HRA Conference 2023 - day one
Review, refresh, re-invent
The HRA Spring Management Conference 2023 - Day One
Friday, 10 March 2023
9.15am (for 9.45am start) - 5.00pm approx.
Birmingham Conference and Events Centre, adjacent to Holiday Inn, Hill Street, Birmingham, B5 4EW
09:15 Arrival, registration and networking Tea/coffee and refreshments kindly sponsored by Steam Railway magazine
09.40 Welcome and setting the objectives for the Day - Steve Oates, Chief Exec, HRA
09.45 Keeping safety front of mind in challenging times- Richard Hines, HM Deputy Chief Inspector of Railways, Railway Safety Directorate, ORR; Patrick Talbot, Head of Non-Mainline Railways, ORR; Simon Barber, HM Principal Inspector of Railways, ORR
The array of economic and business challenges facing heritage rail just seem to get longer and longer but boards, managers, staff and volunteers simply cannot afford to take their eyes off the ball regarding safety. In fact, good safety is good business. Our colleagues from the ORR will provide an update on current and emerging health and safety issues relevant to the heritage sector and
summarise their plans for 2023/24 to help ensure heritage railways keep safety front of mind.
10.15 “A fish rots from its head downwards” … Why is good governance seemingly so difficult
Paddy McNulty, Railway Partnerships Manager, NRM
Get it right and your chances of not only surviving, but prospering, increase exponentially. Get it wrong, and your organisation risks losing everything! Yet, it shouldn’t be difficult. Having formerly spent some 10 years in the wider museum and heritage sector reviewing charities, their structures and their governance arrangements, Paddy examines the risks heritage railways are exposing themselves to and offers key insights as to why some boards may not be ‘fit for purpose’ and why getting strong and diverse boards with sound governance arrangements in place is essential now
more than ever.
10.45 TV, Film and Railways … Guidance from the Samaritans Lorna Fraser, Executive Lead, Samaritans’ Media Advice Service
Research consistently links certain types of media coverage of suicide with increases in suicide rates due to suicide contagion – especially if it sensationalises or romanticises suicidal behaviour, or highlights suicide methods, as might be the case in a film or TV drama. In this session, Lorna Fraser explains the explains why Samaritans is asking all those in the rail industry, including heritage lines, to give very careful consideration if approached for permission to film media content relating to suicide, to avoid the likelihood of enabling potentially harmful media coverage.
11.15 Break – Networking - Tea/Coffee. Kindly sponsored by Steam Railway magazine
11.35 Keynote Speaker introduced by HRA President Lord Faulkner - The Rt Honourable Liz Saville Roberts MP, Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail
Liz Saville Roberts has been MP for Dwyfor Meirionydd since May 2015. Leader of Plaid Cymru in Westminster, she is the party's spokesman for a number of ministries including Transport, and a
member of the Welsh Grand Committee. She has chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail since 2019. In her address, Liz will speak about the importance of heritage railways
to her constituency and outline the work of the Parliamentary group. And, with a general election less than two years away, she will look ahead to political developments over the next couple of years and the prospects for heritage railways during this period.
12.00 Staying on track when the administrator calls - Tom Taylor, GM, Llangollen Railway
Early 2021, as the impact of covid was still wreaking havoc across the economy, the news everyone feared finally broke … A heritage railway was in serious financial trouble and entering administrator.
With job losses, rolling stock and equipment sold off, and the risk of that all would be lost, the Llangollen Railway reset and has re-emerged as a leaner, fitter operation. Three years on, with a new board and team at the helm, it’s still tough. With lessons for every heritage railway facing the current economic challenges, GM Tom Taylor reviews the trauma of administration, the fight to survive and how they’re staying on track to keep the trains running and the business secure.
12.30 The Visitor Economy in 2023 – Insights & predictions- Jon Young – Travel & Culture Research Director at BVA-BDRC
Heading the team which runs the monthly VisitBritain and Visit England sentiment tracker and a wealth of other tourism and consumer research projects, Jon takes us through current consumer attitudes to the cost-of-living crisis, any lingering Covid attitudes, audiences that will be less affected and other opportunities for heritage attractions. And, following their ‘Mystery Visits’ project across some 250 attractions in 2022, Jon reveals some of the broad lessons learned from what attractions do well and what they do less well … and what attractions can do to improve in challenging times!
13:00 Lunch, kindly sponsored by Steam Railway magazine, and the opportunity to network with colleagues
14.00 HRA Annual General Meeting
Including a brief look back at the key elements of our work on your behalf, and the key issues on our agenda to support heritage rail in 2023
14.40 Some brutal truths. Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill. Chair, Network Rail
Covid, coal, Ukraine. Yes, they’ve all impacted on the business of heritage railways. But, while many claim it is simply these that have tipped the balance for their railway, this hides an array of underlying
issues which have built-up over the years. Peter brings his extensive experience to expose the brutal truths that, if you’re not already heavily focussed on reshaping to meet and overcome the current economic challenges, to even survive you must start now … But in taking the brave decisions he contends that your railway will be ready to take maximum advantage when new opportunities arrive!
15:00 Break – Networking - Tea/Coffee. Kindly sponsored by Steam Railway magazine
15.15 Heritage is my Brand – and it sells! Julie Burley, Business Manager, Bodmin & Wenford Railway
Is yours a heritage railway or tramway, a steam railway, a railway/tramway, a museum or a visitor attraction? How do your visitors ‘feel’ about your business and your offering when they’re thinking about visiting, when they’re on-site and afterwards? What’s your ‘brand’? Julie discusses what ‘heritage’ means to people and provides an understanding of how a successful heritage railway now uses its heritage brand to full effect commercially across all areas including events, catering, retail and day-to-day operating.
15.45 Anti-Social Media … Challenging and beating online negativity. David Watchman, Digital Communications Manager, Beamish Museum and Mark Pearce, HRA Policy and Communications Manager
They’re out there! The ‘know-it-all’ keyboard warriors posting endless drivel, ill-informed comments and, sadly, social media attacks on those at the sharp end doing their best to keep the wheels turning. It’s distracting, usually unhelpful and often hurtful. With PR and comms experience stretching across and beyond heritage rail, David and Mark discuss how to handle ‘anti-social media’ and
suggest strategies to beat the negativity.
16.15 The camera never lies ... Making photography work for your marketing and PR- Jack Boskett
Award winning professional photographer, Jack Boskett, has had a camera in his hand since the age of five and, at the tender age of seven, won in the under-18 category at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railways’ photographic competition. Now, in his 13th year as a professional photographer, today his work is widely recognised in railway publications and literature for various train operating companies and heritage railways. His wealth of experience has also led him to photograph prime ministers, secretaries of state and members of the Royal Family. To conclude Day 1 of our conference, Jack explains why photography is a superb medium for telling a story, explaining an event or describing a point in history, and why it should be a key part of your PR and marketing armoury.
16.45 Round-up, Close & Depart HRA Chief Exec, Steve Oates
Please note: Programme is still being finalised and is therefore subject to amendment as circumstances in finalising speakers and topics may dictate.
