PentictonWineCountryVisitorCentre

Evaluation&Recommendations

March2016

Final

MargaretMcCormick

AuthenticExperiencesConsulting

2

ExecutiveSummary

In light of pending changes to infrastructure, increased technology opportunities and

evolving visitor needs, consultant and former Destination BC executive Margaret

McCormickwasengagedtoreviewPenticton’scurrentvisitorservicingoperationsand

makerecommendationsonfutureservicesinkeepingwithprovincialperspective.

Anin-depthreviewandanalysisofavailableresearchwasconductedandkeypersonnel,

industrystakeholdersandexpertswereconsulted.Fromtheanalysis,keyfindingswere

developedandcommentaryontheopportunitiesalongwithconcreteexamplesfroma

varietyofjurisdictionsispresented.

In addition to general consumer trendswhich indicate visitors are finding alternative

waystoaccessinformation,themostcriticalfindingsweretherateofvisitationdecline

and thedisproportionatebudget assigned to visitor servicingwith limitedmeasurable

return.Counterbalancingthesefindingsisthetremendousopportunityforanewand

excitingprogramembracingoutreachactivitiesastheoperationisfoundedonexcellent

customer service staff and a strong co-locatedpartner interested in participating in a

restructure.

The result of the work is an overarching recommendation supported by eight key

strategies.

Develop aVisitor Services Strategy thatmaintains the core functionof a bricks and

mortarvisitorcentreandincreasesreachthroughacombinationofmobile,socialand

technologiesapplications.

Strategies:

1. ExploretheopportunitytodevelopadeeperpartnershipwiththeVQA

2. Increasemobile,street&socialmediapresence

3. Exploretechnologysupportsystems

4. Transitionnon-coreorduplicativeactivities

5. Restructurestaffmanagement

6. Expandrecruitment&trainingstrategy

7. Ensureallactivitiesalignwithbrand

8. SetmeasurabletargetsThe success of this approach relies on all partners willing to change the way that

businessisbeingconductedandembraceuniquelydifferentiatingrolesthatwillcreate

incrementalgrowthforthedestination.

3

ProjectOverview

Pentictonhasbeenexecutingavisitorservicingstrategythatwasdevelopedaspartof

theprovincialVisitorCentreNetworkestablishedseveraldecadesagoandwhileitisfelt

thatsomeelementsofthevisionmaystillberelevant,manyofthestrategiesandtactics

withintheplanneedtobeupdated.ApendinglocationmoveforthecurrentPenticton

Wine Country Visitor Centre (PWCVC) was the impetus for a review of current

operations and the development of a new plan in line with the updated provincial

mandate. The Network’s revised direction presented in October 2015maintains the

importance of consistent service delivery while encouraging communities to expand

theiroperationstoaddresstheimpactofsocialmediaandtheopportunitytoreachout

tovisitorsthroughalternativemeansinadditiontotraditionalbricksandmortar.

Approach

TheCityhiredconsultantMargaretMcCormicktoevaluatetheopportunityandprovide

expertopinionandrecommendationsonthefollowing:

• Servicedeliveryapproachincludingpotentiallocationsand/orservicetype

• Viabilityofwinestoreasoneofortheexclusivebricksandmortarlocation

• Operatinghoursandseasonality

• Staffingincludingpotentialforvolunteerprogram

• Trainingrequirements

• Transitionfromthecurrentmodel

Theprojectwasbrokenintofoursegments

• Information&ResearchReview

• StakeholderInput

• Analysis

• Recommendations

Information&ResearchReview

Awide varietyof informationwas sourced includedall existinghistorical data for the

PWCVC,visitorstatisticsandprofile;areviewoffourteencasestudiesandtwenty-eight

pilotprojectsproducedbyVisitorCentres throughoutBCwitha focusonmodernizing

thedeliveryofvisitorservicing.

Case studies ranged from Tourism Langley who have closed their “bricks & mortar”

operationandoperatesolelythroughsocialmediaandamobilevantoPowellRiverwho

4

implemented roving ambassadors and a mobile unit and maintained a street front.

Penticton’spopupinformationcentreexecutedthissummerwasalsoreviewed.

Pilotprojectsalsoprovidedawiderangeofnewvisitorservicingapplicationsincluding

interactivetouchscreensinKimberley,Kaslo,Rossland,NakuspandPrinceGeorge.

“Global Innovative Servicing Project November 2015”, produced for Destination BC

which focusedoutsideof theprovincial border tounderstandhowother destinations

aroundtheworldareevolvingtheirvisitorservicesfunctionwasreviewed.Withinthis

documentsixty-threecommunitieswereexploredandtwenty-sixtourismprofessionals

fromallovertheworldprovidedinputresultinginseventypagesoffindingsinsixbroad

categoryareas.

Additionalpapersandreportsincluding;“IstheSmartPhoneKillingtheVisitorCentre”

submittedtoTnooz,Feb1,2015byDougLansky,TourismConsultantand“TheFutureof

VisitorServices”,BronwynWhite,Travel&TourismMarketResearcher,SydneyAustralia

werereviewed.

The consultant spent 1.5 days in Pentictonwith TourismPenticton ExecutiveDirector

Kelly Hopkins and Visitor Centre Manager Marsha Morrish understanding current

business practices and conducted a site visit of the current location as well as other

potentiallocations.

