Hello Manchester!

Well, the last few months have been rather hectic, as I said goodbye to Bath and moved to Manchester. I am now pleased to say that my feet are now firmly under my new desk at Marketing Manchester, in my new role as Director of Tourism. Read the first of my new Manchester Tourism blog posts here  www.marketingmanchesterblog.wordpress.com

Goodbye to Bath

After 3 years as Chief Executive of Bath Tourism Plus (BTP), this is my final week before I up sticks to Manchester to start a new role as Director of Tourism. As I close the door on my Georgian era, I have been asked by many to reflect on my achievements.

Now, if you know me, you will know that I don't really crow, much preferring to 'get on with the job' and leaving others to take their own views on my actions. But, as I am getting older, I thought that it might be a good idea to note some highlights, before I forget them! So, looking back, here are some things that spring to mind:

BTP now has an established track record of delivering considered, high profile marketing and PR campaigns that deliver significant results (our RGF funded activity alone has to date generated £43.3million of incremental business in the area); we have forged strong partnerships with B&NES, Bristol Airport, First Great Western and many private sector businesses (our membership has now topped over 510); both our turnover and our commercial activities have increased; our Christmas Market continues to be the UK’s favourite and is recognised for the significant business that it drives into the area, whilst the Great Bath Feast which I established three years ago is already becoming a calendar favourite; and we continue to provide quality visitor information in a wide range of formats – from our Visitor Information Centre to our website and app.

Looking ahead, there are many great opportunities and some challenges! I look forward to visiting the new Rec and seeing the new additions to the city’s accommodation stock at The Gainsborough, Z Hotel and Apex Hotel. It would also be good to see the transport strategy in action – with more of the city centre becoming pedestrianised or shared space. Ongoing investment in cultural events and the management of the World Heritage Site will continue to deliver economic returns far beyond their costs. The challenges are really about not being complacent – even in such a beautiful destination, competition from other destinations (including Manchester!) is fierce.

And then there is the question of how to make Bath Tourism Plus less reliant on public funding, even though we already generate 80% of our own budget through membership and commercial activities. There are doubtless some new activities that will contribute to this, but the question is best answered by Bath’s tourism businesses – the beneficiaries of BTP’s activities – and how much they value a dynamic, peer-leading destination marketing organisation.

 

The Empire Lines Strike Back

 This summer, brace yourself for a transatlantic world record battle of bodices and breeches!

The first skirmish will take place in July when the Louisville Chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for 'The Largest Gathering of People Dressed in Regency Costumes’. The record is currently held by Bath and stands at 409 people.

But no sooner will the record be smashed (or not), than Bath will have the opportunity to re-gain its crown when it hosts its own Jane Austen Grand Regency Promenade, leaving from the Assembly Rooms on Saturday 13th September.

The Grand Promenade, which will take participants past many of the city's most iconic Georgian landmarks, is just one highlight in this year's Jane Austen Festival which promises to be the biggest in its 14 year history.

For more details: www.visitbath.co.uk/janeausten

Bath - Birthplace of Destination Management?

Back in the early part of the 18th Century, Bath was the must visit destination for the fashionable classes. And at the very centre of the city, the flamboyant, self appointed Master of Ceremonies, Beau Nash, was the person who managed proceedings. It was Beau Nash who set out the rules for how society should behave; he personally greeted all visitors and was responsible for making sure that Bath remained the most desirable of leisure destinations. 

Three hundred years later, as we assess the role of destination management, it is remarkable to see the similarities between Georgian Bath and Bath today.

Beau Nash encouraged the building of attractions. The Assembly Rooms were built with his support and encouragement to host entertainment which was the 'hot ticket' of the day.

He organised events. He brought the latest musicians down from London and encouraged dancing and gambling. He created spectacles in the Pleasure Gardens.

He created programme itineraries which set out how visitors might spend their time. His fashionable promenades might be seen as the equivalent of today's walking tours.

He was very aware about the importance of marketing. He knew what would appeal to visitors and knew how to grab people's attention. And he knew that word of mouth was great publicity.

He was innovative and recognised that creating unique offers was key. He encouraged the mixing of classes in social circles which was unheard of elsewhere. In doing so, he created and maintained Bath as a 'must visit' destination of the 18th Century.

Three hundreds years on and fashions have changed. But it's interesting to see how the principles which Beau Nash used to establish a successful and thriving visitor destination are still the very same. 

Great News - Cultural Destinations Funding

Great news this week as Arts Council England announced the 10 destinations across England which have been successful in securing funding from a new ACE/VisitEngland Cultural Destinations programme: a joint proposal from Bath and Bristol has won £350,000 to be spent on creating cultural collaborations across the area.


