Collaboration is key to the success of any organisation.

At Fluff we recognise the importance of partnership working, so we’ve joined forces with two important organisations in the UK – but they’re not ones you’d necessarily associate with our line of work.

Fluff Software are now official members of Visit West and Tourism South East – yes you read that correctly. We’ve joined two organisations focused on developing the leisure and tourism offering in England.

But what’s that got to do with us?

We have a long-held belief at Fluff that our work, the software and apps we develop, can be used for good,to enhance visitor experiences and encourage exploration on a range of levels.

It was this belief that led us to develop Huntly – our app that encourages children and families to explore the world around them by completing a range of fun quests.

We feel there is huge potential across the leisure and tourism sector to develop similar apps, but there are also perhaps some barriers to break down.

There is a stigma about screens. They’re bad.

Screens aren’t bad, but the way they are used can be.

We recently spotted an advert on the BBC about the square-eyed boy. The kicker at the end was “Screens - it’s what’s on them that counts.”  We couldn’t agree more. You can watch it here (it’s really good).

Just because you’re using a screen it doesn’t mean you’re disengaged with the world around you. With the launch of Huntly we’re on a mission to prove that being active and out-and-about and using a screen are not mutually exclusive.

So what’s this got to do with leisure and tourism, and why has Fluff joined these organisations?

Well, to put it bluntly, we feel there are barriers to be broken down and bridges to be built between the sector and technology. Whilst some might say that screens can detract from the visitor experience or even ruin it, we recognise that using technology in the right way can bring huge benefits for leisure and tourism attractions and their visitors.

You can read more about how we believe apps can enhance the visitor experience here.

Through these memberships we’re aiming to encourage the sector to look more closely at software solutions. We have an eclectic tourism offering in this country and we know that tech will have an increasingly important role to play in its future.

Here’s what Kathryn Davis, Managing Director at Visit West, had to say about us joining.

“We’re delighted to have Fluff Software on board as members of Visit West. Support for the tourism industry from across all sectors is important in ensuring a healthy and vibrant offering for visitors to our corner of the country. The team at Fluff have a wealth of knowledge and ideas that can support our member organisations and their drive to develop technology for the benefit of the tourism sector is commendable.”

We’re glad to be on board.