Interviewswereconductedwithindustry&marketingexperts:

§ LauraKowalchuk,PentictonWineCentreManager

§ KathleenHarvey,ManagerVisitorServices,DestinationBC

§ KarenTunkara,Manager,VisitorCentresDestinationBC

§ MilesProdan,BCWineInstitute

§ KiraHoward,CertifiedFolderBrochureDistributionServices

§ ChelseaStoelting,ReThink

§ NancyCameron,CEOTourismKelowna

§ DeborahKulchiski,ExecutiveDirector,TourismLangley

§ KristaMorten,AlignConsulting

StakeholderInput

PhoneinterviewswereconductedwithlocaltourismbusinessesasidentifiedbyTourism

Penticton. Participantswere asked six questions focusingon their perceived valueof

thecurrentoperationandwhatservicestheywouldliketoseeinfuture.Conversations

rangedfromfifteentothirtyminutes.

5

§ LyndieHill,HoodooAdventures

§ GordFerguson,PatioBurger&IceCream(formerlyRamadaInn)

§ MilesKarn,TopCatTours

§ KatherineMackenzie,RedRoosterWinery

§ LauraHunt&PaulO’Beirn,PentictonTradeandConventionCentre

§ HeatherGlynes,BenchMarket

§ SheilaPerapalkin,PentictonSandman

§ ChrisBower,formerCEOTourismPenticton&OkanaganOutdoor

Adventures

Thefollowingisasummaryofstakeholderresponses. Notefocusof interviewwason

VisitorServicingandnotTourismPentictonbroadermarketingmandate:

1. q.DoyoufindvalueinthePentictonVisitorCentre?

a. Allparticipantsansweredyes(anecdotalratherthanmeasured).Quality

ofstaffprovidingservicewasmentionedseveraltimesandhavingabricks

andmortarlocationofsomekindwasaconsistentresponse.

2. q. Ifyes,whatprogramorservicesdoyoufindofMOSTvalueandwhy?

a. Referrals to business was the most common response followed by

opportunitytodirecttheirgueststotheVCeitherbyphoneorinpersonto

actasa concierge service for further information;greatwelcomingand

representationofthecityandregionwasacknowledged

3. q. Whatadditionalserviceswouldyouliketosee?

a. Thisquestionprovidedthemostvarietyofresponsesrangingfrommore

engagement with businesses at their operations, more participation in

famtoursandsitevisits,greateropportunityforincreasedcrosstraining,

greater collaboration with Penticton Indian Band (retail), extension of

outreach programs (some knew about the pilot projects previously

executed) and suggesteda hotline for industry direct access. Increased

site-specificeventsupportprogrammingwasalsomentioned.

4. q. DoyouknowhowmanyreferralsyoureceivefromtheVisitorCentre?

a. Threebusinesseshadatrackingmechanismtounderstandwhatbusiness

was derived from the Visitor Centre using codes and coupons. One

businessstatedthattheVCprovidedasignificantnumberofreferralsand

inadditiontopaidadvertisingwastheinthetoptwooftrackedreferrals.

5. q. WhattypeofvisitorcentreshouldPentictonhaveinfuture?

a. General responsewasmoreoutreachandengagementwithvisitorsand

industry, higher use of social media and digital technology. All

acknowledged there is no perfect location and VC likely only serves a

small percentage of visitors to Penticton but that a storefront of some

6

kind is important. Discussion with additional stakeholders further

supported theneed for a bricks andmortar locationandacknowledged

therearelikelymanywaystocreateadditionalefficiencyandtoincrease

outreach. Most mentioned the importance of maintaining the human

touchandauthenticityoftheservice.

6. Does itmatter to your business if the newVC is co-locatedwith theWine

Centre?

a. Generallyparticipantslikedandunderstoodthevalueofco-locatingwith

theWineCentrebuthadnostrongopinion if itcontinuedtodosofrom

theirbusinessperspective. Anecdotally itwascommentedthatbringing

friends and family to a co-located facility was appreciated and it was

speculatedthatthetwoserviceshadclientsynergies.

FinalComments:

Allwerepleased tobeasked toparticipateandconcurred thata reviewofoperations

withafocusonthefuturewasagoodidea.

Analysis

A detailed analysis of historical visitor centre statistics and comparative analysis to

aggregated provincial trends and regional operations was conducted. Key learnings

fromBCVisitorCentreCaseStudies&PilotProjectsandtheGlobalInnovativeServicing

Project that matched the Penticton opportunity were identified. A SWOT (Strengths,

Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) conducted by previous Tourism Penticton

management was reviewed and Tourism Penticton’s budget for Visitor Servicing was

examined.InDestinationTripPlanningResearchcommissionedbyDestinationBC2014

wassourcedforfoundationalinformationregardingVisitorServicingandCentretrends.

KeyFindingsfromAnalysis

1. Visitors to the PWCVC have declined at a rate higher than the provincial

average.

Identifiedthroughallresearchreviewed,visitationtovisitorcentresworldwideis

in decline as visitors find alternative ways to access information. The PWCVC

experienceda44%decline invisitationbetween2010and2015comparedtoa

16.5%declineprovincially.ReviewingoverallvisitationtovisitorcentresinBritish

Columbia,theaveragedeclinewasmostnoticeablein2013(possiblecorrection

duetochangeinmanagement*)andcontinuedatasignificantratehigherthan

the provincial average in 2014 (Penticton -8.0% BC average +2.3%) and 2015

(Penticton-8.9%BCaverage+2.9).Fortunatelytheintroductionoftheroaming

7

visitor centre staff at events in 2014 and the pop up visitor centre in 2015

returnedvisitationdeclinepercentageclosertotheprovincialaverage.

*Whiletheconsultantisunabletofirmlyestablishreasons,someofthedeclinemaybeattributed

to the correlation between tracking visitation and funding from Destination BC. However it

shouldbenotedthatthisfundingmethodologywasappliedprovincewide

In contrast, theWine Centre manager anecdotally reported annual growth in

business indicating that while visitors are finding other ways to access

information,theretailsalesopportunityforwineproductsisgrowing.