The grant will help to fund a three year project aimed at bringing together the tourism industry and the arts and cultural attractions in both cities.


A coordinated approach by Bath and Bristol will help put the region on the map for cultural tourists, who do not necessarily appreciate how close the two cities are.


Bath Festivals, the Holburne Museum, the American Museum in Britain, the Bath Preservation Trust, the Cultural Forum for the Bath Area are amongst the organisations taking part in the initiative.


This is great news for the visitor economy of Bath and North East Somerset. This project will lever greater economic impact from existing visitors to Bath and Bristol, encouraging them to stay longer and discover further cultural experiences and, alongside this, will present the critical mass of the two destinations to potential new cultural markets.


It is a major step change in collaborative working between the cultural and tourist sectors and the two cities.

Official Opening of Bailbrook House

 

After six months of hard work, the £10million restoration at Bailbrook House Hotel was officially opened on 10th October 2013 and I had the pleasure of 'doing the honours'. Guest included Julia Hands, Chairman and Chief Executive of Hand Picked Hotels and Jonathan Squire, the hotel's General Manager.

Bath - The UK's Favourite Short Break City

It’s official! Bath has been voted the “UK’s Favourite Short Break City” by readers of The Guardian, beating Edinburgh and York. This is great news, and the value of this should not be underestimated.

We will now be maximising the PR and marketing value of this accolade, incorporating the message into our marketing campaigns.  

Bath Welcomes the Special Olympics

There are only 5 days to go until Bath welcomes the country’s largest sports event for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
Held every four years, the 9th Special Olympics National Summer Games will take place from 28 August to 1 September 2013.

Over the three days of competition, 1,700 athletes from England, Scotland and Wales will compete in 12 sports.

Accompanying the athletes will be 600 coaches, 3,500+ family members and supporters, 500 event volunteers and 120 sports officials. So the impact on the city and surrounding area should not be underestimated!

Last year's London 2012 Games showed how major sporting events can really profile a city and country - certainly Bath is this year basking in the halo effect of last year's Olympics, with many more international visitors being noted in the city.

I would hope that next week's Special Olympics can have a similar effect for Bath, with a legacy of showing how Bath and North East Somerset is itself a special, inclusive and welcoming visitor destination.

At Bath Tourism Plus, our work to support the Special Olympics dovetails with a programme that we are undertaking with VisitEngland which focuses on accessibility. Through this initiative, we are working with an number of local businesses, supporting them with accessibility audits and staff training, to enable them to better understand how to cater for people with mobility, hearing or visual needs. These businesses will then be supported with a specific marketing and PR campaign. 

There is certainly a compelling business case for making our tourism industry more accessible:

- Over one quarter (27%) of the UK population have a long-standing health problem or disability.
- Attracting the business of someone with access needs attracts the spend of their entire party.
- By 2025 more than a third (35%) of the UK’s population will be over the age of 55. The importance of meeting the needs of older people is increasing every year.
 - Tourism businesses that have improved their accessibility often report that people with access needs are very loyal.


The lessons for others? Well, if businesses set in an historic, Georgian, World Heritage city can address access issues, then there are solutions for businesses everywhere!

Looking forward to the Great Bath Feast

I have just finished editing the programme for this year’s Great Bath Feast and I can confidently say that Food Lovers are in for a real treat in Bath in October!

With already over 100 events planned and more than 150 businesses participating in Bath’s biggest ever ‘Feastival’, there’s sure to be something to tickle everyone’s palate. At the heart of the programme is a celebration of local restaurants and suppliers – a chance for independent businesses to make a song and dance about what they serve and how they prepare it.

From book signings to fine dining, from cookery demonstrations to restaurant promotions, this will be a Food Festival on a scale never before experienced in the city.

What’s caught my eye so far? Well, apart from the Great Bath Feast being prepared by Michelin–starred chefs in Bath Abbey (already sold out), the programme includes appearances by a list of culinary Royalty, including Mary Berry, Prue Leith and Raymond Blanc; an epicurean Safari Supper around three of Bath’s top restaurants in one evening; Bath’s baking heritage features at Sally Lunn’s with an appearance by ‘Bread Scientist’ Stan Cauvain; and No 1 Royal Crescent shines a light on puddings inspired by 18th Century recipes. On the drinks front, there are Cocktails & Canapes (Bath Priory); Gin & Tonics with Cucumber Sandwiches (Allium); and Australian Wines with Cello accompaniment (Bailbrook House); whilst the Great Western Portfolio Tasting gives a green light to taste over 100 wines!

