DRAFT – JANUARY 2014
King Richard III Tourism & Marketing Strategy
CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Introduction
Background
Delivery and Context
Aims and Objectives
Risks
Assessment of offer/assets
Marketing Approach
Launch Activity
Target Markets:
Residents – local and regional
10.
11.
12.
Day Visits – Individuals
Domestic Overnight – Individuals
Domestic Overnight – Groups
Inbound – Groups
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE)
Kings Tour
Product Development
Budgets and Responsibilities
Evaluation
13.
Appendix 1
1
1. Introduction
This plan brings together the wider tourism opportunities around the story of King Richard III in
Leicester and Leicestershire. It will allow the partnership to have a single direction to ensure that we
achieve the greatest possible impact by providing our visitors with the best experience we can
provide. The world’s eyes are on Leicester and Leicestershire as a result of this discovery and
through this plan we will ensure that we rise to that expectation.
2. Background
Tourism has long been the city and county’s hidden success story. For many years, we have been
fighting hard to establish a place in England's tourism offer. We have many stories to tell and many
experiences to offer visitors but it has been a challenge to engage with visitors to allow these
opportunities to be sold. Even though we have been seen on the national tourism stage as a
secondary player, thanks to careful targeting of niche-groups and exploiting our location for business
tourism, we have managed to punch above our weight. This is demonstrated by the area’s tourism
sector having the same value of impact as neighbouring destinations which are perceived as primary
tourism destinations. It is worth reminding ourselves that the value of tourism to Leicester and
Leicestershire is around £1.4bn a year – the same as Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Around
20,000 people rely on the tourism economy for their jobs.
There is now a renewed confidence and a clear understanding of the difference tourism can make to
our economy. In the city, the City Mayor has repeatedly given his commitment to tourism and the
‘Connecting Leicester’ projects, infrastructure improvements and many other initiatives are greatly
strengthening the city’s tourism appeal. Our county offer boasts some leading attractions and
experiences that are successfully packaged under the innovative ‘STAY PLAY EXPLORE’ campaign.
However, the performance can be improved further and the discovery of the remains of King
Richard III in Leicester, the profile generated by being a candidate for city of culture, profile through
the Rugby World cup all mean that now is the right time to invest in tourism and up our game.
Delivering a ‘step-change’
To mark a step change, we have long needed a strong hook to raise interest, draw people in and
overcome any negative pre-conceptions. The opportunity to develop and utilise fully the discovery
of King Richard III as that hook now exists. Growth will come from successful tourism businesses and
we need to create a climate for them to grow, invest and flourish.
A combination of effective tourism structures, proven track record in tourism marketing, very strong
public and private sector partnerships and a constantly improving product give us all the elements
needed for a step change.
KPIs for the success of this activity have been developed - see appendix 2
Why Tourism is Important
2
During the current period of economic uncertainty and austerity, it is worth asking the question why
the visitor economy is important to a destination. Tourism can be seen as many things and has in
the past sometimes been dismissed as a 'candy floss' industry of low value. This view is now largely
rejected and tourism is considered as one of the sectors that can help drive economic growth within
a destination and within the country. Of particular interest is the role tourism plays in influencing the
overall quality of life of residents and for the wider local economy:
•
By strengthening the visitor economy, services enjoyed by local people, such as restaurants,
attractions, arts and entertainment will benefit. Looked at the other way, actions directly
aimed at making somewhere a better place to live and work will also make it a more
appealing place to visit.
•
Strengthening and promoting the image and awareness of a destination and the services
available and attracting influencers to conferences and events can be highly important tools
in bringing new business and inward investment across all sectors.
•
Tourism has demonstrated its ability to stimulate growth in jobs and is a relatively
accessible sector in which to start a new business.
•
The health of tourism related businesses can be very important to other parts of the local
economy who supply them, such as food producers, maintenance services etc.
