Project Title: Stonehaven it’s Special Tourism Strategy Delivery

Description: Developing a tourism marketing and promotional plan for Stonehaven. The need for a carefully considered marketing and promotional plan was underlined by the earlier work on the town’s tourism strategy. Stonehaven it’s Special Group decided that it should work to a suitably detailed and mutually agreed plan that could be implemented over a minimum of 3 years and thereby create a legacy for its involvement in the Interreg IIIc SusSET programme. Developing the plan was felt to be best practice and continued the learning experiences of the group. 

Objectives:

1. To provide SiS Tourism group with a detailed framework for pursuing tourism development in Stonehaven over a minimum of 3 years activity, thereby providing a legacy for the Interreg IIIc SuSET programme.
2. To identify practical and structured marketing and promotional actions and priorities that will assist in the sustainable economic development of the town and its hinterland.
3. To encourage participation in partnership activity in delivering actions identified.
4. To provide a practical model for delivering the tourism strategy developed in 2005.
5. To attract visitors to Stonehaven and enrich the visiting experience.
6. To provide a foundation for future funding applications that will enable additional projects to be taken forward.

Process/Stages:

1.    July 2006 – a tender document was discussed and agreed. 3 tourism consultants were invited to tender for the project .the work was awarded to Elma McMenemy marketing & PR on the basis of the best overall tender submitted.

2.    Thereafter, the consultant met with SiS Tourism and Events groups, local stakeholders and businesses and researched available data.

3.    A draft plan was prepared and discussed with SiS group and appropriate changes were made.

4.    March 2007 – the marketing and promotional plan was agreed by the group and then circulated to all main organisations and participants in the town for comment and dissemination. Organisations were invited to participate in the delivery of the plan’s actions.

5.    A more detailed action plan is being prepared to assist delivery of the wide-ranging actions identified in the plan.

6.    Immediate projects have been identified and funding obtained to help deliver projects short term e.g. tourism promotion project, visitor information project, tourism research and survey project.

7.    The plan will remain a “live” document and will be used to implement future projects and to support the accompanying funding applications where feasible. 

Outcomes/Results:

1.    The group has learnt how to tender for this work and to work with a consultant ensuring appropriate feedback is given during the development phases.

2.    A completed document has been prepared against which other projects are now being delivered.

3.    A detailed action plan has been drafted which will direct the SiS group activities post SusSET.

Download the document  here

Learning Points:

1. The timescale for undertaking the work and leaving enough time to deliver follow-up projects was challenging and consultations processes need to be recognised by a great deal of lead in time.
2. The group is made up largely by volunteers with limited time available and this can slow any project timetable.
3. The actions identified are quite wide-ranging and underlines the need for the group to be enlarged, fully participating and able to share workloads adequately. There is a concern that hard working members may be alienated by a heavy workload.
4. It is preferable to invest resources in a well thought through plan that will provide a structure for longer term work and projects rather than risk a poor result due to lack of planning.

Contact Information: Robert Armstrong, Senior Business Development Executive, Aberdeenshire Council, Stonehaven (Tel: 01569 768294/ Email: Robert.Armstrong@aberdeenshire.gov.uk)