Looking at overall visitation, the PWVCV centre itself (not including pop up)

served31,571thousandvisitorsin2015with15,342(50%)servedinJune,July&

August.Thisrepresentsa-16.4%declinefromthesameperiodin2014andthe

highestpercentageofdeclineforallquartersin2015.

Whileoverallvisitationnumbersindicatethereremainsaviableneedforabricks

andmortarlocation,itisinterestingtonotelocalresidentsrepresentthehighest

percentage of 40% of annual visitation. Dependent on the mandate, this

indicatestheopportunityre-evaluateoperationactivities.

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Penticton 6.0%-11.1%12.0%-12.7%-9.6%-10.9%-35.0%-8.0%-8.9%

Penticton+PopUp 2.6% -0.6%

AllBC 0.0% -6.4%2.4% 0.3% -5.5%-6.5%-5.0%2.3% 2.9%

-40.0%

-30.0%

-20.0%

-10.0%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

AnnualVisitorDeclinebyPercentage

8

2. ExpensesfortheVisitorCentrerepresent40%ofTourismPentictonBudgetand

services approximately 23%* of visitors to Penticton which represents a

disproportionateexpendituretovisitation.

Source:Budget2016CityofPenticton

*this number could actually be lower as 23% is the provincial average taken from 2014 “In

DestinationTripPlanning”researchconductedbyDestinationBC.Inanotherstudy“TheFutureof

VisitorServices”byBronwynWrightaveragevisitationatEurobodalla,thepercentageisquoted

asbetween5-14%.TheconsultantfoundnoreportsoftheactualnumberofvisitorstoPenticton

toverify.

Local

Resident

40%

BCResident29%

Alberta15%

OtherCanada5%

Washington2%

California0%

OtherUS/Mexico1%

Europe7%

Asia/Australia1%

Other0%

PWCVCVisitorPro<ile

Marketing$426,78960%

VisitorCentre$281,40940%

9

The current Visitor Centre budget shows building lease and expenses such as

utilities and janitorial is the 2nd largest expense at 40% after salaries. This

includes a significant space for retail and ticketing services. It should also be

notedthatwithinthecurrentmodel,theCityprovidesfreemaintenanceservice

anddoesnotcollecttaxesthereforeexpensecostsareconservative.

Basedonthecurrentoperationandvisitorvolume,theaveragecostperenquiry

is$12.57(averagecostscanbeinthelowrangeof$3andmediumrange$5to

$7). One contributing factor could be the high number of operating hours the

Visitor Centre is open. If current suite of services offered and volumedecline

continues,itisexpectedthecostperenquirywillincreaseandthevisitorcentre

% of overall budget will increase decreasing the value of overall investment

(basedoncurrentratestructure).

3. OperatingNonCoreProgramswithinthePWCVCtakeupover50%*ofstaff

timeandtakesahigherprioritythanvisitorservicing.

*VisitorCentremanagementwasaskedtoapproximatetheamountofstafftimeusedtosupport

ticketsales.Notethisfigureisforticketsellingonlyanddoesnotincludetimeordering,stocking,

conductinginventoryorsellingofretail,consideredforthisreportanoncoreactivity.

ThePWCVCcurrentlyprovidesawiderangeofserviceswithvariousobjectives

that sometimes conflictwith its primary purpose. Theprimary objective of a

visitorcentreshouldbetoconnectvisitorswithtourismbusinessesresulting in

extended stay and increasedexpenditures. Over thepast numberof years, in

addition to providing information, trip ideas and recommendations to visitors,

revenue-generatingprogramswere introduced including ticket and retail sales.

ObservingtheVisitorCentreoperationsforseveralhoursduringthesitevisit,it

wasnoted theextraordinary lengthof timeexpended to sell tickets forevents

including thosenot takingplace inPenticton. Oneguestwas in thecentre for

over an hour for Vancouver concert tickets (which could be accessed online).

Generallystaffestimatedtheaveragetimetosella ticketcouldbeasmuchas

thirtyminutes.ThecommissiontotheVContickettransactionsforTicketmaster

is1%.Whilenottracked,itcanbeassumedthatthehighpercentageofresident

traffic(40%)usestheticketingservice.

Duringthesitevisititwasalsonotedandconfirmedbymanagementthatphone

callsandinpersonvisitsforticketstakepriority,asticketrequestscanbetime

sensitive.Itwasalsonotedthatthereareticketssoldforlocalproductionsbut

eachactivityhasitsownmethod(somemanual)andallaretimeconsuming.

10

It is understood that selling tickets was introduced several years ago by

managementlookingforwaystoincreaserevenueandoffsetexpenses.Itisthis

consultant’sopinion thatwhile localshavecometoenjoy thisverycustomized

service, the time and expense does not support the activity. The ticket sales

program is cumbersome, time consuming and returns approximately $2,000 in

gross revenue. Given there is box office service with regular business hours

providedattheSouthOkanaganEventsCentre,thisservicecouldbeconsidered

duplication.

Retailsalesofsouvenirandotheritemshaveexpandedovertheyearsandnow

take up a significant footprint within the centre. The Visitor Centremanager

manages inventory and product ordering manually. Retail sales return

approximately $20,000 in gross revenue (not including staff time or operating

costs/space).

4. Thecurrentvalueoftheco-locationoftheBCVQAWineInformationCentre

andthePWCVCisnominalbuthastremendousuntappedpotential.

BothVisitorCentreandWineCentremanagementwere interviewedandasked

their opinion on the co-location of services. As previously noted, industry

members were also asked their opinion. While there is no hard evidence to

support, anecdotally all believe there are synergies with common clients and

thereisalogicalconclusionthatbecausethedestinationhassuchastrongwine

product,thosecomingtothecentretobuywineorgetinformationhavesimilar

interests.

