Visitor Elves

About Visitor Elves

Welcome to the Visitor Elves podcast, where tourism marketing specialist Kelly Ballard, takes you behind the scenes of tourism, hospitality, culture, and events in and around the West of England and Wales. Each episode dives into the stories, insights, challenges, and victories of inspiring people and businesses shaping the industry. Their stories resonate far beyond the region, connecting listeners worldwide. This podcast is currently on pause, but it will be back! Kelly Ballard is a marketing specialist with over 25 years of experience in the visitor economy. She founded Visitor Elves, a consultancy and podcast platform helping tourism, hospitality, and cultural businesses grow through strategic marketing, mentoring, and content creation. Kelly works with destinations, visitor attractions, and experiences, with a track record that includes Bristol, Cheltenham, the Forest of Dean, and Weston-super-Mare. She has created marketing strategies and led plans for visitor attractions and experiences such as Bristol Zoo, Westonbirt Arboretum and Mendip Activity Centre. In 2025, she was a judge for both the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence and the Simpleview Destination Marketing awards.

Publisher

Kelly Ballard

Category

business · leisure · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 Jan 2022

Latest episode

29 Apr 2025

Latest episodes

60 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Apr 2025

   EP 58 What a film or TV location can do for your destination or business with Seren Welch

   In this episode, Kelly chats with specialist tourism consultant Seren Welch about the huge impact of film and TV locations on visitor numbers and how you can tap into the growing world of screen tourism whether you are a destination, an attraction or a café in the area. They cover why film tourism matters more than ever, how destinations like Bristol and Bath are capitalising on it, and practical ways attractions, destinations, and tourism businesses can make the most of any filming that happens locally. From building themed experiences and tours to working with apps like SetJetters, there's a world of opportunity for the visitor economy. For the full summary with tips and ideas shared in this episode head to the Visitor Elves website https://visitorelves.co.uk/ep-58-screen-tourism-seren-walsh/ (https://visitorelves.co.uk/ep-58-screen-tourism-seren-walsh/)

2. 

   17 Mar 2025

   EP 57 Carnival, Creativity, and Citizen-Led Change: An Inspiring Conversation with LaToyah McAllister-Jones, CEO of St Pauls Carnival and Trustee of Bristol Old Vic.

   In episode 57, Kelly Ballard speaks with LaToyah McAllister-Jones, the Executive Director of St Paul's Carnival in Bristol. LaToyah shares the rich history and community impact of this celebrated cultural event, which has been running since 1968 and is one of the largest carnivals in the UK. LaToyah explains how St Paul's Carnival (https://www.stpaulscarnival.net/) was founded to foster social cohesion within the Windrush generation community, providing a platform for African Caribbean people to share their stories and culture. Managing an event of this scale, with over 120,000 attendees in 2023, presents significant challenges. LaToyah discusses the complex balancing act of coordinating the diverse stakeholders, from local authorities to community artists, while preserving the carnival's grassroots spirit. Due to funding constraints, the 2025 carnival will be scaled down, but LaToyah is committed to continuing to celebrate African Caribbean arts and culture through smaller, community-focused events. She also shares her other leadership roles, including at Bristol Old Vic and the Lumen Space well-being retreat business she co-founded. Throughout the conversation, LaToyah's passion for social justice, community empowerment, and the transformative power of the arts shines through, offering listeners an inspiring glimpse into the world of this iconic cultural event. For all links and a full summary of the conversation head to the Visitor Elves website (https://visitorelves.co.uk/ep-57-st-pauls-carnival/). To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/visitorelves/) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/elves-of-the-visitor-economy/?viewAsMember=true) This episode is sponsored by Hello Starling (https://hellostarling.com/). Hello Starling (https://hellostarling.com/), is an award-winning Media Planning and Buying agency that specialises in delivering advertising campaigns with great results for visitor attractions and destinations. They've worked with brands such as Bristol Zoo Project, Visit Shropshire, Visit Conwy, Visit Herefordshire and the National Tourism Office for Poland. If you want to be the centre of attention, visit hellostarling.com (http://hellostarling.com/) today. If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏

3. 

   17 Feb 2025

   EP56 The Digital Marketing Secrets Behind Visit West’s Success

   Behind the Screens – Digital Marketing Insights from Visit West Shonette Laffy and Laura Valentine. Join host Kelly Ballard as she chats with the dynamic digital marketing duo Shonette Laffy & Laura Valentine from Visit West, the team behind VisitBath, Visit Bristol, and Meet Bristol & Bath. With over 3 million website visits annually and a social reach of 9.5 million, they share: ✨ The evolution of digital marketing at Visit West 🌍 How dynamic content & AI enhance visitor experiences 📱 Social media strategy & the power of user-generated content 🌱 The impact of digital sustainability & practical tips for businesses 📝 Expert content planning strategies to stay ahead Plus, top tips for businesses to maximise their presence on a DMO (Destination Marketing Organisation) website and optimise their social media game. Visit West latest opportunities (https://www.visitwest.co.uk/working-with-us/latest-opportunities-and-events) Visit West content calendar (https://www.visitwest.co.uk/dbimgs/Visit%20West%202025%20Content%20Calendar.pdf) For a full summary of what was discussed and more links mentioned head to the Visitor Elves (https://visitorelves.co.uk/ep-556-digital-destination-marketing/) website. This episode is sponsored by Hello Starling (https://hellostarling.com/). Hello Starling (https://hellostarling.com/), is an award-winning Media Planning and Buying agency that specialises in delivering advertising campaigns with great results for visitor attractions and destinations. They've worked with brands such as Bristol Zoo Project, Visit Shropshire, Visit Conwy, Visit Herefordshire and the National Tourism Office for Poland. If you want to be the centre of attention, visit hellostarling.com (http://hellostarling.com/) today. If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify. It helps more people to find it.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 65 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

85

Social presence

91

YouTube

0

Engagement

68

Contact Visitor Elves

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.