2026 Scottish Gardens Tourism Conference
Event Sponsors
Evening Drinks Reception Sponsor
Thanks to the generous support of Alitex Glasshouses, an evening drinks reception for conference delegates will be hosted at the Palace on 24th March from 7-8pm. Tickets are limited and can be booked here.
Event Speakers & Workshop Providers
We are delighted to welcome a range of speakers both from the gardening and tourism industries to this year’s conference. With more speakers to be announced, the event will offer something for every sort of garden/tourism business as well as those interested in developing their own garden business.
Headline Speaker
David Hope-Jones
David Hope-Jones OBE is the CEO of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA), the destination management and marketing network for the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, running the official destination brandScotland Starts Here. Representing over 750 businesses, including many gardens and other visitor attractions, the SSDA works with partners to grow the South’s visitor economy by £1bn, supporting 20,000 jobs by 2034.
William, Viscount Stormont
William, Viscount Stormont is the owner and strategic lead of Scone Palace & Estates, a modern diversified rural family business, entering their 17th generation, and operating across tourism, events, farming, forestry, and property.
Scone Palace & Garden welcome over two hundred thousand visitors each year and are renowned as the crowning place of Scottish kings with a history stretching back over fifteen hundred years. Macbeth and Robert the Bruce were crowned at Scone, and the last coronation was of Charles II in 1651.
With an undergraduate degree at Durham University, various roles abroad and an MBA from Oxford, William’s formal education and early career in business built the skills required to manage such a unique business.
As custodian of the 400-year-old estate, and inspired by his family’s principle of responsible stewardship, William plans to lead the family business into the next century with generational investment plans to protect and sustain the heritage and history of Scone Palace, all whilst driving local economic growth in the communities his family has served for centuries.
Event MC
Craig Cameron, DSG Director and Teasses Estate Factor
Workshop Providers
Rona Wallace – Senior Manager, Business Development, VisitScotland
Claire Gaspar – Assistant Business Development Manager – Advice, VisitScotland
Alasdair Maclauchlan – Assistant Business Development Manager – Regions & Sectors
Craig Lawless – Assistant Manager, Tourism Sectors Engagement, VisitScotland
John Murray Jr. – Social Media Content Creator Manager, VisitScotland
Event Exhibitors & Sponsors
Businesses and organisations interested in exhibiting or sponsoring this event should get in touch as soon as possible. There are a limited number of spaces available for exhibitors and sponsors. More information on the exhibition and sponsorship packages for the event can be found here.
