Summer Sun = Happy Holidaymakers AND Happy Businesses

The summer holidays are nearly at an end, and the frenzy of last minute back to school shopping is reaching fever pitch. This year has seen one of the best summer periods from a weather point of view in a good couple of years, much to the relief of many in business in the tourism trade, and of course to holiday makers!

Coastal areas in particular have seen a significant upturn in fortunes, as have the larger attractions such as Oakwood Theme Park, Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo, Heatherton World of Adventures and Anna's Welsh Zoo (Manor House Wildlife Park) to name but a few. Whilst there may have been many day trippers in the area, there have of course also been those staying in the county as well, and so hotels, guest houses, B&B establishments and of course pubs, restuarants and shops will have all seen some boost as well. The self catering sector has been a little different in that predicting bookings has been more challenging, as the trend towards last minute booking continues to grow, but again, those who have invested in marketing and online booking facilities will have seen a healthy flow of visitors through the doors.

But how can we maximise the opportunities presented by a good season? Obviously, people who have visited and had a good time, nice weather and received good service are going to be feeling quite favourable towards the place, and more likely to consider returning in future. So, whilst they have that warm glow from a good time, what can we do to perpetuate that and secure that repeat business?

Many businesses hold customer data in the form of mailing addresses or email addresses, but then do nothing with it. This, and failing to collect the data in the first place, is possibly one of the biggest missed opportunities we see. With freely available software like MailChimp enabling you to create e-newsletters, target them towards specific groups and monitor the responses, it is remarkably straightforward to keep in touch with your customer, and send them newsy updates, and special offers to entice them back through your door. Equally a simple postcard or printed newsletter, whilst more costly, can also encourage your visitor to remember you fondly, and feel that little bit 'special' given that you've taken the time to get in touch.

Whether you offer a simple 'book by x date to secure your break at 2013 prices' or an additional night, a bottle of wine with dinner or a discount on a second stay in the same season, small gestures such as these, when delivered with a distinctly personal touch can really make a huge difference in terms of obtaining repeat business.

Whilst we cannot guarantee the weather, a good experience this year, will undoubtedly promote a positive response in the mind of the visitor. So even if the weather next year isn't quite as warm, by being well prepared with information about the 'all weather' attractions and options for different groups of visitor, you can continue to add to the positives that the visitor experiences. It really isn't rocket science! Smiles, providing appropriate information, taking the time to listen and sharing your good experiences with your visitors, all of which cost next to nothing, can reap huge rewards in terms of the bookings diary and end of season bank balance. What are you waiting for?!

 


Watch the BBC Wales News report on the summer season here.

Oakwood Theme Park

Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo

Heatherton World of Adventures
Anna's Welsh Zoo

What price a picture?

Type any random word in to the Google images search and you will end up with page after page of images associated with that word. When producing documents for internal use, or to assist with a school assignment, the simple copy and paste is quick and easy, and rarely given a further thought.

What happens though when you start picking up images and using them in marketing material, or even on websites? Again when the internet is flooded with images, apparently freely available, it can be all too easy to get caught out. Just because an image appears in the Google search or indeed elsewhere, that doesn't mean that you can use it for your own purposes or in any manner you see fit.

There are companies that compile libraries of images which are available for use by others for a fee. Sometimes the image will be watermarked with company name, other times it may not be. Either way, if you use it without obtaining the appropriate permissions first, you can suddenly find yourself landed with a fairly hefty bill.

There are however ways in which you can obtain images for use without incurring fees. The links below will direct you to the ShareWales website and an article about Creative Commons Licencing. Well worth a read - the few minutes it takes to skim over the pages, could save you hundreds if not thousands of pounds in the long term. Of course if you use your own images then you don't need to pay anyone, but the links will also give you tips on how to protect your images from abuse.

Don't get stung by fees - when you click on an image, think before you copy and paste!

 
ShareWales

Creative Commons

Oh What a Show!

The annual Pembrokeshire County Show has seen three very busy days for the Pembrokeshire Tourism team this year. In the midst of fields normally quiet aside from occasional aircraft, the three days of the Pembrokeshire County Show has brought together people from all walks of life, from across the county and beyond in a celebration of the agricultural aspects of Pembrokeshire, along with exhibitions, contests, trade stands, food tastings, and this year a very entertaining sheep show amongst others!

