WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
KING RICHARD III
REINTERMENT
12th October 2014
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
LEAD:
Sarah Harrison – City Centre Director, Leicester City Council
GROUP:
Carolyn Abel – Heritage Manager, Leicestershire County Council
Keith Cousins – New Media, Diocese of Leicester
Helen Donnellan - Head of Inward Investment, Leicester City Council
Tanita Gill – Project Co-ordinator, City Centre Team, Leicester City Council
Iain Gordon – Director, King Richard III Visitor Centre
Robert Harding – Marketing Communications Manager, University of Leicester
James Hickford – Marketing Manager (Acting) Leicester City Council
Martin Peters – CEO Leicester Shire Promotions Limited
Nisha Popat – Business & Regional Development Manager – Arts & Museums LCC
Helen Tovey - Senior Campaigns Manager - Leicestershire County Council
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
INTRODUCTION
The discovery of the remains of King Richard III, the opening of the King Richard III Visitor Centre in
July 2014 and the retinterment of King Richard III at Leicester Cathedral in March 2015 provides an
unprecedented platform for the city and county to attract visitors from further afield and encourage
them to engage in further activities in the area.
Although the motivation for the establishment of this workstream is the retinterment in March
2015, it is evident that there is a need for a longer term approach to the brand, marketing and legacy
for King Richard III in the city and county. The reinterment period is a significant catalyst in this
process.
The three different themes within this workstream are explained in separate papers, however the
linkage between the themes is implicit.
The triangular relationship between the three ‘Cs’ – City, Cathedral, County is always preserved.
Establishing the brand and building brand equity should not be seen as the sole responsibility of the
marketing team. Everyone who has an influence on how the brand is presented and delivered needs
to act as a ‘brand steward’ and work together to close the gap between the promised and delivered
brand experience.
It is recommended that the number of variations of the ‘King Richard III’ identity is limited to four.
The crown and RIII elements are common to all identities but there are four strapline variants. The
trademark has now been approved and it is important to note that the crown and KRIII elements of
the identity cannot be used without one of the four approved strapline variations.
There is a proposal to produce a design using the ‘RIII’ element only which could then be used under
licence by third parties with similar brand values. This would help to minimise brand dilution of the
official trademark and also provide a version which is easier to use in co-branding.
The official trademark for King Richard III Visitor Centre and the Cathedral will be licensed for use by
Leicester City Council and each organisation will be responsible for the correct representation of
their specific variant of the trademark. However, all partners are encouraged to seek the advice of
the Leicester City Council marketing division on the correct usage of the trademark before final sign
off to avoid the need and costs related to the incorrect representation.
The proposed marketing strategy and plan is written from a customer-focused viewpoint. It
acknowledges the six-stages of the Visitor Journey. The strategy is based on two levels.
1) Information and marketing channels already in existence that can be used to promote the
wider offer in both the city and the county. E.g. Curve programme, Twycross, travel
information, etc.
2) Information and marketing channels specifically related to the reinternment. This will cover
the pre-reinterment, reinterment and post-renterment periods.
The marketing strategy supports not only the 7-day reinterment period but also a longer period of
cultural and heritage activity to engage and entertain visitors who wish to stay for longer in the city
and county.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
There are five main target sectors identified, namely:1.
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5.
Residents and Day Visitors
Domestic Overnight Visitors – individuals
Domestic Travel Trade (groups) – day and overnight
Inbound – groups and individuals
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE)
Initial meetings regarding the provision of serviced accommodation have revealed a need for a
comprehensive transport strategy. Hotels will have their regular corporate clients and March is a
popular month for conferences and events which will put pressure on the availability of rooms close
to the city centre. Parking provision during the working week is also limited. A transport group has
been set up to take on this important area of work.
A merchandise group has also been set up to ensure that there is a strategic approach to KRIII
merchandise product and sales.
Economic Legacy
The Leicester Cathedral Quarter Partnership Board has set out a clear expectation that a strong and
positive legacy would be one of the primary outcomes of the KRIII project. The legacy report has
been organised in three work groups namely; 1) Economic and Commercial; 2) Community,
Educational and Cultural and 3) Organisational. This workstream is responsible for developing the
Economic and Commercial Legacy theme.
A grant-funded baseline Economic Impact Study is being commissioned but additional future
research to measure the impact against the baseline study will need to be commissioned.
Other realistic economic measures include STEAM tourism research for the city and county, visitor
numbers, attendance , sales and transport figures, media coverage, improved image, reputation of
the city, county and cathedral, increased inward investment and improved infrastructure, facilities
and services.
Budget and Resources
A budget of £50,000 has been requested to cover the work outlined in the supporting documents.
This does not include budget for the development of a cultural programme, events, marketing
support for individual venues and PR. There is a provision for the reprint of relevant existing
marketing material and for the production of bespoke initiatives directly related to the reinterment
event.
The implication of the plan uses existing resources identified in this workstream and there is no
provision for engaging additional resource for the city, county and cathedral. Various initiatives will
be delivered with partners, e.g. Leicester Mercury.
The marketing strategy and plan is realistic in terms of ability to deliver the initiatives with the
current resources and budget.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
KRIII BRAND
A brand is an identifiable entity that makes specific promises of value. There are different elements
to a brand:1) The Brand Promise
a. At its core, a brand is a promise to consumers and incorporates more than just those
tangible products and services. It also includes the feeling that consumer get when
they use your products and services.
2) The Brand Perceptions
a. Ultimately, it is the way consumers perceive a brand that defines it. Consumer
perceptions need to accurately reflect the brand to avoid limited growth potential.
3) The Brand Expectations
a. Based on the brand promise, consumers develop expectations and they assume
their expectations will be met at every interaction.
