Large Visitor Attraction
of the Year
Sponsored by
www.takeonemedia.co.uk
Headline Sponsor
www.shepherdneame.co.uk
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
Who can enter
This category covers all visitor attractions with more than 50,000 visitors a year,
including those attractions that offer pre-booked tickets, museums, interpretation
centres, theme parks, historic houses and castles; but sporting events such as race
days can not be classified in this category.
Attractions must be signed up to Visit England’s Code of Practice or their Visitor
Attraction Quality Assessment Scheme (VAQAS) or Place of Interest Quality
Assurance Scheme. Participants are encouraged to use reports from such schemes as
supporting evidence. If you are not signed up to the Code of Practice (entry is free)
just email attractions@visitengland.org or telephone 0207 5781451.
You may submit one electronic PDF or word document (not lots of files in one folder)
as supporting evidence. This is voluntary and NOT essential for the Awards but will
be required for any entrant that goes through to the VisitEngland Awards. If
submitted the document should be less than 5mb in size and the information
provided should be used only to illustrate points made in your entry form, otherwise
it will be disregarded. If you wish to include images please do so in your supporting
evidence not on this entry form.
Judges will refer to your website and review sites for additional information and
verification, including evidence of environmental and access policies.
Please give details here of the individual who will be the point of contact for the
awards.
Contact Name:
Business Name:
Address:
County:
Telephone number:
Email (for us to contact you):
Twitter:
Website address:
Are you a member of VAQAS, date obtained?
Have you signed the National Code of Practice for Visitor Attractions, date
obtained?
When is your property closed?
How long you have been operating as a business?
How many staff do you employ (full and part time, including yourselves)?
Please give a brief history of your business, include facilities, services, overall
customer experience (max 200 words)
Please list all awards achieved in the last two years, including title, organising
body, level and dates achieved (150 words).
Please provide your visitor numbers for the last 12 months and how this compares to
the previous year? Please comment here on any changes or trends. How many of
your visitors were school visitors?
Last 12
months
Total visitor numbers for year
What percentage was repeat business, if
known?
Visitors April to Sept
Visitors Oct to March
%
Previous 12
months
%
Section 1:Commitment to Excellence
a) Please describe your values, philosophy and commitment to excellence/best
practice. What are your unique selling points? What makes you the best and puts
you above the competition and at the top of your sector? (200 words max)
Checklist
Evidence might include:
 Images of your USPs
 Customer testimonials about your USPs
 Mission statement describing your values
 Any information that supports why you are at the top of your sector eg press
cuttings etc
b) Please describe your approach to customer care and how your customers
experience the highest quality service before, during and after their visit. Give
examples eg handling enquiries, bookings, during and post visit, dealing with
complaints. (max 300 words)
Checklist
Evidence might include:
 Information you provide to your visitors when booking, on arrival and follow up,
what format is this information available in
 Examples of how you excel in customer care; how you give a warm welcome and
go the extra mile to exceed your visitors expectations eg feedback/testimonials
relating to customer service
 Complaints policies/procedures
c) Please give details of any improvements and developments that you have made
to your business to enhance your customers’ experience within the last 2 years
(was it based on customer feedback?) and explain the impact eg % increase in
positive feedback, sales etc. (max 300 words)
Checklist
Evidence might include:
 Images of refurbishments, improvements, extra facilities or services you provide;
was this as a result of feedback?
 Customer feedback
 Reports on impact
Section 2: Accessibility and Equality
Give details of how your business is accessible to all its customers including:
1. Customer service that caters for all customers including those with access
requirements.
2. Accessibility information provision and promotion (before and during visit)
3. Accessible facilities and services (max 200 words)
Checklist
Evidence might include:
 Certificates of accessibility training eg Welcome All
 Testimonials/examples of how you have looked after a customer with access
needs
 Examples of how you promote the accessibility of your business
 Your Access Statement: How well it meets legislative requirements, whether it
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addresses all customer sectors and disabilities, its language and ease of
comprehension, information about local facilities and tourism destinations, use
of photos, diagrams, etc
Examples of how you offer equal service to all
In what alternative formats can you provide information about your business?
