Meet Lesley, Edinburgh’s Chapter Leader

This month in our series The Travel Scene we catch up with Lesley Judge, chapter leader with Travel Massive Edinburgh.

Lesley is a digital marketing consultant with her own business, Smart Tourism, which helps tourism businesses and destinations to develop digital marketing communications, content and skills and training in order to engage with visitors and travellers. Lesley helps answer traveller questions on Scotland in her role as a volunteer co-host of monthly Twitter chat #ScotlandHour. Now it’s time to look into her life at a chapter leader with Travel Massive. 

How did you first get involved with Travel Massive?

I learned about Travel Massive at a blogging workshop organised by ETAG (Edinburgh Tourism Action Group) and like my fellow Chapter Leader Katy Duncan, I thought it would work really well for Edinburgh. Great minds think alike, as soon afterwards, Katy got in touch and asked if I’d be interested in starting up an Edinburgh chapter. 

What motivates you to be a part of Travel Massive?

I love the local/global community aspect and helping to bring people together to network, learn, get advice on a start-up, share or just find out what’s happening in the city. People feel comfortable doing that at our events and share ideas – that gives me a buzz. The Travel Massive Edinburgh community is generous and supportive. We were overwhelmed by community support for our charity activity at our December 2015 event, where we raised over £1000 for two local charities in support of an industry colleague fighting Leukaemia – an amazing way to end the year.

What makes your city a great place for meet-ups?

Edinburgh is a vibrant city with an international student population, twelve annual festivals and a significant tech and start-up environment. We’re fortunate to have a pro-active, collaborative tourism sector with engaged businesses and people who ‘get’ the Travel Massive concept. We aim to get diverse sectors talking at our events, with an average of around 60 attendees each time. In 2015 we held five events, due to the generosity and interest of the Edinburgh tourism community, with themes including youth travel, luxury travel and food and drink.

Have you found any partnerships or professional opportunities during Travel Massive meet-ups?

Yes – I’ve developed some valuable working partnerships from being a part of Travel Massive, as well as hopefully being able to connect others to do the same. We were also delighted when some Scottish colleagues joined Travel Massive events in Melbourne and Cape Town.

Do you have a past event that was your favourite?

December 2015 was special because of our charity fundraiser but I really enjoyed our August 2015 event. Travel Massive Welcomes the World was to celebrate the international connections our city’s festivals hold and highlight their role as the lifeblood of Edinburgh as a destination. 

What is your advice for someone who wants to attend a Travel Massive event for the first time?

Sign up and come along. Our events are relaxed, informal and fun, and people tend to return after their first visit. Get in touch with us beforehand if you have questions, or if we can help connect you with people. We look forward to welcoming you.

Leader of the Pack is a monthly series that profiles the organizers and leaders of Travel Massive chapters around the world. You can get in touch with Lesley Judge and the Edinburgh Chapter on Travel Massive.