The board members of the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) recently stayed at Winton near Edinburgh for their strategy meetings. ASVA is a membership organisation which represents about 450 of the best visitor attractions in Scotland, from castles to museums and gardens.
The guests based themselves in the Estate’s two country properties near Winton House – four and five star Wintonhill Farmhouse and Winton Cottage – where they used the overnight accommodation and meeting facilities. Continental breakfast, coffees, lunch and dinner with wine were all provided.
“We chose Winton for our ASVA strategy and brainstorming meetings because of the beautiful setting, super accommodation and great meeting facilities,” said Eva McDiarmid, Chief Executive of ASVA. “The meeting room and breakout spaces were ideal for the group of 17 delegates and the more informal setting meant the group had more control over when they took breaks for tea and coffee.
“Anecdotally the food attracted lots of positive comments – there was plenty of local produce and it was very well presented. The hospitality and welcome from Janis and Paul was ‘spot on’.”
Eva McDairmid continues: “We did achieve the objectives of the meetings. The location and landscape were outstanding and conducive to strategic thinking (indeed inspirational!).
“The ‘brainstorming’ session and getting out of the office to somewhere as peaceful and informal was definitely a bonus that contributed to the event’s success.”
Nearby Winton House is an ‘exclusive use venue available for corporate events, gala dinners, incentive events, private parties and special celebrations. The house’s five interconnecting reception rooms are also ideally laid out for conferences, meetings and product launches.
Wintonhill Farmhouse and Winton Cottage are available for meetings and conferences as a lower budget alternative to Winton House. The four and five star houses are also popular self-catering properties for groups of 10 to 24 visitors.