4) The Brand Persona
a. From appearance to personality and everything in between, the brand persona is
one that consumers will evaluate and judge before they do business with you
5) The Brand Elements
a. A brand is represented by the intangible elements described above as well as
tangible elements such as the brand logo, messaging, etc. All of these elements
must work together to consistently and accurately communicate the brand promise,
shape brand perceptions, meet brand expectations and define the brand persona.
A brand is more than just a logo and it takes time to establish a brand and even longer to build
brand equity.
Brand equity consists of the enduring brand perceptions and associations in the minds of
consumers. The stronger, more coherent and motivating those perceptions are, the more likely they
will be to influence purchase decisions and add value.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
Brand Control
It is important to establish the King Richard III brand that all parties understand the importance of
the consistent and accurate use of the logo and messaging. The brand should be the central
organising principle behind every decision and action taken by all partners intrinsically linked to King
Richard III.
King Richard III Identity
All references to this project must use the full title of ‘King Richard III’ in the first instance with the
accepted abbreviation of KRIII for further mentions in the same text.
The brand guidelines for the King Richard III identity are attached in Appendix I
There are four approved versions of the King Richard III identity/logo. The use of the crown and KRIII
is a constant in all versions. The identity must always be used with the associated strapline and
there are four approved strapline variants.
Four Strapline Variants
1) The ‘Dynasty, Death and Discovery’ strapline was created for use by the King Richard III
Visitor Centre. This strapline should only be used on materials relating to the Visitor Centre.
Alternative straplines have been created to enable to logo to be applied to wider King Richard III
activities and place marketing.
The alternative straplines and the instances in which they must be used are described below:
2) With Dignity and Honour
The logo with the ‘With Dignity and Honour’ strapline must be used only when promoting
activities which are related to the reinterment of King Richard III in Leicester Cathedral.
3) Leicester
The logo with the ‘Leicester’ strapline must be used when promoting King Richard III tourism
and activities taking place only within the city.
4) Leicester and Leicestershire
The logo with the ‘Leicester and Leicestershire’ strapline must be used when promoting King
Richard III tourism and activities taking place across both the city and county.
The use of the KRIII identity by the King Richard III Visitor Centre will be under licence from Leicester
City Council. The same could apply to the Cathedral. The use of the identity under licence will mean
full compliance to the issued brand guidelines. Any application of the identity can be checked with
the Leicester City Council Marketing team.
It is proposed that the use of the ‘Leicester’ and ‘Leicester and Leicestershire’ straplines are checked
with the Leicester City Council Marketing team prior to publication to ensure the identity is being
used correctly, especially as co-branding is most likely with these variants.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
Co-Branding with Third Parties
Third party requests to use the official trademark must be referred to Leicester City Council
Marketing team. It is important that requests are considered from organisations that are credible
and share similar brand values. The strapline variants 3) & 4) are the only versions that can be used
for co-branding.
Consideration is being given to allowing the limited use of the ‘RIII’ element of the trademarked
identity because the crown cannot be used without a strapline. In some cases, this may be
restrictive due to space e.g. Girl Guides badge.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
KRIII REINTERMENT MARKETING STRATEGY AND PLAN
Objectives
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To ensure that all marketing channels reflect the King Richard III brand in an accurate and
consistent manner to help build brand equity
To create a bespoke design for all marketing information produced for the reinterment
programme
To ensure a triangular relationship is maintained between the city, cathedral and county for
KRIII
To provide accurate, regular and relevant information during the pre-reinterment period to
interested people by putting in place a data capture strategy
To promote the city and county as an exciting destination and highlight the wide range of
attractions, activities and events available before, during and after the reinterment week
To ensure information on the period of the reinterment is communicated in the appropriate
tone of voice to reflect the dignity and honour of the events.
To instill confidence in the target audiences that Leicester is the fitting final resting place for
England’s last warrior king
To promote the reinterment 7-day calendar of events making it clear which events are open
to the public and which are for invited guests only
To promote the range of serviced accommodation available in the city and county
To provide detailed information and advice on travel modes, routes, parking and maps and
links to airlines and other related information.
To provide a warm, friendly and knowledgeable welcome to visitors by arranging briefing
and customer service training sessions for businesses and frontline staff on the retinterment
programme.
To establish www.kingichardinleicester.com as the main website for information on the
reinternment with links to partner websites (Visitleicester.info; GoLeicestershire.com;
le.ac.uk; kriii.com, bosworthbattlefield.com,etc)
To establish Visit Leicester as the primary information centre and to set up satellite
information points in key locations within the city centre
To put in place techniques for measurement and visitor feedback.
There are two levels of marketing strategy and plan that are interlinked
1) Destination Marketing
2) King Richard III Reinterment Marketing
Destination Marketing
The destination marketing for the city and county is already in place or being further developed. The
marketing promotes the overall offer of the city and county and encourages different target markets
to visit, stay longer and spend more.
Marketing by individual venues and attractions and cross promotional activity between attractions is
included e.g. dual ticketing.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
Information already in print or in electronic format will be made available during the period of the
reinterment. This material will help create a positive first impression for visitors motivated to come
to Leicester and Leicestershire specifically for the reinterment period. It will encourage them to
stay longer, explore further and spend more which will benefit the local economy. For example,
could be visitors from overseas who have never been to Leicester or Leicestershire or people visiting
friends and relatives who could be enticed to visit more venues and attractions during their stay.
King Richard III Reinterment Marketing
This refers to the marketing strategy and plan drawn up to specifically cover the reinternment
programme and enhance the destination marketing plan. One of its key aims is to galvanise local
residents into visiting more places and attractions and join in the reinterment programme of events
and cultural programme to help engender civic pride.
This marketing level does not include responsibility for providing marketing support for individual
venues, PR and media or events.
This strategy and plan covers the pre-reinternment, reinternment and post-reinternment period.