From an operational perspective, it can be assumed there are cost savings on

sharedservicessuchaswashroomfacilitiesandparking.

This consultant observes that current operations simply share common space

with no integrated approach. There are however areas of duplication that if

addressedcouldfurtherenhanceoperationsfrombothefficiencyandcustomer

satisfactionlevel.

Asanexample,currentlywinestaffredirecttheircustomerstothevisitorcentre

when asked about local information including wine touring. This approach

requiresthevisitortocompletetheirexperienceinthewinecentrethenrepeat

theirrequesttovisitorcentrestaff.

Furtherareasthatcouldbenefitfromintegrationinclude:

- Retail;display,inventorysystem,pointofsalesystem,purchasing

- Staffing;management,sitestaff

- Informationdisplay

- Technology

11

5. To meet consumer demand and maximize influence, it is practical that

Pentictonvisitorservicesexpandbeyondbricks-and-mortartotakeadvantage

oftheabilitytoconnectwithvisitorsvianewdigitalinformationandservicing

opportunities.

“In Destination Research Report” identified that online is the most common

information source for visitors while in-destination. In fact, 62% of visitors

surveyednotedthattheygatheredinformationonlinefortheiritinerarywhilein-

destination.Talkingtopeopleandprintpublicationswerealsopopularsources

ofin-destinationinformation(51%and44%,respectively).Lessthan1-in-4(23%)

visitors went to a visitor centre while on their last trip to British

Columbia. This figure is expected to further decline as additional sources of

informationandtechnologyevolve.

BritishColumbiaVisitorServices

ResearchSummary&SituationAnalysis,June2014

SocialMedia

Being accessible and providing a personalized, human touch to visitors is still

essential.Butwhathaschangedishowwecommunicate.Withthegrowinguse

ofmobile devices and socialmedia in daily life, these are often the first place

visitorsgotowhentheyneedinformation,recommendations,anddirections,or

toproblem-solveon the road. Currently,TourismPentictonsupports its social

media activity through its marketing department. Due to operational

obligations, theVisitor Services teamdoes not have capacity to support social

media.Themarketingoutreacheffortshaveasolidfoundationregularlysharing

beautiful images about the destination targeted to key demographics on their

12

various channels but there is potential to increase activity should greater

capacitybecomeavailable.

DestinationBChasavisionforvisitorservicing inadigitalworldthatsees“the

digitalvisitortoBCsupportedbyanetworkofcustomerservicespecialiststoadd

maximumvalue to thedestinationexperience”. Or inotherwords, leveraging

the strength of the visitor centre network to create a “digital visitor servicing

network”.

Destination BC is undertaking a Pilot Project inwhich socialmedia technology

enables visitor centre participants to engage with visitors interested in their

communityandprovidedigital“concierge”services.

Communitiesparticipatinginthepilotproject:

Vancouver Whistler

Victoria Kamloops

RadiumHotSprings DawsonCreek

Vernon Langley

Kelowna Tofino

TourismPenticton could bewell positioned to participate in thenext program

phase.

Mobile

Moving out into the community to engage visitors is a trend becoming more

widely accepted by the Visitor Network and supported by the Destination BC

VisitorServicesstrategy.

In2015,TourismPentictonparticipatedinaCaseStudyfundedbyDestinationBC

thatreachedanincremental2,172peopleinJulyandAugustthroughplacement

ofaninflatablePopUpVisitorCentreinstrategiclocationsthroughoutPenticton.

This figure represents an incremental 17% in visitor engagement and was

deemedasuccessbythestakeholder.Manylessonswerelearnedandthispilot

isagoodstepping-stoneforfutureprogramdevelopment.

The twenty-eight pilot projects and 13 other case studies actioned by Visitor

CentresthroughoutBCin2015representedasimilarrangeofprojects ineffort

tomobilize visitor servicing into communities andhad successful results and a

widerangeoflearnings.

13

Thisapproachisfurthersupportedgloballywithexamples:

MobileVisitorCentres:Banff–LakeLouiseAlberta,SpokaneWashington,Toronto,Ontario,CapeTownSouthAfrica,

EugeneOregon,ArlingtonVirginia,andLouisville,Kentucky

Toronto’s“InfoToGo”MobileUnits

Ambassador&GreeterPrograms:JuneauAlaska,TorontoOntario,BrightonChesterKentandLondonEngland,NewYork,NewYork,

SalemOregon,IrelandandGuam

Locals who love their community are willing to share it with visitors. For

example,volunteerambassadorandgreeterprogramsarepopularandgrowing.

There are 15-20 Oregon communities in the process of developing greeter

programs.

Tourism destinations are also using locals to provide visitors with accurate,

detailed and authentic information about their community. More and more,

visitors are looking for experiences that are off the beaten tourism track, are

personalizedandaretailoredspecificallytothem.Programsthatengagelocalsto

providethat informationrespondtoconsumerdemandbyprovidingauthentic,

personalized advice either on the web during preplanning or in destination.

Often called “Ask a Local”, these volunteer programs can be highly successful

howeveritmustbenotedthatvolunteerrecruitmentandmanagementisoneof

themostdifficult taskswhencoordinating localengagementprograms.Oregon

hasbeensuccessfulinimplementingthisprogramon-line.

14

Inaddition to increasing themobilityofVisitorCentres throughPopUpVisitor

Centres, Mobile and Street Teams, community Destination Marketing

Organizations areexploring theuseof technology suchas interactive kiosks to

reachvisitorswhenahumaninteractionisnotpossibleorcosteffective.

