September/October 2007 Newsletter

Word from the Chair – Denise Smalley
	Welcome to the October edition of the Partnership’s Industry E-Newsletter, a little later than planned but that is because the team have been working hard on our 2008 publications! The marketing team have been extremely busy since the last e-newsletter. The design process for our Holiday Guide of Top Attractions leaflet for 2008 is now in its last stages. I am very impressed with the quality of the new designs, and I'm sure you all will be too. Look out for them at the end of the year. It has been a busy summer in the Western Lake District and the PR tem did very well in gaining a lot of press coverage for some of the big events, such as the Maritime Festival in Whitehaven and the Tall Ship visit to Maryport. The Partnership will continue its work in promoting the beautiful area of Western Lake District, and as always if you have something you'd like to tell us about or ideas to share please get in touch! Denise Smalley Chair - Western Lake District Tourism Partnership
Partnership Team
Fiona Tubman (front) and Lucy Wilson	A reminder for those of you who might not have met the team here at The Partnership of who they are and how you can contact them. There are two employees, Fiona Tubman and Lucy Wilson. Fiona Tubman is the Marketing Specialist for the Partnership and works part time, Monday - Wednesday, 9 - 5 pm. You can contact her on 01900 818987 or ftubman@western-lakedistrict.co.uk Lucy Wilson is the Parterships full time Marketing Administrator. She can be contacted on 01900 818741 or lwilson@western-lakedistrict.co.uk Fiona and Lucy work very closely as a team and consult regulary with the Partnership's Steering Group. This Group is elected every year at the AGM. The Steering Group consists of voluteers from the Tourism Industry including attraction and accommodation businesses, aswell as representatives from Cumbria Tourism, Allerdale Borough Council and Copeland Borough Council and other local tourism groups. If you are interested in taking a more active role within the Partnership please contact Fiona or Lucy on the numbers above.
Holiday Guide and Top Attractions leaflet 2008
The design process is nearly complete for both our print publications - The Holiday Guide and Top Attractions leaflet. They should be going to print towards the end of October and distribution will begin on both before the end of the year, with a 12 month media campaign planned to promote the Holiday Guide. The Western Lake District Holiday and Short Breaks Guide 2008, Top Attractions leaflet and website feature the best accommodation, attractions, restaurants and shops in the area. There are 60,000 guides distributed nationally on an annual basis, supported by a full integrated media campaign, which runs alongside our Top Attractions and Website campaign. Our Top Attractions booklet is distributed within both Cumbria and across Scotland, Yorkshire and Cheshire at key outlets and accommodations. We currently produce 250,000 leaflets which are distributed throughout the year from January through December. These are monitored monthly and we can produce information for anyone interested in gaining more knowledge on the service. Our newly designed website, features all the information a visitor needs when considering trip to the area, including online accommodation bookings, information on local attractions and events, including profiles on our main events and related press coverage to give the consumer the best information on the area. Our media campaign also features a search engine optimization programme and web link building on a monthly basis ensuring businesses gain significant online coverage. For more information on either publication or the website please contact Fiona or Lucy on info@western-lakedistrict.co.uk
Exciting opportunity to promote yourself at BTTF
Cumbria has been offered an excellent opportunity by the North West Development Agency for them to design and pay for a newly designed Cumbria stand at the British Travel Trade Fair 2008 (BTTF). The stand will be Cumbria branded within the England's North West brand. The only cost to you will be your space which is priced at £337 per square meter. This is an excellent opportunity to promote Cumbria at very little cost. The more partners we can get behind this initiative, the better the presence Cumbria will be able to have at BTTF 2008 Please see the attached visual for our regional platform at BTTF and the following explanatory points; Region Descriptor – this will be the name of the attack brand / RTB Purple pillars – attack brand / RTB name will appear with the ENW regional branding marquee Picture header – this will the header board name for your presence or your product/destination partners Stand space is available for 1m, 2m 3m or 3m+ options Each metre space will have a graphic panel with header board plus literature shelves Graphics can be sized to match stand space if required (e.g. 2m wide) Proposal is too have stools but no counters. A storage option will be built into the space for literature as will a refreshment point. Colours used are for illustration purposes only at this stage. Exhibition space bookings – will be meeting with Reeds in early September to confirm arrangements for this. An initial meeting has already been held to discuss this further, but if you missed this and are interested in attending please contact Lucy Wilson on lwilson@western-lakedistrict.co.uk
The Beacon Reopening
