Innovation coaching Essex
As part of the European INTERREG 2 Seas project “PROFIT”, Visit Essex and our Dutch, French and Belgian partners are launching a shared innovation programme for coastal tourism businesses across the 2Sseas region. Through a series of qualified experts we are inviting tourism businesses (SMEs) who are committed to innovating and growing their businesses to sign up for the PROFIT innovation & business coaching programme in Essex.
This will include a 1:1 session at your business with a tourism expert in a particular field which will last for 1-2 hours. A short summary of the discussion will be sent to you after.
So which topics will the sessions cover?
The first area that has emerged from our work so far is the vital need to work with businesses to improve their digital and audio-visual content online and on social networks, (this could include a short audit of current practices with a short action plan for each business to 3 improve their content marketing techniques, storytelling, importance of experiences);
Improving internal and external customer care as a means to securing simple and effective customer loyalty plans, and to motivate staff to implement them.
The benefits of collaboration, working with others in the area to enhance your own offer, how promoting businesses nearby through trails or itineraries could be beneficial, and, what options are there for collaboration.
To understand how to assess your performance, have you got the right systems in place, do you do mystery shopping, how so you assess customer feedback and how to you monitor online reviews.
How to understand your customers better, this could include how to prioritise your target audience, how to best profile your customers, or how to research potential customers.
Business operations from how to manage change, questions on tax, how to write an effective business plan, to questions on fundraising.
How to develop your brand, have you got the messages right, do you understand the brand values and vision. How do you define and present your brand.
Product development or diversification, how can you make your product more experiencial and bookable, how can you weather proof your business or adapt your product to a new market e.g. families, or how to go about diversifying into a new area. This could also include the use of events and event management.
How to maximise your marketing, whether it be a review of current activity, suggestions for suitable tactics, how to attract new markets or how to market to the travel trade.
A number of businesses will have the opportunity to work with our coaches on a full innovation plan as part of this process that runs through the spring of 2019.
If you are interested please do not hesitate to contact us for further information.