Online research shows thatkiosksareused inoroutsidevisitor centresandat

busylocationsthroughoutthecommunity.Visitorinformationkioskswerefound

at destinations worldwide including Africa, Vietnam, Australia, Europe, the

United States and Canada. A smaller communitymay have one or two kiosks

whereas larger cities canhavea seriesof 10-40 kiosks spread throughout the

city

Considerations as developed from Case Study and Pilot project key learnings

include:

• Lease rather than purchase units. Kiosks like new cars depreciate the

momentyoutakepossessionandleasingeliminatestheneedforalarge

capitaloutlay.

• Ensure the technology provider is committed to maintenance and

upgrades.Nothingworsethat“outoforder”signsonyourmarketingand

informationservice!

• Userfriendlyinterfaceiscritical–fastandeasyorvisitorswillnotuseit

orworse,useitandhaveabadexperience

• Repurpose content – any solution considered must utilize existing

content and not require customized sourcing which is time consuming

andexpensive

• Consider the kiosk as an extension of the visitor centre and ensure in

designthatitmustprovidethat“expertopinion”notreadilyavailableon

thevisitorsphoneorvia“Google”.

• Transaction capability (coupon/ticket/reservation) that canbeuploaded

tothevisitorsphoneisavalue-addserviceandclosesthesale. Printing

capabilityisnotrecommended

• Make sure any solution provides excellent and timely analytics and

provides a way to continue the conversation (email or phone number

acquisition)

Tourism Prince George and Tourism Rossland engaged the services of a

technology vendor to build touch screen kiosks providing real time visitor

informationdesignedtoimprovevisitorexperience.Bothprojectsweredeemed

a successby theirorganizationsandplansare inplace to increaseandexpand

theservice.

Tourism Golden is conducting research on the value of kiosks and this

informationwillbeavailablewithinthenextfewmonths.

15

PrinceGeorgeDigitalKioskInitiative

Livechatapplicationsaredesignedtoprovideonlineassistancetowebsiteusers.

The softwareprovides instanthelp to visitorsonawebsite. There isusually a

buttononthemainpagethatallowspeopletoaskquestionsofcustomerservice

staff.Thereareawidevarietyofsoftwareapplicationsandthebusinessmodel

usuallyinvolvesamonthlysubscriptionraterangingfrom$11to$44permonth.

TourismSaintJohn,NBandTourismWinnipeghavebeensuccessfullyusingLive

Chat on their destination websites for the past several years to provide “Live

Concierge”servicesandfeelforthelowcostthereisasolidreturnandabilityto

furtherconnectwiththevisitorandgainretention.TourismLangleyispoisedto

rolloutLiveChatwithinthenextfewmonths.

IfLiveChatisnotanoption,emailonlineoutreachisthesimplestwaytofurther

engage visitors and is predominantly used during the pre-planning stage.

Ensuringthedestinationwebsiteisfullyoperationalandinvitingtovisitorstoask

questions is important and personalizing the experience often increases

engagement.TourismChilliwackandTourismLangleyaretwogoodexamplesof

personalizedemailoutreachoffers.

16

6. Penticton geography determines there is no “perfect location” for an iconic

visitorcentre.

When evaluating visitor servicing, every destination marketing organization

strivestofindthatperfectspot.Theonethateffortlesslyreceiveshighvolumes

oftherightkindofvisitorprimedtobeinfluencedtoparticipateinallthegreat

tourismproducts the communityhas tooffer. Thisperhaps is the singlemost

difficultdecisionandeverycommunitystruggleswithit.

a. Tobeonahighwayormain corridorwhere thegreatest traffic volume

exists? Lotsofvolumebutoftennottherightkind. Merritt isprobably

thebestexampleofpotentialforagreatlocationbutthevisitorisnotthe

right kind. That visitor centre has resulted in extremely high cost in

providingrestareaservicesandverylowreturntoregionalandprovincial

tourismandprovidesvirtuallynoreturntothelocalcommunity.

b. To be downtown in the heart of the community? Many communities

havemanyheartsandwhilethedowntownisacentrallocation,itisnot

always thebest for visitor servicingdue to lackofparking, access, high

cost of facilities. Visitors havemany opportunities to ask questions of

store,hotelandrestaurantstaffandoftendon’tfeeltheurgencytousea

visitorcentre.

Penticton’s geography clearly provides a challenge in site selection. Visitors

clusterinseveralareasonandbetweenSkahaandOkanaganLake.Inreviewing

multiplepotentiallocationsitwasdifficulttoidentifyonethatisthesweetspot.

ForPenticton,theopportunitytochangethemodelfromonecentrallocationto

atypeofhubandspokeapproachappearsmosteffective.

Inthismodel,asmallermoreefficientbricksandmortarvisitorcentrelocationis

chosenandsatelliteoperationsinkeylocationsandinmanyformsaugmentthe

service.

7. Rebrandingexerciseistimely

In light of the upcoming merge of Tourism Penticton and the Penticton

HospitalityAssociation,thetwogroupsdecidedtomoveforwardwithsomehelp

fromacreativeagency.ReThinkfromVancouverhasbeenhiredandisworking

onnewpositioningandbranding.TheVisitorCentreneedstoalignwiththisnew

brand,anddependingontheoutcomeof thedecisionwhere to relocatecould

alsoneedtoconsiderbrandingwiththewinecentreandthecasino.

Furthermore,thereistremendousopportunitytoextendthenewbrandoutside

ofthebricksandmortarfacilitythroughoutreachengagementactivities.