Visitor Journey©
A six-step visitor journey marketing approach is employed to ensure the triangular relationship
between the city, cathedral and county is considered at all times and is relevant to the target
audiences.
THE VISITOR JOURNEY
Step 1.
Stimulation,
Planning &
Anticipating
Step 6
Step 2
Recollection
of the
Experience
Booking
Step 3
Step 5
Travel to
Destination
Going Home
Step 4
The
Destination
Experience
STEP 1: Stimulation, Planning and Anticipation
First impressions are important – are we providing all the information visitors need?
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
STEP 2: Ease of Booking
Online booking? How many clicks does it take? Is there a real person at the end of the phone?
Define what can be booked from where.
STEP 3: Travel to the Destination
Are we easy to find? Apart from clear directions and a local map, what other information might be
helpful? What is someone is arriving after dark or by public transport?
STEP 4: The Destination Experience
Everyone appreciates a warm welcome. How do we do this? How do we then make the rest of the
visit an experience to remember?
STEP 5: Going Home
Leaving is still part of the visit. How can we make a good final impression? The opportunity for
feedback
STEP 6: Recollection of the Experience
Keep in touch because we want them to visit again.
Target Market Sectors – see Appendix I
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Residents and Day Visitors
Domestic Overnight Visitors – individuals
Domestic Travel Trade (groups) – day and overnight
Inbound – groups and individuals
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE)
Specific target audiences will be included in these sectors e.g. press/media, Richard III societies and
VIPs but these will tend to be bespoke programmes of activity which will be managed accordingly.
The accessibility market is inherent in all target markets and the King Richard III offer is developed to
be fully accessible to all visitors. The overall offer and many award winning venues and
accommodation providers in Leicester and Leicestershire are promoted through Visit England and
Disabledgo.
Marketing Plan – Appendix II
The marketing plan shows a range of proposed activities and initiatives that are proposed. This is in
draft form and the costs will be confirmed once the plan is finalised.
The plan illustrates the importance of involving all partner organisations to strengthen the overall
city and county visitor experience and the need to engage the local stakeholders so they can also
‘own’ this extraordinary event.
Measurement
The main economic and commercial measurements will be reported in the Legacy document.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
ECONOMIC LEGACY
The Leicester Cathedral Quarter Partnership Board has set out a clear expectation that a strong and
positive legacy would be one of the primary outcomes of the KRIII project. The legacy report has
been organised in three work groups namely; 1) Economic and Commercial; 2) Community,
Educational and Cultural and 3) Organisational. This workstream is responsible for developing the
Economic and Commercial Legacy theme.
Economic Impact Study
This stream of work is led by Helen Donnellan, Head of Inward Investment, Leicester City Council.
The baseline study will be carried out before March 2015 and this is grant funded. The tender
specification is currently being written and the draft will be sent out for comment before it is posted
on Source Leicestershire website.
The aim of the research is to provide a baseline for measurement in the future so that the economic
impact of the King Richard III reinterment and tourism activity can be captured. The timing of the
future study will depend on consultation with partners and the availability of the required funding.
The value to tourism to the city and county will be measured using the STEAM model. Leicester
Shire Promotions Limited has used STEAM annual figures for some years and therefore the impact
on tourism can be benchmarked not only against last year’s figures but over a longer period of time.
STEAM is a bottom up model and relies on the individual businesses to provide figures. However,
because the data has been captured on a regular annual basis, the general trend can be compared.
STEAM FIGURES FOR CITY AND COUNTY 2013
Value of Tourism
Value of Tourism
Combined Value
Number of Jobs
Number of Jobs
Combined Number of Jobs
Visitor Numbers
Visitor Numbers
Combined Visitor Numbers
Leicester
Leicestershire
Leicester
Leicestershire
Leicester
Leicestershire
£512m
£969m
£1,481 bn
6,913
13,573
20,485
9.475m
19.975m
29.45 m
Other Measurements
Baseline data will need to be collated for the measurement listed below. Other measures may also
be available.
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Footfall in Highcross and Haymarket Shopping Centres
Sales in Highcross and Haymarket
% increase/decrease in major high street stores
Number of train passengers using Leicester Train Station
Number of cyclists
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
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Number of bus passengers
Number of people using the Park and Ride
Attendance figures at major venues and attractions
Number of visitors to the Cathedral
Number of visitors to King Richard III Visitor Centre and Bosworth
Number of KRIII guided walks conducted and others
Number of self-guide trail leaflets purchased
Value of merchandise sales
Number of people to Visit Leicester Information Centre
Number of tickets sold at Curve, De Montfort Hall
Attendance figures at organised events
Value of press coverage
Customer satisfaction surveys
Hotel occupancy rate
Number of covers in restaurants
Increase in inward investment
Improved facilities and services
Improved infrastructure
Perception/image of city and county
Crime statistics
Website analytics
No of facebook ‘Likes’
No of followers on ‘Twitter’
No of marketing brochures/leaflets circulated
No of people entering KRIII related competition
Number of conferences/events
No of coach parties
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
APPENDIX 1
Note: This section will be updated once the marketing offer has been finalised. The offer text below
is to illustrate the way the marketing plan will be matched against the target sector in the final
report.
TARGET SECTORS
1. Target Market – Residents and Day Visitors
Lead Organisation: Individual attractions, for example, the new King Richard III Visitor Centre,
Bosworth Battlefield and The Cathedral working both individually and cooperatively as appropriate.
Background: The local resident market, usually defined as those within an hour’s drive, and the
wider day-trip sector are the core markets for any attraction. It is the sector that most of their
individual marketing spend and activity will be directed to and established attractions have well
developed approaches for this sector. Therefore, it is appropriate that individual attractions
continue to lead on and develop this work with the value of this workstream group being to identify,
encourage and facilitate areas of joint working and activity, for example in the provision of joint
ticketing deals and looking at shared communications activity.
