Meet the Team
Dr. Richard Benfield
Contact: richard[at]garden-tourism.com
Dr. Benfield has been researching, consulting and guiding gardens on visitor management for over 25 years. As Professor and Chair of Geography at Central Connecticut State University his research agenda has covered garden management in 123 countries and all continents, and he is the author of the much-acclaimed books Garden Tourism and New Directions in Garden Tourism considered by many the seminal works in garden management. He is a much-acclaimed speaker having presented to and for Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), the American Public Garden Association (APGA), Botanic Gardens of Australia and New Zealand (BGANZ), The New Zealand Gardens Trust, The Canadian Garden Council, and individual gardens including the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, the National Trust, Eden project and well as over 100 local garden clubs and associations.
Fun fact: in his spare time Richard referees soccer games.
Dylan Fuller
Contact: dylan[at]garden-tourism.com
Dylan has more than 25 years experience working in the Internet and software sectors. He has worked in start-ups, scale-ups and larger technology companies including eBay, Microsoft & Google. He’s been part of several successfully exited companies and brings a wealth of skills across product, project management, marekting, strategy and business development. Additionally, he has a MSc in biology, his thesis focused on botany, taxonomy and the conservation biology of indigenous palm trees in Fiji. Prior to moving into the digital technology space he held positions as a research assistant at The Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC and as a curator at the Natural History Museum in London.
Fun fact: he brewed award winning beer with hops from his garden.