EEDA - East of England Development Agency

Monkey business at Destination Growth ‘09

13 July 2009

EEDA has taken the unusual step of unveiling a ‘chief gorilla’ in their line-up of business experts for Destination Growth ’09 – the East of England’s biggest business and networking event.

But this gorilla’s business acumen has seen him build a multi-million pound company, employing 400 people across the UK, in just seven years.

Tristram Mayhew’s business card reads ‘chief gorilla’ rather than chief executive. In 2002, Tristram and his wife Rebecca founded Go Ape! – a multi award-winning high-wire forest adventure. Now, with 22 courses across the country, over 1.7 million ‘gorillas’ and ‘baboons’ have trekked from tree to tree, through the forest canopy and across rope bridges, tarzan swings and zip slides.

At Destination Growth ‘09, Tristram will talk to delegates about how creative marketing and innovative thinking has helped grow Go Ape! into a national brand. In his seminar on ‘Gorilla Marketing’ Tristram will outline the fun they have had playing with a multitude of marketing techniques, from traditional methods through to the world of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Tristram joins the likes of Greg Dyke, former director general of the BBC, as a speaker at EEDA’s flagship biennial business event which will be hosted at AirSpace Duxford on Tuesday 3 November. News of other high-profile speakers set to attend Destination Growth ’09 will be announced over the coming months.

Competition:
All delegates who register for Destination Growth ’09 will be entered into a random prize draw to win a free family pass to one of 22 Go Ape! courses across the UK.

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