NB: Information on Market Intelligence, Target Market, Offer, Routes to Market, Risks and
Reporting to be completed by the individual attractions.
2. Target Market: Domestic Overnight Visitors
Lead Organisation: Leicester Shire Promotions
Background:
For the last six years, significant progress has been made in establishing a successful and growing
short break sector for Leicester and Leicestershire. Focused on the innovative ‘Stay Play Explore’
brand, a significant overnight leisure breaks market in now in place and has had positive impact on
the hotel sector and drives new business into our attractions, shops, restaurants etc. The skills,
knowledge and experience of developing this programme will be applied to the King Richard III
project.
Market Intelligence:
The domestic overnight visitor market in the UK is worth in excess of £19.5 billion. According to the
Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS) British residents took 104.5 million overnight trips in England in
2012, equating to 310 million nights away from home. With an average trip length of 3.0 nights,
£187 was spent per trip, and the average spend per night was £63. The number of domestic trips
taken was unchanged compared to 2011, but the amount spent rose by 9% (in nominal terms). The
volume and value of domestic trips in 2012 were at their highest levels since the start of the current
GBTS survey in 2006. The GBTS is a national consumer survey measuring the volume and value
of overnight domestic tourism trips taken by British residents.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
Excluding business travel and staying with friends and relatives, 46 million pure holiday trips were
taken in England in 2012, with spending of £11 billion. The number of holiday trips taken was
unchanged compared to 2011, leaving volumes well above pre-recession levels (2006-2008 average
trip volume = 40.5 million), with spending up by 10%.
Target Market:
The primary audience based on 2013 short break bookings can be split into:
1) dedicated Richard III enthusiasts
2) couples with an interest in history, heritage, monarchy
3) to a lesser extent families with school age children.
The geographical spread includes visitors from Yorkshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Shropshire,
Kent, County Durham, Lincolnshire – tending to suggest proximity to M1/A1(M).
Using Cameo profiling tool these can be identified as;
2A Opulent Older & Retired Households in Spacious Rural Properties
2B Affluent Mature Families & Couples in Large Exclusive Detached Homes
2C Affluent Mature Couples & Singles Some with School Age Children
3A Wealthy Older Families in Spacious Suburban & Rural Detached & Semis
4B Professional Home Owners In Detached & Semi Suburbia
4E Couples & Families in Modern Rural & Suburban Developments
4F Mature Couples & Families In Mortgaged Detached & Semis
5G Older Couples & Singles in Suburban Family Semis
2C Affluent Mature Couples & Singles Some with School Age Children
- Income between £75 - £100k -Older Professional Families
Offer:
A range of options is proposed for domestic overnight visitors with an interest in King Richard III.
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Guests booking independently at local accommodation providers will be offered a King
Richard III information pack upon check in. These visitors are harder to monitor however we
are working with accommodation partners to improve this.
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Stay Play Explore King Richard III short break. Designed as part of the successful Stay Play
Explore brand, this overnight break will be priced at £109 for 2 adults and include 3 star
hotel accommodation plus a choice of 3 out of 5 themed attractions or experiences
including:
King Richard III Visitor Centre
Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre
Richard III: The Leicester Connection Guided Walk
Afternoon tea in the city
Richard III Book/Visit Leicester Centre Voucher
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
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Seasonal breaks with tickets and accommodation, focusing on major King Richard III events
including the re-enactment weekend, interment, University events, etc.
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An enhanced STAY PLAY EXPLORE break coinciding with dates on with the new King’s Tour
(see product development) will run.
We are aware that there will be other short break opportunities around the King Richard III offer
such as spiritual retreats at Launde Abbey. Although we will promote these breaks through our
online activity, we will not be actively developing these as the organisations involved are more
experienced in this area of work.
Routes to Market:
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Online marketing of the new overnight breaks will be via the promoted short URL
www.goleicestershire.com/RichardIII. Online booking functionality is available from this
page. Calls to action on short breaks materials and collateral will direct web enquirers to
this page, or by telephone to the Visit Leicester Centre short breaks team.
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Activity will be undertaken to identify suitable blog sites to publish articles or visit
reviews, and inexpensive forms of online promotion, e.g. competitions. All
additional on-line outlets will be included wherever possible, including
VisitLeicester and other partner’s websites.
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Regular eblasts will be sent to the database of email subscribers managed by
Leicester Shire Promotions. Partners are encouraged to capture data to feed the
growing database of contacts interested in King Richard III experiences.
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A new Leicestershire short breaks campaign will be produced to promote the entire
range of breaks on offer. This will be launched in 2014 and will contain full details of the Stay
Play Explore series of breaks, and an overview of upcoming and event based short breaks.
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Press and social media activity will take place throughout the year following initial
launch activity, to providing latest information about the short breaks, guided walk
dates, special events, etc.
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VisitEngland’s channels will be utilised to continue to promote the King Richard III
offer, primarily via the editorial and PR teams’ activity, plus digital platforms
including the new www.visitengland.com website, @VisitEngland twitter,
facebook.com/EnjoyEngland, etc.
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A pilot project will be developed with East Midlands trains to promote a car-free
break out of London for the enhanced SPE break that incorporates the King’s Tour
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Visit Leicester – promotion to visitors through the centre and online.
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City, county and attraction partners are encouraged and facilitated to promote the
offer on their own websites and via eblasts and social media platforms to maximise
awareness and generate bookings.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
Risks
Potential barriers to success could be:
Rising occupancy rates leading to a reduction in competitive rates for leisure tourism in favour of
more lucrative business from other sectors
Accommodation availability due to increased occupancy levels
Sustainability of offer - will the attraction offer be refreshed to attract a new audience
The centre fails to meet customer expectations
Reporting
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Bednights generated via online GL.com bookings and VLC bookings
Direct bednights via hotels
Attraction redemptions
Monitoring Richard III web page traffic, source and referrals
Addition of email subscribers to database
Marketing activity from campaign partners
3. Target Market: Domestic Travel Trade
Lead Organisation: Leicester Shire Promotions
Background:
Key products in the county and individual attractions have well established group travel sectors,
these include Melton Mowbray, Bosworth Battlefield, Leicester’s Golden Mile, as examples. A new
group offer is being developed in the city as part of the Connecting Leicester programme to allow
groups to be welcomed and accommodated far more effectively and to a much higher standard.