New for this year is the Great Bath Feast Pavilion, which will allow a whole army of Chefs and Food Passionistas to take residence on Stall Street for demos and tastings. It will also see host to ‘Chilli Tuesday’ and ‘Bar Wars’, where local Mixologists will compete to produce Bath’s best cocktails.

The printed programme will be distributed from the beginning of September, but www.greatbathfeast.co.uk is already live, containing the full programme so far, with additional events being added daily. A series of restaurant promotions and the daily schedule for the Great Bath Feast Pavilion will be added over the next few weeks.

So, my advice to you is to start planning your diary for October, as tickets for many of the events are already in high demand.

Bon Appetit!

 

Romance Writer puts Bath on the Map for Germans

 

In Britain, few may have heard of Rosamunde Pilcher, but in Germany, the former Mills & Boon writer is a household name. The serialisation of her novels for prime time German TV has become an institution and created romantic images of a 'quintessential England' that Germans long to visit. For Bath, where filming for a new series is currently underway, this is good news for the visitor economy.

• Great Britain receives almost 3 million visits a year from Germany, worth some £1.2billion. 

• 27% come to the South West – the biggest proportion of any region outside London 

• Germany is the second most valuable global outbound market 

• Germany continues to have a comparatively strong economy and a buoyant travel market 

This will be a strong year for travel to the UK from Germany, with the legacy of the Olympics resulting in growing number of overseas tourists coming to the country. Bath is well placed to capitalise on this, with 36 direct flights now flying in to Bristol Airport and a direct connecting bus service.

Bath Tourism Plus has been working hard in Germany: we have been made presentations and held meeting with travel writers and tour operators in key German cities and have been represented at Germany’s biggest corporate business event. We have also hosted a number of influential trade representatives in Bath and introduced them to local hotels and attractions. Already we are receiving feedback that there is a noticeable increase in Germans visiting Bath this year.

The influence of Bath being featured in a Rosamunde Pilcher TV series should not be underestimated. These series are shown on national German TV at peak Sunday viewing times, watched by many millions of Germans who gain inspiration to visit. VisitBritain, the national tourism body, recognises the effect that Rosamunde Pilcher has on German visits to the UK. For Bath to be featured is great news and something that should reap rewards for the city’s visitor economy.

Flying the Flag

Here I am with Bath Abbey's Charles Curnock, high above the City of Bath in March 2013. The photo was published in the Church Times - much to my mother's pleasure! Having commented to Charles on the tatty state of the old flag, he was kind enough to ask me to hoist this brand new, larger version which now proudly flies above the Abbey, come rain or shine. There are a number of flag poles around the city centre: some fly the Union Jack, whilst others remain desperately bare. Flags, banners and bunting give such a great sense of festivity and celebration to a city, it would be great to see more!

Bath's New Visitor Attraction - Built in 1767

 

This week sees the re-opening of No 1 Royal Crescent, John Wood’s masterpiece of Palladian design. Following a £5million restoration programme, which has taken 9 months to complete, the main house is now reconnected to its original service wing.

 

I had a sneak preview last week, and I can honestly say that the transformation is fantastic.

The house now showcases the lives and times of those who resided there – above and below stairs – when it was first built. The number of dressed rooms has been doubled, from five to ten, with many other areas , including a well stocked gift shop, being extended and improved. The rooms present a wonderfully vivid picture of fashionable life in C18th Bath. Each room is a fine example of Georgian interior design with authentic furniture, paintings, objects and textiles. From the elegance of the drawing and dining rooms, the bedrooms and parlour, to the warren of servants’ corridors, kitchen, scullery and housekeeper’s room, visitors will be intrigued by the stories the house portrays.

Central to the success of the new attraction will be the way that visitor flows are managed. This is where the operators (Bath Preservation Trust) will need to be sharp: a new ticketing and visitor management system is being introduced and a small army of volunteer guides are on hand to assist. The success of No 1 Royal Crescent will be judged by visitors and their tour experience.

The main house at No.1 Royal Crescent will fully re-open on 21 June. 

Reflections on 2012

As we hurtle towards the end of 2012, it seems like barely a moment since I first arrived in Bath 12 months ago. Its been an action-packed year, with so many memorable moments - new Visitor Information Centre; new Marketing Strategy; Bath In Fashion; Diamond Jubilee; Olympics; terrible weather; the first Great Bath Feast; busiest Christmas Market... the list goes on! And, of course, the planning and delivery of Bath's biggest ever destination marketing campaigns.

