Things we believe in at Visitor Attraction Consultants:

1. The past is of value. We all need an individual past, but society needs (and benefits from) a collective past.

2. The heritage can be interpreted in many ways to produce new and exciting stories. Just because things are old doesn't mean they can't be immaginately presented and re-presented time and time again.

3. The past is not just educational and fun, it is also important.

4. Specialists (like some archaeologists & historians) make the past inaccessible by using jargon, often designed (we suspect) to keep non-specialists out.

5. A commercial approach to the past is healthy. Funds generated can be used to widen access, as well as to conserve and repair.

6. People value and take more care of things they have to pay for. When things are free they don't respect/value them as much.

7. People are more interested in people than objects.

8. 'Real' things have more commercial potential than 'made up' things.

9. Integrity is everything in heritage.

10. 'Price' and 'value' are related but different. Just because its expensive, does not mean its not great value.

11. Change can be 'scary', and so can innovation. We need to know what our customers want, but sometimes they don't know they want it - until they experience it. Asking them isn't always the best way when being innovative.

12. Humour is one of the best ways to convey complex information.