EnglandSimon Gidman

Head of Business Visits and Events

Meet England

England Tourism Strategy

Vision:

To maximise tourism’s contribution to the economy, employment and quality of life in England

Objectives:

1. To increase England’s share of global visitor market’s2. To offer visitors compelling destinations of distinction3. To champion a successful thriving tourism industry4. To facilitate greater engagement between the visitor and the

experience

Action Plans

To facilitate greater engagement between the visitor and the experience

– Modernising visitor information– Accessibility– Welcome– Transport

To offer compelling destinations of distinction

- Destination Management- Quality

To champion a successful, thriving industry

- Rural tourism - Research- Seaside resorts - Skills- Wise growth

To increase England’s share of global visitor markets

- National Marketing Strategy- Business Tourism

1. 2.

3. 4.

Business Tourism Action Plan

Objectives:

1. To maximise England’s strong and competitive brand values in marketing it as a business tourism destination2. To leverage England’s expertise in medicine, science, academia and industry to gain competitive advantage3. To ensure all England’s facilities, products and services continue to meet market needs to increase England’s competitive success4. To ensure the importance of business tourism maintains a high profile with public and private sector stakeholders

Vision:

To increase the volume and value of England’s business tourism market by 5% year on year to 2020

What is business tourism?

• Association / Charity / Institute / Society events• Governmental meetings and conferences• Corporate events – dinners, product launches,

conferences, awards etc• Incentive travel• Corporate hospitality• Exhibitions and trade shows• Independent business travellers

Where are we now?• England leads world in specialist areas of innovation – also

finance, business services and creative industries• Estimated £24.5 billion economic impact from

conferences, meetings, exhibitions, incentive travel and corporate hospitality

• England dropped out of top 10 countries worldwide hosting just 286 international association meetings in 2009 (720 in France). Source: Union of International Associations

• Volume and value peaked in 2006, since has experienced reduction of more than 25% for inbound overseas business trips (6% drop in domestic)

So why take action on business tourism?

• Plays vital role in economic, professional and educational development in England – opportunities to communicate, educate, motivate and network

• Increasing business tourism will improve success of England as place to do business and raise profile of its destinations as ‘knowledge capitals’

• Urban renewal and regeneration, in part, generated by conference and meeting activity

Other benefits of business tourism

• 28% of total overseas visitor spend• Supports 22,000 businesses and around

800,000 full time equivalent jobs• Average spend per day more than 50% higher

than leisure visitors• Provides business in off-peak leisure periods• Business extenders, friends and family and

repeat business as leisure visitors

Objective 1: To maximise England’s strong and competitive brand values in marketing it as a business

tourism destination

Creation of English Business Tourism Group – English destinations– Impactful and cost effective international sales, marketing

and PR programme– Plan and support regular client familiarisation visits– Develop clear and consistent England brand messages– Business extender campaigns– Creation of DMC group to focus on growing the incentives

sector– Client perception research – collate existing and plan new

Objective 1: To maximise England’s strong and competitive brand values in marketing it as a business

tourism destination

• Develop and promote quality assurance programmes for business venues (MIA)

• Promote a joined up approach between destinations, local government, venues and suppliers (MIA)

• Review pricing charters for large events (MIA) and pricing models for convention centres

• Understand national research requirements for industry and provide intelligence where necessary

Objective 2: To leverage England’s expertise in medicine, science, academia and industry to gain

competitive advantage

Creation of England Large Congress Group – VisitEngland, destinations, PCO’s and UKTI (tbc)– Support for local research and ambassador programmes– Investigate requirement for national research programme

and national ambassadors– Identify barriers to attracting large congresses to England– Explore opportunities for working with government bodies

(eg UKTI) on sector specific sales and marketing activity

Objective 3: To ensure all England’s facilities, products and services continue to meet market needs to

increase England’s competitive success

• Reduce barriers to entry – visas, APD• Encourage better transport connections (MIA)• Ensure technology and telecomms meet market needs (MIA)• Skills and training – Institute of Event Management• Ensure quality product (MIA)• Promote wise growth and adoption of sustainable standards • Promote easy access for all• Improve client welcome (MIA)

Objective 4: To ensure the importance of business tourism maintains a high profile with public and private

sector stakeholders

• Continue to support the activity of the Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP) – manifesto, report, Britain for Events etc.

• Promote the value and importance of business tourism at national and local level through regular updated research and effective channels of communication to national and local government – All-Party Events Group,

Role of VisitEngland

Providing cost effective sales and marketing platforms and representation for destinations, venues and other professional suppliers in international markets:– Exhibitions and workshops (EIBTM, IMEX, IMEX

America, Trailblazers)– Sales missions and networking dinners– E-newsletters– Advertising and PR

• IMEX Frankfurt

• Trailblazers

• IMEX America

• EIBTM Barcelona

• Meetopolis

• Successful Meetings University

Exhibitions & Workshops

Sales Missions & Network DinnersAssociation Networking Dinners

• Switzerland (Geneva) March 2011

• France (Paris) December 2011

• Belgium (Brussels) March 2012

Sales Missions

• Germany (Munich & Stuttgart) August 2011

• November (Amsterdam) November 2011

• Spain (Madrid) November 2011

• France (Paris) early 2012

• USA (Minneapolis) March 2012 – tbc

Familiarisation Trips• USA

• Manchester & Chester 27–29 May 2010• Manchester & Liverpool (tbc) – Sept 2011

• Dutch• Newcastle & Leeds 10–12 October 2010• East Yorkshire & Newcastle (tbc) – March 2012

• French– Brighton, Sussex & Kent 8–10 May 2011

• Spanish – Bath & Bristol 25–28 September 2011

• German – Hampshire & Sussex 25–27 September 2011– Liverpool & Chester 22–24 August 2010

Additional Activities

E-newsletters (Dutch, French, German & English)

www.meetengland.com(Dutch, French, German & English)

Additional ActivitiesEditorials & Supplements• L’Evenementiel• HeadQuarters Magazine• AMI Magazine

Role of VisitEngland

• Leading the England Business Tourism Group• Leading the English Large Congress Group• Leading the DMC Group• Contribution to the BVEP• Contribution to the Interboard (national

tourist boards)

Key Delivery Partners

• MIA Destinations Group• Business Visits and Events Partnership• Industry Associations• Government Departments• Venues, DMC’s, PCO’s and other professional

services• Transport operators

How can you contribute to the vision?

• Work with your DMO and/or VisitEngland to promote destination, create exciting activities/itineraries and share best practice through English Business Tourism Group

• Work with destination to protect and enhance reputation of destination for hosting large congresses – pricing, service, skills, quality

• Strive for higher standards of quality – AIM scheme, technology (latest broadband, free wifi), accessibility, sustainability, welcome

• Champion importance of industry to local population and local government

VisitEngland

Simon GidmanHead of Business Visits and Events

Meet England

Thank you

for listenin

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