Smart Talking with The Tall Ship at Riverside Glasgow

In this week’s Smart Talking, we chat to David Cowan, Fundraising and Marketing Officer for The Tall Ship at Riverside, Glasgow.

Hi David, and welcome to Smart Talking. Please tell us about The Tall Ship at Riverside. What is its history and who are your visitors?

David: The Tall Ship at Riverside was originally launched on the Clyde in 1896.  The ships name is SV (Sailing Vessel) Glenlee and she worked for 20 years as a cargo ship, transporting coal, timber, grains and other goods around the world. The Glenlee circumnavigated the Globe four times during her working life. Her role changed dramatically over the years and she spent a good deal of time in Spain as a training ship for the Spanish Navy, where she was renamed Galatea.

The ship was tracked down in Seville in the early 1990’s where she had unfortunately fallen into a state of disrepair.  Funds were raised by the Clyde Maritime Trust to bring the ship back to Glasgow, where both she and her original name were restored before opening as ‘The Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour’ at Yorkhill Quay.  The Tall Ship operated as a leading Glasgow visitor attraction for 12 years and welcomed over half a million visitors to Yorkhill.  In June of 2011, the ship opened at a new location on the Clyde, alongside the new Riverside Museum and rebranded as ‘The Tall Ship at Riverside’.  The Tall Ship is still owned and operated by the Clyde Maritime Trust and is a registered Scottish charity. Of the hundreds of ships built on the Clyde, The Glenlee is now one of only 5 of her kind left in the world, and the only one in the UK.

Our visitors are mainly families with young children, either from Glasgow or within 2 hours travelling distance.  We also have an audience of regular visitors who are particularly interested in the ship, the River Clyde and Glasgow’s maritime heritage.   Tourism is another important market for us as we have many visitors from around the UK and abroad. The Tall Ship also receives pre-booked visits from schools on most days.

The Tall Ship has recently moved to a new location next to the new Riverside Museum – can you tell us a bit about that and the challenges involved? How are you finding the new location and what does this mean for The Tall Ship?

David: Well the biggest challenge was getting the ship renovations completed in time for the reopening! Luckily it all went according to plan and we were able to open on 21st of June, along with the museum.  The renovations have been extensive and as a result we have a much richer attraction to offer our visitors.  We now have a children’s play area on board, a new Education space, a fully refurbished Captain’s cabin and we have installed many interactive exhibits.  The ship’s engine room is open to the public for the first time and we have installed an audio trail facility and video screens showing archive film footage of The Tall Ship during her time in Spain.  The new location is a fresh start for The Tall Ship and we are happy to have visitors to the museum on our doorstep.

The current economic climate is particularly challenging for businesses, not least for the Scottish tourism industry – how is your business coping with that – any positives coming out of the experience and any advice for others?

David: At the moment we are lucky enough to be really busy, as we’ve only just opened and people are keen to check out all the new features.  There has also been a lot of media attention surrounding the opening of the Riverside Museum which has been very useful! We also have lot’s more happening on board the ship than before and we have the new renovations to show off, so it really is a new experience.  Also, we opened just as the school summer holidays began and so we have lots of local people looking for things to do in Glasgow as well as lots of visitors in the city at present.

Do social media and digital technology have a place in your business?
David: Yes, we have just launched a brand new website which has a much more modern feel to it than the old one.  We also have new features on there, such as film footage of the ship and a Captain’s (B)Log where we provide details of what’s happening behind the scenes. We also have a Facebook account for The Tall Ship, which we try to update regularly to keep people interested, without overdoing it, which can be a turn off!  We have also registered a Twitter account and will be taking this forward soon.  We are looking into utilising Google Analytics and review sites such as Trip Advisor.

What’s The Tall Ship up to at the moment?  Any news you would like to share with us?

David: We are currently enjoying a busy summer and making some long term plans to address any projected seasonal peaks and troughs in our visitor numbers.  We are also aiming to be much more part of Glasgow’s events calendar and festivals.  We are also looking into funding for new projects and considering opportunities to further improve the attraction eg introducing additional activities and projects.  I think that cross promotional opportunities will be a big thing for us in the future, so I’m having lots of meetings with other organisations to see how we can work together in the future.  We are also keen to raise awareness of the ship as a venue for hire, for weddings, concerts and other events.

Many thanks for “Smart Talking” with us, David, and here’s to a busy summer season!

David: It’s my pleasure!

For more information on The Tall Ship visit: www.thetallship.com