conferences and business events in the city. Coming from a specialist background in conference sales and marketing gained through the hotel sector, Helen's role is to manage the company's venue finding service as well as sourcing new business leads especially those that centre on the city's key economic sectors.

email: helen.davies@destinationbristol.co.uk

- Major conferences enquiries
- Business travel sales promotions

Visitor Services Manager - Michaela Norris

Michaela Michaela's role is to manage the city's visitor information services delivered through the tourist information centres and expand the network of information desks operated by partner organisations, as well as helping the hotel sector to exploit the opportunities to engage in e-commerce. Michaela joined the company in 2001 coming from a retail background where she worked for some of the high-street's best known brands.