We have had a week of "Welcome" - firstly to our new team members, Dennis, Rachael and Gemma who all started on Monday, and have taken to their new roles like ducks to water. Between them they have welcomed a number of existing members to the Pembrokeshire Tourism stand, and a further four new members. It's been our best year yet attending the Show, and a great start for the team too.

We've had the company of a number of our members in our stand too, from Amroth Castle Holidays, Manor House and Signspeed to Hains & Lewis, Cwtch Camping and support from VisitWales and HSBC Bank. With plenty of visitors stepping in to our marquee (and not just to avoid the occasional shower) they have all had lots of people to talk to and share their business message with. Tomorrow we will be announcing the winners of the prize draw we have been running, with two training vouchers from Providence Training, and a year long membership with Pembrokeshire Tourism all up for grabs, it will bring the week to a close on a high note.

The Pembrokeshire County Show 2013 has been a great show all round. If you came to see us, thank you, and if you didn't quite get there, don't worry, we will be out and about around the county soon, and no doubt we will catch up with you then!

As ever, if you want to talk to us about anything to do with your business or membership, just give us a call on 01646 622228.

 

From left - Dennis O' Connor, Membership Officer South, Gemma Thomas, PR, Communications and Research Officer and Rachael Copley, Membership Officer North

Experiences are the new possessions.

Yesterday evening (Thursday 1st August) I had the pleasure of attending the Pembrokeshire Business Network AGM in the fantastic setting of the St Brides Spa Hotel in Saunderfoot. There were a number of highlights for me - the stunning view, complimented by lovely weather, a great buffet, good company and an interesting and thought provoking speaker (from whom I've 'borrowed' the title of this blog)

The speaker for the evening was Tim Morgan. "Tim is an internet entrepreneur. He founded Mint Digital, a London and New York based web-technology company whose clients include MTV, Sony Ericsson and Benetton. Tim has been involved in the creation and development of many internet businesses including Picklive (acquired by Sports Millions summer 2012) and Stickygram (acquired last month by Photobox). Tim will talk about innovation, the internet, and what he’s learnt along the way."

Now of course, Tim's business is very much in the world of technology, and so much of his talk was around how Mint Digital has developed and the ways of working they have adopted, and there was much in there that made me think about how we work here at Pembrokeshire Tourism, and indeed across the tourism industry as a whole. However, one line really made me stop and think - "experiences are the new possessions".

Different generations score success in different ways. For some, owning your own home, having a car, having the latest gadget or gizmo is a mark of success, and your success as a person and in life is judged by the quantity and quality of said material items. However as Tim pointed out, thanks to the various forms of social media, and technological advances with smart phones and more, the younger generations of today are more interested in experiences over possessions. Our society is increasingly 'throw away' with possessions replaced, upgraded or simply binned far quicker than ever before.

I know what he means. Whilst I do have a certain (relatively small) number of items that I would be anything but keen to part with, a lot of my greatest memories and happy times come from occasions where I am experiencing something - an afternoon on the beach with my family and good friends, a great meal out in a local restaurant, a day of thrill rides in a local theme park.......

Such experiences, in the main, involve input from others - friends, family, businesses, people. We are fortunate to live and work in an area where something as simple as a walk can create an experience for someone that will stay with them for the rest of their life, but we can all do so much more to add to that. Whether we are providing a coffee, a tour of the castle, an adrenalin rush on a roller coaster or explaining why conservation is important, we are all playing a part in creating an experience that will then be taken away by someone else to enjoy over and over again through private recollection or discussion with others.

We are of course able to apply some monetary value to certain experiences whether in the form of an entrance fee or subscription to an ongoing newsletter. What is crucial however, is that what the customer gets is seen by them as value for that money, and a worthwhile and enjoyable experience. Each and every one of us in the county can contribute to that experience, and in doing so quite possibly create our own experience to treasure too.

So the next time you are asked for directions to somewhere, or interacting with your customer over breakfast or dinner, pause for a moment, and ask yourself what you can do to enhance the experience positively for you both. Why not ask the same question of your staff and start a conversation around the theme - it may just provide a new, innovative, way of doing things that has positive impacts on everything from staff morale, to visitor return rates, to the end of year bank balance!

 

Mint Digital

Pembrokeshire Business Network