17

8. Highretentionstaffwithgoodskillscanbebetterutilized

OnlinereviewssuchasTripAdvisorindicatestaffattheWineCentreandVisitor

Centre provides excellent service (these services are not seen by visitors as

mutually exclusive). Both managers interview indicated the importance of a

strongcustomerserviceculture.Staffretentionratesaregoodwithmanystaff

returning for multiple seasons and this has been noticed and appreciated by

industry.Thisisafabulousfoundationtoworkfrom.

On the flip side, focus of effort is on visitors to the centre and on non-core

activities leavingnotimetoprovidesupporttothemarketingteamintermsof

responding to the growing need within social media or other opportunities

includingoutreachengagement.ThelearnedexpertisewithintheVisitorCentre

needs tobecapitalizedonwhichwill likely requireadditional trainingandmay

altertherecruitmentstrategy.

9. Partnershipsarekeytosuccess.

Developmentofpartnershipstodeliverconsistentvisitorinformationandservices

isessential.TheoperatingcostsofastandaloneVisitorCentreexceedthereturn

on investment and there are many other viable options that can reduce

duplication and extend reach. There is potential to explore partnerships to

deliver connectivity, access software, change distribution methods, provide

mobilityandcollaborateinservicedelivery.

Partnerships continue to be a driving force for visitor services. As identified in

“GlobalTrendsinVisitorServices”,twoofthemostcommonkindsofpartnerships

includethosewhere:

ü Visitorcentressharealocationwithanotherorganization.

These partnerships are popular because they share infrastructure costs,

drawmorevisitorsintothespaceandareconvenientforvisitors,and

ü Visitor services staff work with software businesses to provide digital

informationforvisitors.

Avisitorcentredoesnotnecessarilyhavetobetheanchortenant.Acollaboration

betweenMacy’sHeraldSquarestoreandNewYorkCityresulted inabrandnew

stateoftheartVisitorCentrewithinthestorethathastheopportunitytoreach

Macy’s6millionvisitors.

Visitor Centres can also be extended via partnership to other businesses. In

Vermont, an Ambassador program has over 50 private sector businesses

18

designatedasAmbassadorInformationCentreswhoaftergoingthroughatraining

programarecertifiedandbrandedtoprovidetravelinformationandassistanceto

theircustomers.

From a technology perspective, Travel Oregon works with Trip Advisor, Google

FieldTripandRoadtrippers.comandNYC&CompanypartneredwithGoogleMaps

to power the Visitor Center's interactive kiosks map and directions function,

providingtoolsforvisitorstomoreeasilynavigatetheCity.

Early tomarket launched in2013andsomething tomonitor,beacontechnology

(low energy transmitters that emit a signal that interacts with a mobile device

when within range) is being tested in a number of tourism destinations most

recently Queensland Australia who installed 150 ibeacons at airports, visitor

centres,parksandattractions.

19

Recommendations

Thereisexcellentopportunitytoreviseoperationstobemuchmoreeffective.Declining

visitationwithanovervaluedpercentageoflocalresidentusecombinedwithincreased

anddisproportionateexpensesoffsetmarginallybyprogramsnotparttheorganizations

mandateindicatearealneedforchange.

OverarchingRecommendation:

Develop aVisitor Services Strategy thatmaintains the core functionof a bricks and

mortarvisitorcentreandincreasesreachthroughacombinationofmobile,socialand

technologiesapplications.

StrategiestoAchieve:

1. ExploretheopportunitytodevelopadeeperpartnershipwiththeVQA

Recent developments with changes to VQA licensing have opened the door for

dialogue with the BC Wine Institute and BC Liquor Board to explore a deeper

collaboration and integration of services between theWine Store and theVisitor

Centrepreviouslynotpossibleduetolegislationanddifferingmandates.

WiththeintroductionofthenewCascadesCasinoproject,TheBCWineInstituteis

interestedinexpansiontofurthershowcasewineandculinaryofferingsratherthan

simply replicating their current operation. The following is taken from a paper

craftedin2007andisthefoundationfortheconcept.

“Develop a flagship facility designed to promote and embody the physical and cultural

experienceofwinecountry,highlighttheeconomichealthoftheprovince’swine,foodand

agri-tourismindustries,andprovideadestinationspotfor localconsumersto learnabout,

tasteandcelebratewhattheregionhastooffer”.

Alreadylistedasthe“#1thingtodoinPentictonbyTripAdvisor”aflagshipfacility

providinganevenwidervarietyofprogrammingwillbea furtherdrawandcould

easilyexpand itsservicestoprovideseamlessrepresentationonallaspectsof the

destination and the wine sector. Destination information in the form of

publicationsanddisplays (includingdigital) couldbe incorporated into theoverall

footprint (rather than separated as they do now) and staff schedules could be

integrated to ensure that operational objectives are properly supported. This

locationwould act as a hub for TourismPentictonprogrammingbut by adjusting

onsite staff presencemakesway for increasedmobile and socialmedia activities.

Thisopportunity supports thenatural synergiesalready identifiedby thepartners

andstakeholders,reducesduplicationandincreasesreach.

RetailwouldbecentralizedandmanagedbythePentictonWineCentreexpanded

their current selection to include local souvenirsandmemorabiliaandmagnifying

20

thenewbrand. Retailcouldalso includeagreaterrepresentationofFirstNations

artandproduct.

Thisconceptisintheearlyexploratorystagesbuthasthepositiveendorsementof

theBCWineInstitutewhohashadinitialdiscussionswithGatewayCasinos.

2. Increasemobile,street&socialmediapresence

ExpandonthesuccessofthefirstPopUpMobileVisitorCentrebyincreasinghours,

locationsandapproach. Inasecondphase,explore feasibilityofapartnership to

provide a branded and sponsored mobile visitor centre (likely phased in once

brandingiscompleted)toprovideadditionalpresenceandseasonextension.

