INTERVIEW


Leisurely pursuits…


Leisure and tourism is of fundamental importance to a region’s economic prosperity. Business Network Editor Nathan Fearn spoke with Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Chief Executive Brendan Moffett about how his organisation is helping to promote the area at home and abroad.


While Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s strong leisure and tourism offering is well established, it is fair to say that an awful lot of hard work goes into ensuring the city and county is a go-to area for leisure seekers and tourists. As Chief Executive of the recently-established place


marketing organisation Marketing Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (Marketing NG), Brendan Moffett is responsible for showcasing the area and encouraging investment into the city and county, with leisure and tourism at the heart of the strategy. The position is one Brendan is ideally suited to, given his


extensive background in both marketing in general and, in particular, place marketing. “I studied marketing and advertising at university before


working for a lot of big agencies in London,” explains Brendan. “I was also fortunate to work for a lot of big brands such


as Guinness, Smithkline Beecham and General Motors, so I got a really good grounding before moving on to work for a number of plc companies in the private sector. “I then went to work in a similar role to the one I am in


now in Sheffield, as Director at Marketing Sheffield, and spent just under nine years there.” Now at Marketing NG, set up in 2016, Brendan is tasked


with promoting the rich and varied leisure provisions and tourist attractions that the area has to offer to external audiences. The sector is worth £1.6bn annually to Nottinghamshire and employs around 25,000 people, that’s over ten per cent of the region's economy. “Marketing NG is a new organisation for Nottingham and


Nottinghamshire, which brings together three previous organisations in order to build capacity and punch harder on both a national and international scale. “We’re commissioned by Nottingham City Council and


Nottinghamshire County Council and a lot of the deliverables and KPIs within the organisation are around attracting investment, as well as driving the visitor economy. “Place branding is very closely aligned to economic


growth and economic development and is really all about getting clear and consistent messaging out about the city and region because you’re competing for investment, talent and visitors. You’re competing on so many different levels that having a strong identity and consistency of messages is, I think, becoming increasingly important.” While leisure and tourism as a concept and an industry is


commonly understood, the consumers that contribute to it are often less easy to define. Brendan believes a holistic approach is needed in


identifying consumers and attracting people to the area, all with the overarching aim of adding economic value to the region. “From a business perspective, it’s a widely-held belief that


30 business network October 2017


today’s visitor could be tomorrow’s investor, so there are no demarcation lines, you can’t treat them separately, you have to treat everything collectively and present a united image,” suggests Brendan. The opportunity to bring new people to the area from far


and wide clearly has a significantly positive impact on both leisure venues, the local economy and the wider reputation of the area and is something Brendan is keen to increase. “The primary focus of our work is attracting people from


further afield, where we can potentially get an overnight stay. Statistics show, roundly speaking, that a day visitor is likely to bring around £35, whereas an overnight visitor is worth around £175 because people are booking a hotel room and going out for dinner, etc." That said, Brendan is acutely aware of the value that can be


gained through ‘bread and butter’ consumers, namely those who live in, or live near, the places and areas the organisation promote and this also of paramount importance. “We work very closely with the city and county councils


around optimising their events programmes as we know and acknowledge that there’s a ready-made audience there on the doorstep and it’s important that they know what's going on. “Alignment with the city and county councils is important and we also have a valuable partnership with the Nottingham BID company. BIDs are Business Improvement Districts and Nottingham BID has a five-year mandate that is really all about making Nottingham busier and more vibrant and that talks to a more local audience.” So what is it about Nottingham and Nottinghamshire


that makes the area such a hotbed for leisure and tourism activity and, most importantly, how does Marketing NG market it effectively to current and would-be consumers? “Nottinghamshire has a very strong offer, combining a


vibrant city with an excellent cultural and heritage offer across the county," Brendan believes. “The leisure-based organisations here are, I think, very


switched on to the audiences that they serve. When there’s a big event on, you’ll see eateries with themed menus, special offers, ensuring that customers are well served and spend is optimised. “It’s important to really sweat your assets and get the


most out of what you’ve got. Assets we have, such as Test cricket at Trent Bridge, offer unbelievable opportunities in terms of attracting audiences from far and wide, so it’s about making sure we make the most of that. “Sport generally can be a major contributor to the leisure


and tourism industry. Just in the past month we’ve seen two very significant sports events which have been very successful. First, Nottingham City Council successfully attracted the Mixed Relay Triathlon on the Embankment, with over one million people watching


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