 

More important than all of the activity, however, have been our partnerships that are starting to come together across the city, setting the foundations for some really fruitful and exciting work in the months ahead. I started this job with the intention of changing how Bath Tourism Plus engages and works with our partners: I am delighted with the progress that has been made so far.

Bath Tourism Plus has a big job to do in 2013 - to ensure that the city maintains a high profile as a premier visitor destination and that we continue to grow our visitor economy. We have set ourselves some tough targets – we want to increase visitor spend to £400million by 2014 - so this means that we need to be ahead of our competition and continue to attract new markets. To do this, we will work with our 500 industry partners and in partnership with the BID, building on this year’s high profile national and regional marketing campaigns which promote and drive business to Bath and North East Somerset.

We need to realise the legacy of the Olympics and ensure that Bath secures the benefits of all of the media profile that we secured in 2012 from global travel writers. I expect tourists to come to Bath as a result of the extensive media coverage that we received and I want Bath to get its share of the extra 1million visitors expected to the UK in 2013.

We are in a good place: investment in the tourism product is at record levels, with hotels being refurbished (The Hilton, Frances, Abbey and Bailbrook House to name just a few); our new 5 star Gainsborough under construction; and significant investment in the visitor attraction at Number 1 Royal Crescent all adding to our visitor offer. The completion of Brunel Square and the addition of new 6 restaurants now gives a great first impression for visitors to the city arriving by train or bus.

Even though the Jubilee celebrations and Olympics are behind us, in 2013 we can still look forward to a packed calendar of events: the Bath Literature Festival and International Music Festival go from strength to strength, whilst Bath in Fashion and The Great Bath Feast are rapidly attracting national recognition and drawing new visitors to the city. There are very few cities that can offer such a packed and eclectic year-long events programme.

Big issues in 2013 will be around transport, the public realm and the independent sector. I would like to see progress on how we deal with coaches in the city, otherwise we might find that coach companies start to take their business to places that are more coach-friendly. I have been impressed with the improvements that are being made to the public realm: my hope is that the improvements continue, since visitors expect our city to be world class – from the pavements upwards! Our independent businesses are what make Bath so special (and consequently so attractive to visitors): in these challenging times, I would like to see how we can collectively do more to ensure that these businesses are supported and nourished. Oh, and I shouldn't forget funding: the squeeze on budgets will continue, demanding greater creativity, more collaborations and new commercial models.

 

Here's to 2013!

 

 

Conjuring Up The Great Bath Feast

Ingredients
- A restaurant community hungry for more business
- The resources and enthusiasm of the Business Improvement District and Destination Marketing Organisation Teams
- A few keen individuals keen to make something happen
- A number of individual events with a food theme

Recipe
1. Add all of the above and mix with a generous slug of creativity.
2. Leave to prove, allowing others to contribute.
3. Distil into a beautiful guide and website which list all events.
4. Season and scatter a generous amount of PR hooks.
5. Whip up key social media, allowing others to spread the word.
6. Share.

Result
To be decided - The Great Bath Feast started last Sunday (23 September) and continues until the end of October. The festival includes over 70 individual events and involves over 150 businesses: the proof of the pudding will be on the impact of the promotion. What is already clear is that the Festival has engaged a large number of stakeholders, supports the brand positioning of Bath and has already generated significant media coverage. So watch this space!

www.greatbathfeast.co.uk

New App for Bath

We have spent the last 9 months developing the Official Bath App and I am pleased to announce that it is now is available to download from the Google Play and iTunes stores from today (22^nd August), by searching for 'Official Bath App'.

We want the free App to provide an interactive and invaluable source of information for both tourists and locals alike.

Featuring impressive functionality, the Official Bath App includes a comprehensive directory of events, attractions, shops, restaurants and accommodation – providing the user with directions, opening times and prices to help plan their visit. The App will also contain a range of constantly changing deals and money saving vouchers that can be redeemed at businesses across the city.

The App will showcase Bath as an exceptional cultural and tourist focused city, with listings for all attractions and amenities in the area. Tourists will benefit from the App’s ability to work completely offline, negating the need for expensive roaming charges, but more importantly, it will function as an interactive ‘guide in your pocket’ and will provide access to a huge amount of information and guidance at the tip of their thumb.

Other features within the App include the latest ‘Augmented Reality’ capability, enabling the user to explore the city and locate the best deals by using their phone’s camera. With built-in GPS mapping, a handy ‘Where am I’ is also able to pinpoint your exact location and detects things to see and do in your vicinity. A 'push' facility will allow us to send messages (special offers, etc) to App users, and this, along with banner advertising, will be a revenue source which will contribute to ongoing maintenance and development costs.