Purchase a second tent andmobile equipment to double exposure and allow for

oneateachendoftownandatevents(Farmer’sMarket,GranFondoetc.).

Beyond theMobileVisitorCentre, createaStreetTeam (brandedname tocome)

who will visit Penticton tourism businesses reaching out to guests to provide

conciergeservicesaswellassocialmediacontentontheexperience.

For example, the Street Team staff person visits Penticton’s new climbing wall,

chatswith a family enjoying the experience andoffers toprovide informationon

further activities in the area. From a tablet, the Street Team staff sources bike

rentals and makes the reservation, takes a photo of the family, tags it with the

businessandPentictonmarketinghashtagsandsendsitoutthroughsocialmedia.

ParticipateinDestinationBC’sDigitalVisitorServicingstrategytoharnessextensive

visitorservicingexperienceacrosssocialmediachannels.

Increasesocialmediapresenceforeventsbyreachingouttodelegatespreeventto

offer concierge services. Work with event planners to engage delegates and

providesupport.

3. Exploretechnologysupportsystems

Whenimplementedcorrectly,digitaltechnologyhasthepotentialtobeanaffective

andefficientwaytoprovideinformationandcontentaswellasextendbrand.This

strategy requires considerable research and evaluation outside of contract scope

buthasthepotentialtoincreaseengagementandextendreach..

Kiosks

There are many companies who provide this service and further investigation is

required to determine the appropriate solution for Penticton. Should the

integrationbetweentheVQAandtheVisitorCentre takeplace,aneffectivekiosk

21

could beof great benefit providing general information to visitorswhile staff are

engagedindetailedenquiriesandsales.

AdditionallocationscouldincludetheAirportandtheEventCentre.Dependingon

thesolutionandthepackage,stakeholdersmaybeinterestedinhosting.

As previously noted, research underway in Golden may provide some further

insights

Reservation&ActivityTicketingSystems

WhilethemajorityofvisitorstoPentictonhavealreadymadetheiraccommodation

reservations,theremaybetheopportunitytoprovideactivitybookingsonbehalfof

stakeholders.Itisrecommendedhoweverthattheprocesstomanageandselecta

systembetheresponsibilityof theprivatesectorandTourismPentictondoesnot

enter into any development or management of a system. Rather, should the

private sector provide a solution that represents multiple stakeholders, Tourism

Penticton could consider using the application to close the sale and as a result

increase efficiency and customer/stakeholder satisfaction. During stakeholder

interviewstwosystemswereidentifiedasunderdevelopment.

Used by Top Cat Tours and Landsea Tours, Zaui Software http://www.zaui.com/

providestheabilitytobooktransportation,tourandticketingcapability.Okanagan

Adventureshttp://okanaganadventures.com/ is alsodeveloping ticketing software

and Rezgo https://www.rezgo.com/ is a Vancouver based company who provide

ticketingtoawidevarietyofclientsthroughoutNorthAmerica.

Thismaybeanareafornewpartnershipswithexistingproviders.

LiveChat

While the scope of this project was for in destination visitor servicing only, this

consultant felt itwasuseful tooffer this recommendationas it notonlyprovides

proactivevisitorengagementbutalsoisaservicethatcouldeasilybeprovidedby

theVisitorCounsellors,especiallyintheoffseasonwhenindestinationtrafficislow

andvisitorsareactivelytripplanning.

AskaLocal

Alsooutofscopeforthisprojectandasignificantinvestmentintimeandresources,

thisprogramcouldhavesomeexcellentreturnsandcouldbeconsideredinafuture

phase.

4. Transitionnon-coreorduplicativeactivities

Transitionticketsales toanothersupplier. For thestaff timeandminimal return,

there is anegative returnon investment. To reduce local residentangstanother

22

vendorshouldbesourced.Itisnotedthataboxofficewithregularbusinesshours

alreadyexistsandtheSouthOkanaganEventsCentre.

IfthepartnershipbetweentheVQAandtheVisitorCentrecontinues,transferretail

responsibilitytoVQA.Whileitisacknowledgedthatretailbringsafinancialreturn

totheVisitorCentre,thetime,spaceandeffortrequiredtakesawayfromactivities

thatcouldhaveabetterreturntobuildingtourismbusinessandtheVQAisbetter

positionedtooperatethatprogram.

Brochures will continue to be a good source of information for visitors but the

maintenance,storageandmanagementiscostlyandtimeconsuming.Decreaseout

ofregionbrochuredisplayandexplore3rdpartycontractforbrochuredistribution

to reduce time and space requirements. Certified Folder Display Service

http://www.certifiedfolder.ca/currentlyprovidesbrochuredistributioninatseveral

locations in Penticton and initial discussions with them indicated an interest in

providing distribution services. The concept would be that CFD would provide

complimentarystorage,inventoryandstockinginreturnforrackingspacefortheir

clients. The British Columbia Visitor Centres and BC Ferries are two of Certified

FolderDisplayclients.

5. Restructurestaffmanagement

Currently two Managers operate independently with little collaboration or

integration run the VQA and the Visitor Centre. It is recommended that

responsibilities be redistributed to reduce duplication and provide strategic

direction for both operations. The VQA Centre Manager could oversee onsite

operations with a major focus on product sales and off season in-store visitor

counselling. The Visitor Services Manager could oversee peak season visitor

counsellingandmobileoperationsincludingpop-up,vehicle,streetteamsaswellas

manage social media and content development in the off season. Details on

specificareasofresponsibilitytobedetermined.

