When a group organiser met the team from The Royal Mint at the Group Leisure & Travel Show it resulted in a memorable trip for the Newton Abbot Travel Club.
Group travel organiser Carol Swiecicka, who organises outings for the Devon group, met Paul Brandwood, the attraction’s business development manager at the GLT Show in Milton Keynes last October.
Following their discussions at the exhibition, it was a quick turnaround for the visit planned for 14th November, which was King Charles III’s birthday.
Carol said: “Paul confirmed the visit once he returned to the office, sent me the lunch menu and I quickly advertised the trip, getting 50 people booked on. I had three different tours on the day so emailed across who was on what tour and what people wanted for lunch and off we went.”
It wasn’t Carol’s first visit to the attraction, she has taken a group several times in the past, but it was the first time she had booked the lunch and ‘strike a coin’ package.
She said the highlight for the group was getting their hands on the new King Charles coin before it was even released to the banks.
As part of their stand at the GLT Show, The Royal Mint had a board displaying the first image of King Charles III’s portrait which would appear on the newly minted coins which are now in circulation.
Carol told us: “The group were proudly showing off the new King Charles 50 pence memorial coin that they struck during the visit. As part of the tour members learnt how the coins are produced, not just for the UK but for many countries worldwide as well as finding out about medals for the 2012 Olympics.”
A group visit to The Royal Mint comes highly recommended
Carol said she would recommend a visit to The Royal Mint to other group travel organisers and added: “Paul was very good and met the coach when we arrived and was around during our lunch to answer any queries.”
She said GTOs can check the time of their tours and if they coincide with being able to see the coins coming out of the machines, which is especially interesting.
Paul Brandwood from The Royal Mint said: “Exhibiting at the 2022 Group Leisure & Travel Show was an exciting time for us as it was the first time we were allowed to share the portrait of King Charles III that was to feature on UK coins from 2023. We had a large display of this on the stand.
“The interest this generated was immense and played a big part in seeing a large increase in bookings over the last few months. However, one that stands out is Carol from Newton Abbot Travel Club. Carol knows her group and what they like, taking the opportunity to give her members a chance to visit The Royal Mint at such an historic moment and strike one of the first coins to feature King Charles before they entered circulation.”
“Our group partners are part of our family and we will do everything we can to accommodate them.”
Paul Brandwood, The Royal Mint
Paul added: “Turning this booking around in four weeks was such a pleasure for us and we are grateful to Carol as we are to all our GTOs.
“We are constantly reviewing our Strike Your Own Coin program which is always popular with our group visitors and we have some exciting new additions coming for 2023, just ask us for more details by emailing traveltrade@royalmint.com. Who knows what we will share at this year’s Group Leisure Travel Show?”
Find out more about group visits to The Royal Mint, including tours and packages, at www.royalmint.com/the-royal-mint-experience/group-visits
This year’s Group Leisure & Travel Show is on 5th October at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes. Stay up to date with exhibition information at grouptravelshow.com