How easy is it to find out about the accessibility of your establishment, is there a
link from your home page?
Images of facilities/services for customers with access requirements
Accessibility via road and public transport (downloadable maps) and to wifi,
mobile signal etc
Section 3: Sustainability credentials
a) Describe what you have done to improve the way your business supports the
local environment and community giving specific examples of how you care for:
 The environment eg recycling, resource, energy saving, waste management,
eco friendly products etc
 The local community eg links with organisations, schools, charities, sponsorship
etc
 Local economy eg purchasing, employment, businesses, suppliers (200 words)
b) Describe how you promote your sustainability credentials to visitors and staff
and how you encourage them to get involved eg suggestion box, public transport
etc? (200 words max)
Checklist
Evidence might include:
 Images of actions undertaken
 Media coverage of work done
 Your sustainability policy
 Links to any web pages relating to sustainability
 Certificates of relevant sustainability awards
Section 4: Innovative Marketing
Please describe your target market(s). Have you carried out any research into these
markets and how does your product fit with the audience you are targeting?
Explain briefly how you attract new and repeat business, including any innovative
promotional campaigns and what impact they have had. Provide evidence of how
you monitored the success of any initiatives. (max 300 words)
Checklist
Evidence might include:
 Your marketing plan
 Marketing materials
 Details of packages you have created/partnerships
 Images of innovative promotional campaigns you have run
 Links to online marketing activities
 Evidence of how you optimise your website to achieve maximum impact
 Cuttings of how you engage with your customers and social media online eg
blogs, replying to ratings on Tripadvisor.com
 Examples of how you use customer testimonials and feedback
 Evidence of how you measure the success of your marketing campaigns
Judges will separately look at websites on PCs and tablets, along with use of social
media etc
Section 5: Staff Training and Development
Please give details of your staff (and your own) training and development activities
during the past two years and how has it improved the visitor experience/service
to guests.
How do you ensure staff remain motivated, feel part of the team and obtain
knowledge to ensure the customer receives the highest standard of service? (max
200 words)
Checklist
Evidence might include:
 Your training plan
 Copies of staff induction and appraisal
 Certificates of training eg Welcome Host Gold etc
 Details of the investment in training made for you and your staff
 How training has improved your customers experience
 How you keep staff skills up to date on developments, technology, etc
 Any awards or accreditation you have received
Please note
It is a requirement of entry that entrants agree to waive or refund the admission and
catering cost of a mystery visit should the entry be successful in being short listed
and should a mystery visit be arranged. A mystery visit will normally comprise a visit
for 2 guests (or up to 4 for a family attraction), possibly including a meal, depending
on the nature of the attraction. Receipt of your entry is taken as agreement to this
requirement. Feedback will be available on request.
What to do now
Please return your entry as a Word document along with any supporting evidence by
email to awards@beautifulsouthawards.co.uk before the closing date.
Future communications will be from Nell Barrington, Services for Tourism Ltd, who is
managing the Beautiful South Awards on behalf of Tourism South East. Nell’s email
address is: awards@beautifulsouthawards.co.uk so please add this address to your
address book to avoid communications being treated as Spam/Junk. If you do not
add this address and are awaiting news please ensure you check your Spam/Junk
folders to see if news is being filtered out.
Please tick one of the following:
□
I am a current member of Tourism South East and entitled to free entry to
the Awards. My membership number is …………………………………………………..
□
I am applying as a non member for entrance into the Beautiful South Awards
and understand that I will be invoiced for £65 plus VAT as a contribution
towards administration costs *.
*The non member fee includes entrance into two categories in the Awards
programme – plus the Sustainability and Access categories. Payment must be made
before the awards closing date otherwise your awards entry will not be submitted
for judging.
What happens next?
Initial judging will be based on the information provided within the application form
along with your website and other information sources. Approximately three to five
businesses will be short listed in the first stage of judging. Short listed businesses
may be visited (mystery shopped where possible). Feedback will be available on
request.
All entry forms are copyright Services for Tourism Ltd 2015.