Established links and relationships with the sector are in place and ready to be developed to
showcase new opportunities.
Market Intelligence:
The Travel Trade industry is an important and integral market within the Tourism and Leisure
Industry, with approximately 7 million people taking a coach tour holiday in the UK each year.
‘Travel Trade’ is defined as ‘organised groups of visitors who book holidays or short breaks through a
coach or group tour organiser’. Research by the Coach Passenger Transport Council has calculated
that coach travel contributes £2.35 billion to the UK economy with consumers spending £1.2 billion
on UK Coach Tours alone. This equates to approximately £189 per coach traveller.
Additional research shows that over 4 million trips were booked through a coach or group tour
operator which proves the ability to reach and influence large numbers of customers through this
route.
There are three sectors within the Travel Trade market.
The first sector is the wholesaler. These are a small number of well established, large coach or group
tour operators who promote a range of short breaks and holidays nationally. Wholesalers include
Skills Holidays, Select Travel and Shearrings who each have a fleet of vehicles, partnership
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
agreements with national hotel chains, National Trust and English Heritage and therefore can
operate hundreds of value based short breaks and holidays throughout the year.
The second sector is Coach Tour Operators/Group Travel Organisers. There is a larger number of
these small organisations who are traditionally made up of family owners of smaller fleet of vehicles
who still develop and deliver many of the tours themselves.
The third sector is Group Organisers. There are thousands of these organisers throughout the
country and include WI Groups, Brownies, Scouts, Church Groups, societies etc who are looking for
locations and venues for good value days out.
Target Market:
In order to focus our marketing activity, Leicester Shire Promotions commissioned research into the
Travel Trade market to determine which of the travel trade sectors will be most responsive to the
destination offer. The findings of the research recommended that targeting the Coach Tour
Operator/Group Travel Organiser market would be the most successful approach for us as this
market is receptive to new ideas, relatively flexible and are influenced by personal relationships.
Therefore over the last four years LPL have targeted the Coach Tour Operator/Group Travel
Organisers with the destination offer.
Coach Tour Operators/Group Travel Organisers are smaller, traditional, family run businesses that
run many of their tours themselves and are always looking for new destinations, events and venues
to visit. They have a loyal customer base and many of their decisions and tours are based on
relationships with destinations, organisers and individuals. LPL have a database of 1,750 organisers
who we are in regular contact with to provide new suggestions, itineraries and offers.
Coach Tour Operators/Group Travel Organisers target market is a traditional, older, risk adverse, less
mobile audience who are looking for a good experience at a ‘value’ price. However they are a very
local customer base and are open to new destinations and experiences if endorsed by a trusted
Coach Tour Operators/Group Travel Organiser.
Offer:
The King Richard III group travel offer is based around a two day itinerary. This includes:
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King Richard III Visitor Centre
Leicester Cathedral
Bosworth Battlefield
Blue badge guided walk
Guided tours of the battlefield
Overnight accommodation.
We will work with a range of accommodation providers in the city and county to develop this offer
and will ensure that the itinerary is flexible and can be adapted to the individual requirements of the
group.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
Routes to Market:
The Coach Tour Operators/Group Travel Organisers are traditional in their decision making which
are largely based on individual relationships, therefore our routes to market reflect a more
individual/personal approach. These include:
Trade Shows
There are a huge amount of Travel Trade exhibitions and shows that take place around the country
promoting events and destinations. We have selected the following trade events as they are
targeted at the Group/Coach Travel market and the considered the best within the industry, and
have proven to be a successful return on investment. At each of these events we will arrange to
meet existing contacts to update them on the new King Richard III offer and invite them to visit the
new centre. We will invite all new contacts to attend a number of King Richard III familiarisation
visits to the destination.
Excursions, Saturday 25th January, Alexander Palace, London.
This one day trade event which attracts in excess of 1,000 trade visitors looking for inspiration for
group days out and short break itineraries.
BOBI (Best of Britain and Ireland), Wednesday 12th - Thursday 13th March, NEC Birmingham.
This is traditionally one of the most well attended event in the industry and is supported by Visit
England. It’s a key industry networking and trade event where high profile new product and event
launches have been successfully held.
Tourism and Destinations Show, Saturday 22nd March, Snibston Discovery Museum, Coalville,
Leics. A regional event covering Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the surrounding
area.
Direct/email campaign
We will undertake a direct/email campaign to promote the King Richard III offer to the Coach Tour
Operators/Group Travel Organisers market. This will include targeting our database as well as all
new contacts obtained from trade exhibitions. This will be followed up by a telemarketing campaign
inviting organisers to attend a familiarisation visit to the destination.
Advertising/PR
Working with destination partners we will advertise the new King Richard III offer in a number of
targeted press publications. These will include annual directories such as Coach Tourism Council
Yearbook, Coach Drivers Club Directory as well as niche publications such as The Pass, Travel GBI and
Group Travel Organiser. As we already have good working relationships with each of these
publications we will be securing editorial to accompany each of our adverts.
Familiarisation Visits
As part of the promotion of the King Richard III group travel offer we will be inviting all relevant
Group Travel Organisers and Coach Tour Operators on a familiarisation visit to the destination.
