From: Ivan Broussine <Ivan@businesspointer.co.uk>
To: Ivan Broussine <Ivan@businesspointer.co.uk>
Subject: FW: Culture, Heritage and the Arts in Argyll and Bute - Consultation
Hello
As you know, the culture, heritage and arts sector in Argyll and Bute is pivotal to the area’s identity,
character and appeal. The sector is diffuse, uncoordinated and geographically dispersed, yet many
pockets of brilliance demonstrate the potential to build the strengths of the sector and the cultural
distinctiveness and competitiveness of the area.
Argyll and Bute Council, with support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, has commissioned us to
develop the strategic action plan to sustain and grow culture, heritage and the arts, together with an
understanding of the importance of Gaelic to the character of the area.
Please help us by spending ten minutes on the electronic survey to make sure we understand your
perspective of the opportunities and barriers facing you, organisation or business. Click on the link
here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RY86T22.
Can you distribute to members of your organisation or contacts you work with? We also want to
make sure we’re as inclusive as possible, so if you have contacts in culture, heritage and the arts
please forward this mail to them. Also, if you run Facebook or twitter pages, put the link on there so
we have as many people in the sector participating as possible. We’ll follow up in late
November/early December with an interactive, facilitated world café workshop to gather
participants’ views in shaping and developing the ambitions and actions for the project.
There’s a longer explanation of the project attached for information.
Many thanks.
Ivan
Please accept my apologies if you have received duplicates of this request.
Ivan Broussine
bts: thinking: planning: doing
8A Belford Gardens: Edinburgh EH4 3EW
ivan@businesspointer.co.uk
m: 07968 621137
dd: 0131 625 7043
www.bts-solutions.com
Planning the future for Culture, Heritage and the Arts in Argyll
Introduction
The Culture, Heritage and Arts sector in Argyll, Bute and the Islands is pivotal to the area’s identity,
character and appeal. The sector is diffuse, uncoordinated and geographically dispersed, yet many
pockets of brilliance demonstrate the potential to build the strengths of the sector and the cultural
distinctiveness and competitiveness of the area.
Argyll and Bute Council, in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, want to find ways to
build on the cultural, heritage, arts and Gaelic assets to enhance their contribution to the social and
economic life of the area. Crucially, the Council wants to explore the intrinsic needs of the sector to
grow its audiences and markets (contributing to the sector’s sustainability) and how the sector can
contribute more to the visitor economy, to the benefit of all in Argyll?
The Objectives
BTS has been appointed to develop the strategic action plan to sustain and grow culture, heritage
and the arts in Argyll. BTS is an Edinburgh based specialist tourism and marketing practice with
extensive experience of working with the culture and heritage sectors. We are familiar with what
makes successful, competitive destinations (see www.bts-solutions.com). Our brief is to look at the
breadth and depth of the sector in Argyll and:
 Identify how to generate stronger collaborative working with stakeholders in Argyll and
partners at a national level;
 An action plan translating the strategy into priorities and investment needs;
 Articulate the economic contribution of culture, heritage, arts and creative industries in
Argyll including the potential increase in cultural tourism;
 Suggest a model of governance for a sustainable umbrella organisation for the sector and
establish how it will work with other partners including the Argyll and the Isles Tourism Cooperative and Partnership.
This rest of this paper describes the BTS approach, work programme, planned consultative process
and timetable.
BTS Approach and Work Programme
Our tasks comprise:
1. An audit of culture, heritage, arts and Gaelic organisations and activity and analysis of how
these integrate or interrelate with economic and tourism development.
2. To analyse the existing and potential contribution of the cultural sector to tourism and to
Argyll and Bute’s tourism strengths and value.
3. To learn from other best practice models and locations, to inform Argyll and Bute’s strategic
action plan for culture, heritage and the arts.
4. A strongly positive consultative process that is inclusive and the results of which offer both a
strengthened strategic action plan and commitment to it.
5. To recommend ways forward including the development and delivery of an umbrella
organisation.
6. To identify how to resource the delivery of the strategic action plan.
Consultation
We value the opinion of stakeholders in the culture, heritage, arts, Gaelic and tourism sectors on the
content of the plan, its priorities, opportunities and barriers. We can only do this by talking to a wide
range of people. We’ll be conducting a consultative programme, comprising face-to-face and
telephone interviews and an electronic survey of organisations and individuals in the sector to
ascertain what you consider needs to be done to boost the sector and add to Argyll, Bute and the
Islands’ economy and tourism appeal.
We also plan an interactive, facilitated world café workshop to gather participants’ views in shaping
and developing the ambitions and actions for the project and generate enthusiasm and commitment
for the proposition and the delivery mechanisms. The discussions would be fed by the result of the
consultative process to date.
To access the electronic survey and give us your opinions, follow this link
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RY86T22. To broaden the debate and ensure its inclusiveness,
we’d welcome your support in publicising the project and the survey link on your social media pages.
Timetable
Our indicative timetable is as follows:
 BTS was appointed in September 2013 after an open tender process.
 Desk research and best practice models – October 2013
 Consultative programme – October – mid November 2013
 Draft plan and stakeholder workshop, end November/beginning December 2013
 Proposals for growth areas, umbrella body and final report February 2014.
Your Views
To find our more, contact:
Ivan Broussine, Research and Strategy Director; BTS; 8a Belford Gardens; Edinburgh EH4 3EW
T: 0131 625 7043/ 07968 621137; E: ivan@businesspointer.co.uk : www.bts-solutions.com