Shaping a Successful Tourism Destination around King Richard III
Destinations are the places that people want to visit and experience; destinations are the heart and
soul of England's Visitor Economy. Destinations are diverse - they don't always fit neatly into county
(or national) borders or within public sector administrative boundaries. They may cover a single
destination, or number of smaller destinations with a strong identity caused by its natural geography
or landscape well known in its own right, e.g. the Cotswolds. They may be linked by a unifying event,
such as Leicester and Bosworth Field being linked by the King Richard III stories.
Destinations are multifaceted places containing a number of stakeholders with their own specific
needs. Experience shows that without collaboration, coordination and a continued focus, places do
not evolve with a common purpose. To create a successful and sustainable visitor economy in an
area, all the components that make a successful destination need to be managed in an integrated
and long-term way, with a clear focus on the needs of residents, businesses and visitors.
3. Delivery and Context
This plan has been developed by and is overseen by the King Richard III Tourism and Marketing
Group which brings together the following partners:
Leicester Shire Promotions Ltd
Leicester City Council
Leicestershire County Council
Leicester Cathedral
The University of Leicester
The full terms or reference for the group are attached at Appendix 1
3
The group is part of a wider structure put in place to manage all matters relating to the discovery as
shown in the following diagram:
4
5
In shaping this plan and in its forward evolution and execution, it is recognised that there are many
things that need to influence and inform the work of this group, whilst not directly being its
responsibility.
Whilst this plan focusses on opportunities relating to King Richard III, partners are aware that there
is a broader tourism offer and opportunity. This plan will be key in the development of the Leicester
Place Marketing Strategy. Full linkages will be made in both directions to cross-fertilise and support
all tourism sectors.
4. Aims and Objectives
•
•
•
•
Ensure a coordinated and cohesive approach to marketing and developing tourism
opportunities around the discovery of King Richard III
Give direction and focus to minimise duplication and ensure robust return on investment
Shape and deliver a world-class visitor experience
Create an environment in which new and established tourism and related businesses can
thrive
5. Risks
Although there is a huge opportunity to raise the profile of the destination and attract new visitors
there are a number of risks that need to be considered. We have identified risks for each of the
strands of marketing activity, however there is also an overarching risk that however well developed
this strategy and marketing activity is, it cannot achieve its potential if the necessary resources are
not in place. Therefore it is of utmost priority that resources are identified and deployed as soon as
possible. A suggested budget is outlined in Appendix 3.
6. The Offer
The King Richard III offer in the destination is extensive, some of which is attractive to a mainsteam
visitor market whilst other elements are of particular interest to a niche market. The elements of the
offer cover the history, myth, fact and controversy and the science of the discovery along with some
fascinating stories of human endeavour. There is something in the story to appeal to everyone.
There are a wide range of components that together form the King Richard III offer:
King Richard III Visitor Centre
Cathedral Quarter
Leicester Cathedral
King Richard III Leicester (including the interment, guided walks and events)
University of Leicester learning experience
Medieval Leicester (including the Story of Leicester)
Bosworth Battlefield and Heritage Centre – Richard III and Henry Tudor
Medieval Leicestershire (including Kirby Muxloe Castle, Bradgate Park, Stoke Golding)
King Richard III sites and connections nationally
6
This offer will be shaped and packaged in different ways to maximise the appeal to different
audience groups.
7. Marketing Approach
We have agreed simple, clear and effective marketing approach structured on the following
elements:
•
•
•
•
Agree and identify target market sectors
Understand the shape, size and motivations of each sector
Define the offer for each sector
Identify routes to market
Our agreed Target Market Sectors are:
Residents and Day Visitors
Domestic Overnight Visitors – individuals
Domestic Travel Trade (groups) – day and overnight
Inbound – groups
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE)
There is also another market sector which cuts across all those identified here, this is the
accessibility market. All of the King Richard III offer has been developed to be fully accessible to all
visitors. As a destination we work closely with Visit England and Disabledgo to promote our offer
and we have many award winning venues and accommodation providers. All marketing activity will
reflect this offer.
7
8. Launch Activity
Working together with all relevant partners, this group will ensure that all opportunities are
maximised to promote the opening of the new King Richard III Visitor Centre to a local, regional,
national and international audience.
8
9.1
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 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.
9
9.2
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.
