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should therefore be a core skill of the new STGA member of staff and she/he should draw up a detailed marketing plan in consultation with client representatives and the STGA national council once the new strategy, budget and structure are in place. In addition, TMS proposed the creation of a new central booking system to replace the four branch booking agents in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen. We see strong arguments in terms of market development, customer service and equitable allocations of bookings among STGA members in favour of a national system, which would be operated by the new STGA member of staff,’ it said.
Commission varied from branch to branch with Edinburgh not charging anything at all.
TMS said five per cent commission would generate £20,000 a year which the STGA could allocate to marketing including the cost of running and publicising the booking system and an element of the salary of the new member of STGA staff. The members decided to follow the recommendations of the consultant and become a limited company and employ a member of staff, who was to be given the job of a Business Development Manager. Sally continued: ‘We received funding from the Scottish Tourist Board, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise to start us off, with the proviso that we must look for ways to generate income and support ourselves.’
The STGA’s first employee was Morag Bevan who was previously area secretary for the National Farmers Union. She worked part-time from her home in Stirling. ‘The sheer volume of work that hit us took us all by surprise,’ said Sally. ‘The early days of the STGA were characterised by all day meetings at Morag’s home with Christine Wade’s home-baking and Morag’s soup as we tried to collate and sift through 20 plus years of paperwork that had been gathering dust in the lofts, garages and offices of the 22 original National Council members.’
In 1996 the STGA published its first newsletter after the formation of the new company which looked after the interests of 316 ordinary members and 7 associate members.
The executive board of management comprised five members, nominated by the five branches Aberdeen & Grampian; Dundee, Angus and Fife; Edinburgh, Lothian and the Borders; Glasgow, West and South west Scotland; and Highlands and Islands.
and five elected members chosen by the membership as a whole. The first STGA company chairman was Forbes McNaughton who set about changing the design of the Blue Badge to ensure that it could not be copied as had been happening over the years in certain areas.
In a ‘company information update’ in 1997 Forbes was described as ‘the embodiment of the “wind of change” for the STGA.
‘Among his many contributions have been negotiations with the Lord Lyons office for our Coat of Arms and its incorporation as a badge for members, also the use of his academic links to further the planned changes in administration., training and assessment for membership,’ said the update.
In 1998 Christine Wade stepped down as chair and Sally Spaven took the role. That year turned out to be, in the words of the Queen, her “Annus Horribilis”. The good news was the STGA was given an office by the local area tourist board – in the former Stirling Jail!
‘That summer with Morag about to retire to have her first baby, the STGA moved into the Old Town Jail complete with one white plastic garden chair, (Christine Wade paid a fiver for it!), a fold-up picnic table and a computer,’ said Sally.
‘We were so excited about getting an office after years of meetings in hotels and guides’ houses that we had forgotten to remove the ink cartridge from the printer before loading it into the car and it had spilled inside the machine, so our only piece of electrical equipment had to go away to be cleaned out! Morag was unsure if she wanted to come back to work full-time as the job now demanded and so we were left struggling along with student help from Stirling University organised by Catherine Martindale.
‘A quick telephone call to what was then the Scottish Tourist Board and Tom Buncle, chief executive at that time, located a warehouse in Leith full of old office furniture and they very kindly delivered a van load of desks, which were huge for our tiny cell, a couple of wonky chairs and some rather battered, old filing cabinets. We pushed the boat out and bought a calculator and telephone and ordered some stationery. Our first student lasted about two
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