	The Beacon, Copeland’s Museum and Art Gallery, reopens on Friday 5 October, and it’s bigger and better than ever before. With all new exhibits, a wider range of artifacts on display and a new dedicated gallery facility, the Beacon is a must visit for both visitors and locals alike. Whitehaven’s long history of seafaring forms the theme of some of the displays. What was it like to steer a ship under full sail? Take the ship’s wheel with a moving deck underfoot, and the sounds and even smells of life at sea add to the realism and excitement. Recordings by Whitehaven’s own Male Voice Choir provide a musical background of sea shanties and nautical songs. In addition, deeds of danger and heroism are to be found at the Beacon, with both John Paul Jones’ invasion of Whitehaven Harbour remembered as well as the Victoria Cross awarded to one of Copeland’s own war heroes, Private Abraham Acton, proudly displayed as one of the Beacon’s most prized exhibits. It would be impossible to describe everything that can be found at the new-look Beacon in a couple of short paragraphs, but it would be wrong to paint a picture of the Beacon as a museum alone. With a full range of art, craft and educational activities for all age groups being organised, and with drama classes to photographic workshops, The Beacon promises to be a year-round hive of activity. Private organisations are being invited to make use of the top floor with its circular reception area and suite of four unique rooms for receptions and meetings. The Beacon team boast that the 4th Floor gallery with stunning views of the newly-restored harbour offers the most distinctive event venue in West Cumbria. When a ground floor bistro restaurant opens in the next few weeks The Beacon will be offering visitors and locals alike the complete Whitehaven experience. With a full daytime and evening licence, the restaurant has the best harbour location in town, and promises to become one of the most sought after eateries on the Cumbrian coast. For more information on The Beacon, call 01946 592302 or visit our new website at www.thebeacon-whitehaven.co.uk. But why not visit us instead at West Strand, Whitehaven, Cumbria, CA28 7LY. The Beacon redevelopment is being funded by the European Community European Development Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund, West Lakes Renaissance, Copeland Borough Council, the West Cumbria Development Fund and British Nuclear Group.
It’s all in the welcome…….
	There has never been a better time to take a hard look at your customer service. Your business product can be duplicated but a strong customer service culture can’t be copied and gives you a huge competitive advantage. Recognising the vital importance of first class customer service, we have dramatically reduced the prices of our one day Welcome to Excellence courses. They now start at only £40 for a full day’s course including workbooks, certificate, badge and all refreshments. Or, if you find 10 like minded businesses or your own employees and can provide the venue/refreshments, we will run a Welcome Host or Welcome Line course for £25 per person. We also have a brilliant trainer who speaks fluent Polish and can tackle those cultural differences with Polish speaking staff. Please don’t hesitate. Whether your business is accommodation, retail, attraction or leisure, include customer service in your plans for this autumn and winter. More details are available on www.cumbriatourism.org or by contacting Pauline Crossley on 01539 825042 or email pcrossley@cumbriatourism.org. Current available dates: Welcome Host Plus for Retail Businesses (Turning negatives into positives in challenging situations and how good communication can work miracles) Wednesday 31 October Keswick £40 Welcome Host Plus and Welcome Line (Run over three shorter days from 1030 – 1500 to suit the needs of the smaller business) Thursdays 4/11/18 October Keswick Special offer of £40 for both courses Welcome All (Not just about wheelchairs! Simple practical solutions delivered by a brilliant trainer who makes disability issues relevant to all) Thursday 29 November Millom £55 Welcome Line (Professional telephone techniques to help turn enquiries into sales) Monday 29 October Solway area £40
Advanced Marketing Course for Festivals & Shows
There is an exciting FREE course that the Events Development Fund and The University of Cumbria are running for the Autumn of this year. Spaces are limited so don't delay if you are interested in applying! This opportunity is open to all events and festivals in Cumbria with an ambition to grow and develop. The end result will be your own personalised marketing plan. If you would like to discuss things further please contact: Kate Wise Events Development Officer Cumbria County Council Arroyo Block The Castle Cumbria CA3 8UR Tel. 01228 607269 Email: katie.wise@cumbriacc.gov.uk
Cumbria Tourism Investment Supports Cycle Route Development.
A £10,000 contribution by Cumbria Tourism to Western Lake District Tourism Partnership is enabling the Partnership to take a lead in develop new cycling route leaflets in the Western Lake District. Identified as a growth market in the Destination Management Plan for Cumbria, cycling routes will be developed in Egremont, Cockermouth and Cleator Moor and will be promoted by top quality leaflets. They are due for publication inover the next 12 months. For more information on this project, please contact Fiona Tubman ftubman@western-lakedistrict.co.uk
Next Issue of E-Newsletter
The next issue of our Industry E-Newsletter will be send out before the end of 2007. If you have anything that you would like feature, please contact Lucy Wilson on lwilson@western-lakedistrict.co.uk