Familiarisation visits have been very successful in attracting this market and once they have visited
the destination and discussed their specific needs with LPL and partners their propensity to arrange
a tour is far greater.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
Hosted by LPL and partners, the familiarisation itinerary will include the King Richard III Visitor
Centre, Bosworth Battlefield, Leicester Cathedral, guided walks as well as suggested places to eat &
drink. The visit will include complimentary accommodation if required.
Online Promotions
Full details of the King Richard III group travel offer will be featured on the
goleicestershire.com/groups microsite. All promotional material including eblasts will signpost this
site which will have full details of each of the partners offer. We will provide links for all partners to
include on their websites to ensure that all travel trade enquiries are directed to the group travel coordinator at LPL. This will ensure that we maximise all opportunities and encourage visitors to
extend their stay in the destination.
Visit England
We will continue to work closely with Visit England Travel Trade team to promote the King Richard III
offer through all their networks and routes to market. We will accompany them to any relevant
trade shows and will be included in their promotional material to the industry. Suggested itineraries
will also be included on the Visit England Travel Trade website.
Visit Leicester
Promotion to group enquiries and visitors through the centre and online.
Risks
Potential barriers to success could be:
Late decisions concerning opening dates and prices have meant that much of the 2014 season may
already have been missed
Adequate provision for coach parking the city. The coach market have very specific needs and
without a clear coach parking offer, this market will be reluctant to visit the city.
Reporting:
•
•
•
•
•
Bednights generated via online GL.com bookings and VLC bookings
Direct bednights via hotels
Increase in group bookings to partner attractions
Increase in contacts to database
Addition of email subscribers to LPL database
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
4. Target Market – Inbound Group Market
Lead Organisation: Leicester Shire Promotions
Background:
Traditionally Leicester and Leicestershire haven’t invested in marketing to the international group
travel market. This has largely been due to the quality of offer and budgets. However we now have
an offer which is attractive to a number of overseas markets. Other than event driven tours (such as
the Olympics, Golden Jubilee and Rugby World Cup), the overseas market is predominantly
interested in Britain’s history and heritage offer and tours include the ‘honey-pot’ destinations such
as Stratford upon Avon, Bath, Oxford and York.
Market Intelligence:
We have undertaken some initial research with Visit England which has indicated that the target
market for this offer is the North America & Canada and European market, particularly Germany.
There are strong King Richard III connections in the US and Canada and an ongoing interest in British
history in Europe but specifically Germany.
Group travel visitors in both of these sectors are interested in the history and heritage and are
receptive to new offers IF incorporated into an existing themed ‘history & heritage’ tour. To date,
there has been limited interest in a specific King Richard III tour.
In order to maximise this opportunity we are working with partners in York and Stratford upon Avon
to develop a multi-centre, themed King Richard III travel trade offer. Both of these destinations have
an established inbound travel audience, robust routes to market as well as obvious connections to
the King Richard III story.
Industry feedback has been positive and we have spoken to a number of inbound tour operators
who are interested in working with us on this project.
Target Market:
The two target markets we will be pursuing are:
North America
Germany
Germany is Britain's second most important market for volume of visits and third for the amount
spent by visitors.
Global Context
1.
International tourism expenditure ($bn): 83.8
2.
Global rank for international tourism expenditure: 2
3.
Number of outbound visits (m): 85.7
4.
Most visited destination: France
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
Inbound to the UK in 2012
1.
3.0 million visits, accounting for 9.5% of all overseas visits to the UK
2.
16.3 million nights, accounting for 7.1% of all nights in the UK by overseas visitors
3.
£1.2 billion spent, accounting for 6.6% of the total spent whilst in the UK by overseas visitors
4.
Compared to five years ago there has been a 12% decrease in visits, a 15% decrease in nights
and a 1% increase in spend
General Market Conditions
1.
Germany has an ageing population that enjoys a high standard of living, with more than one
million resident High Net Worth Individuals
2.
The economy is strong despite the wider Eurozone debt crisis and Germany has extensive
trade links with Britain
3.
Germany has a modern and open-minded society
4.
The proportion of Germans taking a short-break each year is increasing
5.
Group and coach tours remain popular, a trend that may be sustained by the ageing
population
USA
Global Context
1.
International tourism expenditure ($bn): 83.5
2.
Global rank for international tourism expenditure: 2
3.
Number of outbound visits (m): 81.4
4.
Most visited destination: Mexico
Inbound to the UK in 2012
1.
2.8 million visits, accounting for 9.1% of all overseas visits to the UK
2.
23.6 million nights, accounting for 10.2% of all nights spent in the UK by overseas visitors
3.
£2.4 billion spent, accounting for 13.1% of the total spent whilst in the UK by overseas
visitors
4.
Compared to five years ago there has been a 20% decrease in visits, an 18% decrease in
nights and a 4% decrease in spend
Latest Insights
1.
Affluent travellers are becoming increasingly value conscious
2.
The biggest concerns for travellers, while travelling are exercising and eating healthily
3.
Media coverage of Liverpool describes how it has transformed into a modern, waterfront
city
4.
Family travel and a move towards customised tours are on the increase for travel to Europe
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
5.
43% of Americans who received a tax refund plan to spend it on travel – BA advertising was
live during the refund filing period, keeping Britain top of mind for trip planning
6.
Email campaigns are driving more traffic to tourism websites
General Market Conditions
1.
The USA has a growing population, a substantial proportion of whom have ancestral ties
with Britain or Ireland
2.
Economic recovery would appear to be gathering pace and the country is home to more
High Net Worth Individuals than any other
3.
Sterling currently costs the same as it did a decade ago, but 20% less than was the case in
2007
4.
The domestic economy, value for money and world events are the three major factors
impacting on US travel trends
Offer:
There are two offers for this market:
The King Richard III Leicester & Leicestershire group offer. This offer is based around a two day
itinerary which includes;
King Richard III Visitor Centre
Leicester Cathedral
Bosworth Battlefield
Blue badge guided walk,
Guided tours of the battlefield
Overnight accommodation.
