Involving a minimum of seven ‘events’, (see below) which have been designed to deliver information, techniques and ideas in an enjoyable and structured way, participants get ‘thinking fit’ and develop creative ideas and solutions for their town’s future. So creative in fact that normally between 400 and 600 ideas are generated to identify areas of improvement. These are ultimately distilled into manageable key projects which encapsulate the overall wishes of participants.

The events are designed to be participative, participants encouraged to attend in the knowledge that the information and techniques being presented are available for them to take away and use for their own purposes – be that business, association or community group, etc. – this providing an additional incentive to engage!

Event 1 - Your Town in context

Event 5 - Improving the Image

Event 2 - Management 'Style'

Event 6 - Marketing and Promoting a town

Event 3 - Town, Community & Business Development

Event 7 - Planning for Growth & Development

Event 4 - Customers. Visitors and Users

 

Event 1  - Your Town in context

This first event provides the opportunity for participants to see their town in the wider context, set against the backdrop of the UK, with its changing trends, demographics, expectations, lifestyles and pressures.

Designed to 'set the style' for the remaining six events in terms of format and delivery, participants are provided with a workbook, which builds up over the seven events to form a comprehensive manual and working document which culminates in action plans being produced.

Event 2  - Management ‘Style’

As a nation, we have a reputation of being reserved in nature, but our effect on others through our behaviours and management 'style' can have a significant impact upon the success or otherwise of town regeneration initiatives.

To be successful, regeneration activity relies upon people understanding each other and working together, this event provides an enjoyable - but powerful - way of standing back and assessing what effects we have on those around us!

'People buy people' in business, regeneration activity is no different - modifying our behaviour to achieve maximum positive effect on others can prove to be the winner regeneration activity is in need of........!

This event addresses the dynamics associated with managing ourselves and others and challenges participants to think about their 'style' and how it is likely to impact on others, examining amongst other things:

• positive mental attitude

• approaches to problem solving

• successful management and leadership

• managing our time

Examining areas which participants have often not addressed before, even husband and wife businesses learn something more about each others motives and objectives in life, often after many years of working together!

Enjoyment and good humour are one of the features of this revealing event.

Even before regeneration work begins, towns have assets and strengths which could be better utilised, similarly, there's little point in improving a town if the techniques for getting people to 'buy into' and use those changes are not in place.

The use of simple techniques designed to improve a town's sales, usage and overall performance are examined and applied during this event. The ideas and techniques employed to develop and grow a business through sales and service apply equally to towns and communities. Once appreciated, these techniques can be developed and employed to attract business growth and town usage.

Areas covered by this event include:

• Expectations

• Appealing to the senses

• Critical steps to sales

One business which adopted some of the techniques examined at this event saw a 17% increase in turnover!

Event 4  - Customers, Visitors and Users

Without customers a business fails, a town is no different, its visitors will either turn into customers and use the attractions and amenities on offer or go elsewhere - with the inevitable consequences for the town!

Who are a towns customers?       What motivates them?       How well does our town appeal to them?

Until a town better understands its customers, visitors and users - or potential customers, visitors and users - any regeneration initiative and planning are destined to have limited impact. Big businesses have understood the benefits of identifying their target customers for some time now.

The tools of demographic profiling are just as important to towns, more so, because towns can appeal to a wider 'audience', providing they know who that audience consists of, what they are likely to want and where they live.

This event always proves captivating, particularly when the survey results are combined with the demographic profile.......... Other areas examined include:

• Customer Demographics

• Survey results

• Setting Standards

• Building Customer Rapport

• Customer Care Strategies

Having a better appreciation of the motivations and social behaviours of both the resident population and potential visitors, provides the opportunity for more focused thinking on what it is that is likely to encourage these people to use a town, and return.

Event 5  - Improving the Image

Most people have five senses through which they learn and develop an understanding of the world around them - and an impression of the towns they visit. That's five avenues through which a town can generate appeal!

The visual impact and signals emitted by towns to their visitors can determine whether they stop and look further, and ultimately, whether they decide to stay, return or move on..... Similarly, what is said to them in any businesses they visit, Tourist Information Centre, etc., also builds a picture through the hearing sense. These 'Moments of Truth' as they're known in the business world, can determine whether a visitor stays, uses, returns and spreads good news about a town and the experience they had in it.

Developing an image designed to appeal to one or all of our senses is an important weapon in the armoury of winning visitors and users, the competition invest heavily in it!

This event examines image, using the town concerned as the backdrop to demonstrate some of the techniques, which include:

• Principles of the use of colour, light and space

• Merchandising principles as appropriate to towns

• Creating interest and 'head twisters'

• Do's and Don'ts

Event 6  - Marketing & Promoting  a town

Or put another way - avoiding the ‘best kept secret’ syndrome!

Companies have been made or broken on the back of publicity, developing messages and campaigns to modify thinking and behaviour and encourage people to visit and use what a town has to offer is often overlooked or given a lesser priority than other 'bricks and mortar' projects.

Marketing and promotion can be a powerful tool, but it can also be expensive. Towns are not renowned for having large marketing budgets, therefore what is available needs to be used to greatest effect. GVA has often found that when the small individual amounts of money being spent on advertising by town businesses and organisations over a year is totalled, it becomes a significant amount of money! When joint promotional campaigns and resources are pooled, the results can be quite dramatic!

This event considers techniques and ideas for making the best use of marketing and promotional opportunities, with participants examining:

• Marketing Plans

• Customer Identification

• Competitive Advantage

• The Message, The Target and The Media

• Developing the brief.

Event 7  - Planning for Growth & Development

Developing Action Plans for the future is essential, without planning, good intentions will remain just that!

Good plans, jointly agreed and representing a broad cross-section of a town's community are a powerful marketing tool for raising a profile, promoting aims and objectives and ultimately helping to lever in funding.

Developing plans is what this event is about:

• Developing the Vision

• Setting Objectives

• Understanding why Change can fail

• Defining the Plan

• Publicising the Plan

• Using Plans to gain widespread support and access funding