The App has been developed in partnership with our colleagues at the Bath Business Improvement District and is another example of strong collaboration across our two organisations. We both benefit from this, by reducing duplication and by making our combined budgets go further together.

We Are Stardust

Jodrell Bank is an awe-inspiring place. Incongruous in its heart-of-Cheshire location, it is amazing that this 55 year old structure is still at the cutting edge of astro physics. Quite mind blowing! Clearly - "Big Brains Live Here"!

It's therefore quite appropriate that my dear colleague Phil Reddy is now commemorated here. Phil was responsible for guiding the redevelopment of the Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre through its planning and funding stages a couple of years ago. Who was to know at the time of the battles with cancer that he would fight so courageously.

So last week, at the kind invitation of the fabulous Teresa Anderson, a small group of Phil's family, friends and colleagues gathered in the Jodrell Bank Arboretum to plant a tree in Phil's memory. It was a sad but lovely occasion and an entirely appropriate memorial to a wonderful, intelligent man.

Tourism Minister Opens Bath Visitor Centre

Tourism & Heritage Minister John Penrose MP performed the official opening ceremony for Bath’s newly refurbished Visitor Information Centre yesterday (12 March), at the start of English Tourism Week. With more than 535 000 visitors a year, our Centre ranks second busiest in the country.

The Visitor Information Centre occupies a prime location close to the Abbey and the Roman Baths and is the first port of call for the 4.5 million who come each year. Tourism contributes over £357 million to the local economy of Bath and North East Somerset, providing more than 8000 jobs and 10 per cent of the total employment in the city.

The new-look Centre now houses the Bath Box Office and the Visitor Information Centre under one roof, providing a one stop-shop for visitors and residents to buy tickets for the many festivals and events, tours and attractions in Bath as well as displaying visitor information and offering a booking service for accommodation.

This smart new facility is the face of tourism in Bath and now reflects the quality of what’s on offer in the city!

Independent Bath

I was pleased to be invited to attend the AGM of the Bath Independent Guest House Association (BIGHA) earlier this week. Lots of new faces and new businesses to get to know! And some fantastic B&Bs and Small Hotels to discover - I already have some first hand experience, having done my road trip around Bath of 'four B&Bs in 4 nights' in early January.

At tyhe AGM, which was held at the fabulous 'Museum of the Building of Bath', I was keen to stress two things that are at the centre of my approach to my job - partnership and supporting the independent sector:

Now partnership is something that lies at the very heart of our potential for success. I want Bath Tourism Plus to be at the very heart of the business community. We need to be proactive and to work hard to develop and nurture a partnership approach to our activities. We need to consult and engage. The early signs are encouraging - our joint work with the Business Improvement District will soon be very visible when our fantastic new Spring marketing campaign goes live.

The Independent Sector is alive and kicking on Bath. It's what makes our city special and it gives a fantastic USP in these days of dreary clone towns. But we need to protect and nurture our independent accommodation providers, restaurants and retailers if we are to continue to maintain Bath's visitor appeal. With this in mind, I want BTP to have an open dialogue with our partners at BIGHA. I hope that they are up for it!

Bath - City of Lights

With my knowledge of how Blackpool's famous Illuminations continue to draw the crowds to the Lancashire coast every autumn, I shouldn't be surprised by the appeal of bright lights to draw in visitors on dark nights. But I am genuinely surprised this week but the impact of the Iluminate Bath Festival which is bringing out the crowds this week into the city centre.

The Festival had not been on my radar before I arrived in Bath and I dare say that I am not alone in this respect. I am going to make sure that we get the message out next year!

Illuminate Bath is part of the Lodon 2012 Cultural Olympiad and it is a showcase for both local and international artists. Over 4 evenings, numerous light projections transform the city's streets and buildings.

And the artworks are drawing in crowds, both young and old.

It strikes me that this is just the sort of Festival that will help us attract more visitors in the off peak period - so lets hope that these interactive artworks help shine the spotlight on Bath as a visitor destination.

http://www.illuminatebath.org/

I have fallen in love!

They say that it happens when you least expect it. And in my case, this is very true. But I have suddenly found a new love interest and I want to share the details with you!

Elegant and refined, sophisticated and fun. Enjoys luxury, indulgence and pampering. Mad for shopping and eating out. Quite simply beautiful.

My only problem is in pronouncing the name - is it Bath (as in hat) or Bath (as in heart)?

Either way, it is going to be my privilege to work there when I start as Chief Executive of Bath Tourism Plus this month. I can't wait!