We will work with a range of city and county accommodation providers who can provide a group
offer. This itinerary will continue to be flexible and can be adapted to the individual requirements of
the group.
Multi-centre itinerary
This itinerary links a number of destinations with a connection to King Richard III which includes;
Stratford upon Avon
Warwick
Leicester and Leicestershire
Routes to Market:
We will be working with Visit England’s Travel Trade team and Visit Britain’s overseas
representatives to promote this offer. Activity will include:
1. Briefings to relevant overseas trade representatives
2. Inclusion of itineraries and promotional material in overseas missions by Visit
Britain reps to America, Canada and Germany.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
3. Inclusion of itineraries and promotional material at targeted international
exhibitions including World Travel Market (WTM)
4. Inclusion of offer on Visit Britain’s website and in ecomms.
We will also be working with partners in Stratford and York to maximise all their routes to market,
this will include joint promotions at international exhibitions and ecomms to the target operators.
Visit Leicester – promotion to visitors through the centre and online.
Risks
There is currently no funding available for this activity. However we have raised this with the LLEP
and a funding request has been submitted.
Reporting:
•
•
•
•
•
Bednights generated via online GL.com bookings and VLC bookings
Direct bednights via hotels
Increase in group bookings to partner attractions
Increase in contacts to database
Addition of email subscribers to LPL database
5. Target Market – Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Events (MICE)
Lead Organisation: Leicester Shire Promotions
Background:
Over the last few years, a concerted push using the innovative ‘event bidding’ approach has reestablished the city and county as a viable destination for MICE events. Leicester Shire Promotions
became members of the International Congress and Convention Association – an association that
provides access to a database of 5,743 Potential meetings in United Kingdom, 9,644 Association
meeting planners and 11,980 Profiles of rotating meetings and by applying search filters based on
the key strategic themes and the maximum capacity venue in the destination, we now have collated
the results of the research which included dates of meetings, events, conferences and exhibitions,
the rotation of the event, the subject matter, organising body and also the main and a local contact.
As part of the research for this on-going programme, events that have a particular ‘fit’ with history,
heritage and archaeology have been identified as possible targets.
Market Intelligence:
According to the MPI study into the Economic Impact of the Meeting and Event Industry 2012, more
than 1.3 million meetings were held in the UK in 2011 in more than 10,000 venues with attendees
spending just under £40 billion.
Whilst large hotels hosted most meetings, unusual and unique venues proved popular for
conference organisers, and small hotels more popular for incentive events. Corporate clients hosted
the vast majority of events, with many (more than 60%) favouring smaller meetings of less than 100
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
people. Meeting organisers staged on average 147 events in the year and received £11 billion from
hosting meetings in the UK.
Although we have seen the timescales for booking conference and events reduce dramatically over
the last few years, with lead in times being as short as six weeks, larger events which have a
significant economic on the destination still have longer lead in times up to eighteen months.
There are a number of ‘event/conference organisers’ within the market:1. Associations – these hold regular and annual or bi-annual events. Associations can range
from local government and academia to trade bodies.
2. Professional Conference Organisers – organise conferences, events or exhibitions on behalf
of clients.
3. Event Management Companies – organise events or exhibitions on behalf of clients.
4. Destination Marketing Contacts – Meeting procurement companies employ destination
marketing contacts as the ‘on the ground knowledge’ for destinations based on their clients
meeting, incentive, conference or exhibition requirements.
5. Traditionally PAs and secretaries are tasked with organising company events including social
events and Human Resources training sessions. They are often looking for a new experience.
Target Market:
It is recommended that the contacts under Archaeology, Arts and Historical Science are approached
to promote the Richard III Meetings Incentives Conferences and Exhibitions offer. Our initial
research has identified 45 potential conferences to target, these include:
1. Conference of the International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial
Heritage
2. Conference of the European Business History Association
3. European International Conference on Urban History
4. Royal Historical Society
5. Council for British Archaeology
6. Social History Society – Annual Forum
7. Medieval Combat Society
8. Medieval Heritage Society
9. The Historical Association
10. The Society for Medieval Military History
However, there is a huge opportunity to promote the King Richard III offer to all conference
organisers that are planning to hold events in the destination. We will promote the offer as part of
the social itinerary, which could include drinks reception a the new King Richard III Visitor Centre or
Bosworth Battlefield, specialist talks from the University of Leicester or themed blue badge guided
walks around the city.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
Offer:
The Meetings Incentives Conference and Exhibitions offer in Leicester is based around the City
Conference Hub – Curve, Athena, Mercure, Encore, Belmont, Holiday Inn extending out the Marriott,
University of Leicester conference facilities and Hilton Leicester if accommodation requirements
cannot be fully met within the city centre. Additional clusters of facilities are at Loughborough
University and the Hinckley Island Hotel. A wide range of potential venues exist to meet all needs
and themes. We will work with all accommodation providers in the destination that provide a
conference and events offer.
As part of the social programme available delegates will be offered guided tours of the King Richard
III Visitor Centre including an exclusive reception or drinks, blue badge guided tours of the city,
specialist speakers if required and a visit to Bosworth Battlefield.
As well as offering the venue and the accommodation to the Meetings Incentives Conference and
Exhibitions market, we will work closely with the meeting organiser to negotiate with partners,
provide online accommodation booking, social and partner itineraries, develop and provide
marketing collateral for welcome packs and offer destination support.
Routes to Market:
Trade Shows
There are a number of trade shows, specifically for the MICE sector
Business Travel Show – Feb at Earls Court
The Business Travel Show is Europe’s main exhibition and conference event for corporate travel
buyers, managers and bookers to source, learn and network.
