INTERVIEW
on the BBC on a Saturday lunchtime, and that was so valuable in showcasing our wonderful location. “Then Nottinghamshire County Council secured the Tour
of Britain, a full stage in Nottinghamshire, starting in Mansfield with a finish in Newark. This was a fantastic showcase for the county, taking in iconic locations.” The leisure and tourism industry is extremely diverse.
Such diversity inevitably brings with it a wide variety of demographics that all want different things and, subsequently, will need to be marketed to in different ways. This logic is certainly not lost on Brendan, although he
also believes that, irrespective of what different consumers want, it is important to deliver something that encourages advocates of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. “Advocacy is really important nowadays, through social
media and platforms such as Trip Advisor people share their views openly, so having a strong and consistent offer is part of your identity and underpins your marketing in many ways. It’s very important that we’re clear about what our objectives are within particular campaigns. We may be working on an investment-specific campaign targeting tech entrepreneurs in London and alumni from universities looking to scale up a business. “At the other end of the spectrum you have campaigns
that bring together initiatives that are targeting overseas audiences. Currently we’re developing a Literary Heroes product around D.H. Lawrence and Lord Byron and there’s also the major anniversary of the Mayflower in 2020 and the incredible story surrounding the Pilgrim Fathers, which began in Nottinghamshire. We’re working with industry tour operators to develop strong itineraries for US visitors. “So what you’ve got is a really targeted, international
audience on one hand and then you might have a number of domestically-focused initiatives targeting an altogether different demographic. Nottingham has a great portfolio of products and you can talk to a lot of different audiences.” In a competitive world, all place marketing organisations
must work to their strengths and their own USPs. To this end, Brendan believes Nottinghamshire’s central location is ideal and provides opportunities. “A lot of inbound tourism to the UK is often what is described as ‘London plus’. People will come to London, and the job for people like us is to make sure we’re part of their itinerary. Nottingham’s only an hour and a half from London, it’s in striking distance, so we have got real potential to be on the radar of international tourists. “Also, domestically in the UK, it’s ideal, particularly from
a business perspective in terms of conferencing and events.” But with the UK as a whole benefiting from rich culture,
history and iconic leisure and tourism attractions, just how competitive does it get? “You’re constantly competing. Inbound tourists will have
in their mind the places they want to visit and our job is to make sure we have a compelling product to make sure we are part of those agendas,” says Brendan. “Even from an East Midlands-wide perspective, I think
32 business network October 2017
the individual places are strong in their own right and it is about cities and places rather than the region in terms of attracting people. “That said, it is important to work with local partners and
other areas. For example, people might do both Lincoln and Nottingham in one visit because of the history, the castles, so it is definitely about partnerships too. “The most successful place marketing organisations are
the ones that are a combination of private and public sectors so that the core funding comes from local authorities while then leveraging as much private sector support as possible to create a product that is commercially viable.” For Brendan, while Marketing NG has specific objectives
and KPIs, when it comes to promoting a healthy and enticing leisure and tourism provision for the area, collaboration is certainly a key element of activity and that very much includes working with the businesses community. “We’ve built a partnership scheme called Nottingham
Partners and have over 700 members signed up so we’re working very closely with local businesses. We’re always in dialogue with our partners about crafting the right offer and proposition,” says Brendan. “While specific marketing of places is key, there is a lot
of really good collective work going on, for example the Midlands Engine. To an investment audience, the Midlands is a very strong proposition and when we talk to potential investors overseas we go as the Midlands UK as there’s definite strength there.” So how has the leisure and tourism changed since
Brendan started marketing places and, from a wider viewpoint, how well is the East Midlands as a whole placed to evolve and enhance its leisure and tourism offerings moving forward? “The Experience Economy is now 24/7. Through social
media and people sharing content, the leisure and tourism industry feels a lot more dynamic now,” suggests Brendan. “You quite often see brands these days come and go because they are relevant for the particular time and then they are replaced with something different, so it’s about making sure your offer is reflective of what the modern-day consumer wants. We’ve seen a lot of that in Nottingham as we have seen a lot of innovation going on, particularly around restaurants and bars, so having that vibrant, current offer is critical. “All you can do is work with the industry, look at what
the trends are and the audiences you’re looking to serve and make sure you have the right offer. It’s definitely about trying to stay one step ahead and always thinking about what is coming next. “The East Midlands as a region is strong and growing.
It’s doing really well at the moment. It’s a vibrant, interesting region with a strong sense of culture and heritage. We’ve got to fight to protect that and improve it in what is a very competitive word.”
FROM LEFT:
Nottinghamshire has a strong sense of culture and heritage
The Tour of Britain took in Mansfield and Newark
Visit Nottinghamshire Tourism Summit 2017
‘To an investment audience, the Midlands is a very strong proposition and when we talk to potential investors overseas we go as the Midlands UK as there’s definite strength there’
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