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
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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.

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.

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

Seasonal breaks with tickets and accommodation, focusing on major King Richard III events
including the re-enactment weekend, interment, University events, etc.

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:
•
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.
•
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.
11
•
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.
▪
A new Leicestershire short breaks guide will be produced to promote the entire range of
breaks on offer. The guide 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.
•
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.
•
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.
•
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
•
Visit Leicester – promotion to visitors through the centre and online.
•
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.
Risks
Potential barriers to success could be:
Price point which will depend on accommodation and attraction costs
Accommodation availability
Sustainability of offer - will the attraction offer be refreshed to attract a new audience.
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
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9.3
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
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.
13
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:
•
•
•
•
•
•
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.
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.
14
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.
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.
15
Visit Leicester
Promotion to group enquiries and visitors through the centre and online.
Risks
Potential barriers to success could be:
Initial risks could be timing of information about prices for the centre. If we are to attract the coach
market for 2014 exact details of the offer (including price and opening dates) will be needed in time
to launch at the trade shows in March.
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
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9.4
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 ($bn): 83.8
2.
Global rank for international tourism expenditure: 2
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3.
Number of outbound visits (m): 85.7
4.
Most visited destination: France
Inbound to the UK in 2012
1.
3.0 million visits, accounting for 9.5% of all overseas visits to the UK
2.
16.3 million nights, accounting for 7.1% of all nights in the UK by overseas visitors
3.
£1.2 billion spent, accounting for 6.6% of the total spent whilst in the UK by overseas visitors
4.
Compared to five years ago there has been a 12% decrease in visits, a 15% decrease in nights
and a 1% increase in spend
General Market Conditions
1.
Germany has an ageing population that enjoys a high standard of living, with more than one
million resident High Net Worth Individuals
2.
The economy is strong despite the wider Eurozone debt crisis and Germany has extensive
trade links with Britain
3.
Germany has a modern and open-minded society
4.
The proportion of Germans taking a short-break each year is increasing
5.
Group and coach tours remain popular, a trend that may be sustained by the ageing
population
USA
Global Context
1.
International tourism expenditure ($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
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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
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:
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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.
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
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9.5
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
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.
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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.
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
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There are a number of trade shows, specifically for the MICE sector
Business Travel Show – 4-5 Feb 2014 at Earls Court
The Business Travel Show, taking place in London on 4 - 5 February 2014, is Europe’s main exhibition
and conference event for corporate travel buyers, managers and bookers to source, learn and
network.
Confex – 12-13th March 2014, 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 14th May 2014, 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 – 8-10 July 2014, 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.
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
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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.
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9.6
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.
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
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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.
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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
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10.
Product Development
The opening of the new King Richard III Visitor Centre this summer and the development of
Cathedral Quarter combined with the established offer provides us with an exciting new offer to
raise the profile of the destination, nationally and internationally. However there is still potential to
further develop the product linked to the King Richard III offer. This will be particularly important in
years 3 and beyond once the ‘honeymoon’ period of the new attraction is over.
Possible opportunities identified so far include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
11.
Development of an Open Air Film Season
Medieval Banquets
Production of new marketing literature
Events and performances at Cathedral Quarter venues
Mediaeval Food & Drink events at the new Food Hall
City Festival to integrate archaeology feature
White boars around the city and county
Meet & greet for groups
Development of King Richard III VIP tours
King Richard III Conference
City centre parking for groups
Budgets
Activity outlined in this plan will be covered by existing budgets of the lead organisations and other
partners. Growth funding will be pursued whenever available. Suggested budgets are included as
part of the marketing action plans.
12.
Evaluation
Evaluation of this activity will be measure in a number of ways detailed in each of the target market
action plans. However in addition to this Leicester Shire Promotions will commission STEAM
research to impact of this activity to the destination.
