Seminar – The Space In Between

Wed, Jun 3, 2026 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM BST

It can often feel like the human and digital ways of engaging visitors are at war with each other, especially with visitors now craving more human engagement in a digitally saturated world. However, lean too heavily on human engagement and visitors can leave having not got the full breadth of experience or stories on offer. Too far the other way to digital can lead to experiences feeling monotonous and indistinct.

This seminar explores the space in between, where human and digital ways of delivering experiences can, and should, work together in a blended approach to deliver maximum impact for visitors.

Sandra Lynes Timbrell
Director of Visitor Engagement at St Paul’s Cathedral

For almost 30 years, I have had the privilege of working in senior leadership roles at some of the UK’s most iconic cultural and heritage destinations; places that inspire, engage, and welcome millions of visitors each year. My strengths lie in strategic leadership, commercial growth, and building strong, lasting partnerships that ensure organisations remain vibrant, relevant, and financially resilient.

I am passionate about creating sustainable and welcoming visitor experiences that connect with diverse audiences. I have led transformational projects spanning major capital programmes, audience development, organisational change, and business model evolution. During my first weeks at St Paul’s Cathedral, I played a key role in developing and delivering the commercial strategy that helped guide us through the pandemic.

To strengthen my exec experience, I have mentored emerging heritage professionals, delivered seminars, contributed to panel discussions and podcasts, and provided consultancy to peer organisations. I am a returning judge for the National Churches Trust Tourism Awards.

Outside of work, I am Chair of the Board at the Charles Dickens Museum, a Board Member of ALVA (Association of Leading Visitor Attractions), and a Governor at my son’s school in London.

Bala McAlinn
MD, Complete Works

I began working in the Visitor Attraction industry in 2007 writing and directing shows for organisations including London Zoo and the Science Museum. In 2012 I founded Boo Consultancy Ltd, a sister company to the event agency Boo Productions Ltd. Boo Consultancy is a training and staffing agency that applies theatrical techniques to the environments of Visitor Attractions. We predominantly place actors in FOH positions to increase membership sales and visitor donations or deliver workshops to improve the sales and storytelling skills of inhouse teams.

In 2021 we rebranded to Complete Works a nod to the greatest storyteller and our theatrical past and because our approach is holistic, redefining the 3 key elements of success: your visitors, your destination and your team.

We work with many leading organisations including the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wembley Stadium, The Macallan Distillery and the National Gallery where we won a 2019 Institute of Promotional Marketing award for increasing visitor donations by more than 300% whilst also improving visitor satisfaction scores.

My parents are from Los Angeles, my wife is from Sydney and I was born in London. Thus, I’ve had various accents over the years and matched with the fact that I have an Indian forename and Irish surname, I’ve grown accustomed to people being generally intrigued, mildly amused and partially confused by me. Which is great for networking and tricky when changing energy supplier over the phone. Thankfully I do more networking than the latter. I have 3 hilarious children whom I enjoy making music, drawing cartoons and boxing with.

Spencer Clark
MD, ATS

“Putting visitors at the heart of your story”

I lead ATS, pioneers in digital visitor experiences for the cultural and heritage sector.

Our team blends storytelling, technology and design to create audio and multimedia tours, digital platforms, films and consultancy that help visitors engage more deeply with some of the world’s most remarkable places.

Today our work supports over 13 million visitor experiences each year across leading attractions including St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Guinness Storehouse, Titanic Belfast and Bletchley Park.

I’m particularly proud of the reputation we’ve built in the sector. ATS holds a Royal Warrant, and we work with institutions that trust us to help them tell their stories to millions of visitors every year.

What motivates me most is building high-energy teams and long-term partnerships that help cultural organisations bring their stories to life through digital experiences.

Delegate Rates

Attraction Delegates: £60 (inc VAT) Early bird: £30 (inc VAT)

Agency & Supplier Delegates: £120 (inc VAT) Early bird: £60 (inc VAT)