Confex – March, Olympia
International Confex welcomes 7,000 visitors from agencies, associations and corporate
organisations and hosts over 900 exhibitors covering four areas – UK Venues and Destinations,
International Venues and Destinations, Logistics and ‘Something Special’ – conference and events
venues with a difference.
Academic Venue Show May,, Earls Court
50 Academic Venues from the whole of the UK get the opportunity to showcase their conference
and event facilities to professional conference and event organisers.
The Meetings Show –July, Olympia
Taking place over three days in July, at Olympia, London, 3,676 industry professionals from across
the globe gathered to meet with 367 destinations, venues and meetings service providers. There is
opportunity to hold hosted buyer events and the Association Conference takes part during the
event.
Direct/email campaign
Ecomms to relevant partners and the wider LPL business tourism database. This activity will be
followed up by a telemarketing campaign inviting event organisers on a familiarisation visit to the
destination.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
Familiarisation Visits
We will undertake a series of familiarisation visits for market contacts and trade press to the
destination. These have proved extremely successful in the past.
Advertising/PR
We will promote the offer in a number of niche trade publications and will secure additional
editorial, titles include;
M&IT
C&IT
Conference News
PA News
Online Promotions
We will promote the offer to the industry through a range of industry channels including:
Meetpie.com
M&IT
C&IT
Conference News
Plus promotion through the dedicated goleicestershire/conferences website. All of this activity will
be supported through a social media campaign.
Visit England
We will continue to work closely with Visit England Travel Trade team to promote the King Richard III
offer through all their networks and routes to market. We will accompany them to any relevant
trade shows and will be included in their promotional material to the industry.
Risks
There is currently no funding available for this activity. However we have raised this with the LLEP
and a funding request has been submitted.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
6. Target Market: Local Day/Overnight Visitors
Lead Organisation: Leicester Shire Promotions
Background:
For a number of years we have explored opportunities to cross promote the city and county heritage
offer. With the discovery of the remains of King Richard III in 2012, this became more of a priority as
partners experienced a significant increase in enquiries from visitors who were keen to explore the
King Richard III experience in the city and county. As a response to this demand LPL developed a
joint ticketing offer which included transport which had always proved problematic in the past.
Over a five month period, The Kings Tour offer ran eight times with almost 400 visitors. With the
opening of the King Richard III Visitor Centre this summer we proposed rebranding and developing
the offer to reflect this.
Market Intelligence:
Visitors from the Kings Tour in 2013 were predominantly 60+ with over 90% of visitors from within a
40 minute drive time of the city. The price and ease of accessing the offer was appealing, particularly
the transport links between the Guildhall and Bosworth Battlefield. Based on recent statistics taken
from the LLEP, there is great potential to continue to grow the tour within the 60+ market reaching a
potential audience of 150,000. However, with the majority of residents within the 15-64 age group
this market has the capacity to reach over 560,000 residents
With the inclusion of the new King Richard III Visitor Centre, the price point for the tour in 2014 will
have to increase. Feedback from visitors in 2013 indicated that an increase from £10 per person to
£15 (including concessions) would be acceptable, however any more than this would be prohibitive.
As the price of the new tour will need to be higher than this, careful marketing and positioning is
needed to overcome any price point barriers.
Target Market:
There are two target markets;
Local/regional day visitors – the geographical spread of this audience was from the city and county
but also visitors from within a one hour drive time which includes Birmingham, Milton Keynes and
Cambridge. Using the Cameo research tool, the profile of these visitors has been identified as:
5G Older Couples (60+) & Singles in Suburban Family Semis
6E Mature Households In Less Affluent Suburban & Rural Areas
- Income Between £20 - £30k - Less Affluent Terraced Homeowners
Overnight visitors – this segment is the same as the King Richard III short break market. The Cameo
profile of these visitors is:
2A Opulent Older & Retired Households in Spacious Rural Properties
2B Affluent Mature Families & Couples in Large Exclusive Detached Homes
2C Affluent Mature Couples & Singles Some with School Age Children
3A Wealthy Older Families in Spacious Suburban & Rural Detached & Semis
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
4B Professional Home Owners In Detached & Semi Suburbia
4E Couples & Families in Modern Rural & Suburban Developments
4F Mature Couples & Families In Mortgaged Detached & Semis
5G Older Couples & Singles in Suburban Family Semis
2C Affluent Mature Couples & Singles Some with School Age Children
- Income between £75 - £100k -Older Professional Families
Offer:
The original Kings Tour offer consisted of;
Guildhall Exhibition
Blue Badge Guided Walk
Bosworth Battlefield & Heritage Centre (guided walk and falconry display extra)
Transport
The cost of this offer was £10 per person.
With the opening of the new King Richard III Visitor Centre, the proposed offer is:
Bosworth Battlefield & Heritage Centre (including guided walk and falconry display)
King Richard III Visitor Centre
Transport
Blue Badge guided walks, guided walks at Bosworth and falconry displays are optional extras
We are currently revisiting the costing for this project however we would recommend that the offer
is rebranded to avoid any confusion to the consumer.
There is also a huge opportunity to promote the wider destination offer to this market. This could
include discounts and offers for shopping, food and drink and cultural events including theatre,
festivals and events.
Routes to Market:
Activity to attract the day market will include:
Promotional literature
A promotional flyer will be produced which will be distributed through partners and attractions
throughout the destination and region to promote the offer.
PR/Social Media
Through targeted press activity we will promote the offer through all local and regional media. In
addition to this it will promoted through LPL and all partner social media channels.
Online Promotions
The offer will feature on all partner websites and will be promoted to the target market through all
partner, consumer databases.
Activity to attract the overnight market will be included in the overnight visitor marketing plan.
WORKSTREAM: Brand, Marketing and Economic Legacy
Risks:
A potential risk is that the price point of the offer becomes prohibitive for this target market.
Reporting:
1. Ticket sales
2. Database growth
3. Hits to relevant websites