In addition to this we will measure success through:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Residents – awareness
Day Visits – volume
Domestic overnight – volume and value
Press coverage - value generated
Social media Inbound – volume and value
MICE sector – volume and value
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Appendix 1
King Richard III Tourism and Marketing Group
Terms of Reference - December 2013
Purpose:
1. The group has been established to act as a multi-agency advisory panel to shape and
prioritise initiatives and budget allocation to support the delivery of a coordinated
destination wide tourism and marketing plan on all issues relating to King Richard III
2. The group seeks to ensure that all opportunities for the sensitive development of
promotional activity are identified and acted upon and that the needs and expectations of
residents, visitors and stakeholders are met
3. The group has a particular responsibility to ensure that opportunities are developed that
reflect the wider KRIII offer and the needs of visitors across boundaries, covering Leicester,
Leicestershire and other associated destinations to the benefit of the Leicestershire
economy.
Membership and organisation:
The group members agree to work together actively to achieve the objectives on the basis of:1. Visible commitment and ‘ownership’ by the various member organisations and individual
representatives
2. Mutual trust and respect
3. Openness and transparency
Effective communication and accountability
1. Shared ownership of resources, where appropriate
2. Combined expertise
3. Creative and innovative solutions to problems
4. Identification and sharing of best practice, based on mutual learning
5. Promote the benefits of diversity & the removal of barriers to equality of access and
opportunity
6. Clear purpose, clarity of expectations and agreed targets to action
7. Effective decision-making
8. Shared mechanisms for risk management, monitoring, evaluation, reviewing and reporting
on performance, progress and success.
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Members of the Partnership
Must not use their position improperly, confer on, or secure for themselves or any other person, an
advantage or disadvantage.
The group consists of nominated representatives of the following organisations. The group will
select one of its members to chair meetings and that member’s organisation will provide the
administrative support for the group. The chair will be re-elected annually. There is no limit on how
long members are able to participate, subject only to their organisation continuing to be a relevant
partner:
1. Leicester Cathedral and Diocese
2. Leicester City Council
3. Leicestershire County Council
4. Leicester Shire Promotions
5. University Of Leicester
The group will review regularly membership, purpose and outcomes to ensure it remains relevant.
The group acknowledge that there other King Richard III working groups operating and will aim to
engage with them with the intention of being inclusive and avoiding duplication.
Accountability:
This group is one of the task groups reporting to the Cathedral Quarter Partnership Board (CQPB) via
its Executive. As such it supports the Partnership Board’s Objectives in relation to King Richard III
matters.
Liaison between the group and the CQPB is through the City Council’s City Centre Director, who is
the Cathedral Quarter Partnership Board’s task group Lead officer.
Individually, the members are accountable to their respective employing bodies; collectively the
group is accountable to the Cathedral Quarter Partnership Board.
Working methods:
The group will agree a strategic plan and performance measurements for the effective marketing
and tourism activity related to KRIII for sign off by the CPBB according to stated accountabilities.
Responsibility for leading on delivery will be assigned to member organisations. Each meeting will
review progress to date in the light of ongoing developments and agree any action needed to
address potential short-comings.
The group will need to have linkages to other advisory groups, including those looking at
communications. However, duplication of effort will be avoided.
Meetings:
1. Meetings will be held according to the needs of the workload, but as a minimum the group
will meet every 6 weeks to facilitate the reporting at the CQPB Task Group Meetings.
2. The agenda will consist of a number of pre-agreed standing items with all members able to
request additional agenda items in advance of meetings
3. Papers will be circulated no later than 5 working days in advance of a meeting
4. All communication of the group will be by email
5. Action points from meetings will be circulated within 5 working days
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Review:
These terms of reference will be reviewed annually.
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KPIS
Activity
Target
Responsibility
Evidence s/break bednights booked
 Online marketing
 Advertising
 PR and social media
 Eblasts to targeted database
Evidence increase in group tours
 Monthly eblasts to database
 Telesales campaign
 Programme of fam visits
 Attendance at major events
 Advertising
 PR and social media
Evidence increase in conference/event
bookings
 Targeted campaign to key events
identified through ICCA database
 Online marketing
 PR and social media
 Eblasts to targeted database
Evidence success of Kings Tour
 Online marketing
 Promotional literature
 Eblasts
 Partner promotions
 PR and social media
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