6. Enhancerecruitment&trainingstrategy

AstheVisitorServicesrolewillbemuchmoreproactiveandengaging,thecurrent

recruitment strategy may need adjusting to find staff who are comfortable in

approaching strangers and conversation starting. In addition to the traditional

recruitmentsourcessuchastourismprogramstudentsandsummerstudents,drama

students who are trained to tell “stories” and create “personas” are a possible

sourceforstaff. RecommendationsfromTourismSquamish’sStreetTeamproject

included “Recruit, hire and retain highly motivated, self-starters with an

entrepreneurial skill set and allow them to take the lead and ownership of the

project.Mustbeoutgoing!“

Develop a cross training program with VQA staff. All basic training for both

operationsshouldbeconsolidatedtooptimizeresourcesandexpandreach.

23

Get staff socialmedia savvy.While Destination BC’s Digital SocialMedia strategy

will provide some training, gettingaheadof the curveandensuring that staff are

comfortable and knowledgeable in social media is important and should be

consideredwhenrecruiting.

7. Ensureallactivitiesalignwithbrand

Itisparamountthatallactivitiessupportthenewbrand.Forexample,aslearnedin

theTofinoandPowellRivercasestudies,–amobilesolutionneedstobemorethan

awrapwithalogobutmustreflectthebrandinitsentirety.Tofino’smobilecentre

isaretrofittedVWVolkswagenVannamedChestervan(ChestermanBeachisoneof

the local iconicbeaches)andthevanreflectsTofino’spersonaof laid-backsurfing

andchillingenvironment.

8. Setmeasurabletargets

Oneofthechallengesintheprojectwasthelackofmeasurabledata.Changingthe

modelfromreactivetoproactivealsochangesperformancemetrics,orinthiscase

needtobedefinedandexecuted.CurrentlythePWCVCstatisticsformthebasisfor

targets and numbers are dependent on visitation to the centre of which the VC

really doesn’t have any influence. In a proactive engagementmodel, staff must

outreachandtheabilityto influence issignificantly increasedbasedontheextent

towhichstaffarecomfortableengagingvisitors.Itisrecommendedthattargetsfor

outreach(perhour,perday)bedeveloped.

The key purpose of visitor servicing is to influence visitor behaviour resulting in

extendedstayandexpenditures.Whiletheactualinfluencevaluecanbecomplex

tomeasure,connectingtheexperienceatthevisitorcentrewiththeparticipationin

destination activities can be tracked. Stakeholders reported interest in greater

measurable engagement such as the visitor centre distributing introduction cards

(discountsetc.),“ShowyourBadge”programsforeventdelegates.

24

OverallVisitorServicingMeasurements:

1. Volume – number of engagements (visitor centre, socialmedia,mobile, email

etc.)

2. Satisfaction–didthevisitorreceivewhattheywerelookingfor(benchmark)and

more(elevation/influencegoal)?

3. Profile–whoisthevisitorservicingprogramtargeting?(increasing%ofvisitors

vs.residentengagements)

4. Costperenquiry - currentoperation costperenquiry is approximately$12.57.

Increasingvolumeanddecreasingexpenseswillreducethiscost.

5. NetPromoterScore–thisisarelativelynewmeasurementandwasintroduced

by to the industry in BC by Destination BC in their 2014 Corporate Strategy

http://www.destinationbc.ca/Resources/Monitoring-and-Evaluation/Net-

Promoter-Score.aspx. The Net Promoter Score is a simple metric that helps

organizations monitor the engagement of their customers. It reflects the

likelihoodthatcustomerswillrecommendaproduct/company/placetofriends,

family or colleagues and fits well within the context of the tourism industry.

Withinthenextfewweeks,DestinationBCwillbereleasingtwopiecesofwork;

IntroductiontoNetPromoterScoreandHowtoMeasureNetPromoterScorein

BC Communities. Should Penticton execute a NPS project, including Visitor

ServicingmeasurementsinNPSresearchisadvised.

Timing&Transition

KeytothisstrategyistheadoptionofanewpartnershipwiththeBCWineInstituteand

thePentictonVQASociety. It is recommended thatdiscussionsbegin immediately to

determineiftheconceptinprincipleisacceptabletotheparties.

Amemorandumofunderstandingor letterof intentwill need tobedraftedoutlining

therolesandresponsibilitiesofeachpartner.

TheinterimsolutionprovidedbyGatewayforanewlocationthissummerforboththe

winestoreandtheVisitorCentreprovidetheopportunityto“test”thisconceptmore

fully acknowledging there may be limitations in the short term. The majority of

strategies2,4,6and8canbeactivatedthissummerwithsomeadjustmentstocurrent

operations. It is understood that the interim location will be provided rent-free

allowingagreateropportunitytore-directresources.

Adetailedbudgetfortheenvisionedoutcomeneedstobedeveloped.

Depending on timing of the brand work, Strategy 7 will be implemented as new

programsareintroduced(i.e.mobileexecution).

25

Strategy3 isamidtermprojecttowhichresearchcanbeginassoonasresourcesare

allocatedwiththegoalofactivationnextspring.

All strategiesshouldbe inplace in timefor theopeningof thenewfacilities inMarch

2017.

KeyMilestones

InterimPlanfor2016isdevelopedandapproved May2016

DraftthreeyearStrategicPlanincludingbudgetisdeveloped May-Sept2016

CommunicationPlanisdevelopedanddelivered June2016,Fall2016

&Spring2017

Newprogrammingtested Summer2016

TestingevaluatedandresultsformbasisoffinalStrategicPlan Fall2016

Strategyisapproved,Partnershipisapproved Fall2016

Newbuildcomplete,newoperationcommences Spring2017

Options

Should the full value of the opportunity defined in Strategy 1 not be realized, it is

recommended the visitor centre continue to operate with the VQA and attempt to

eliminateareasofduplicationandnoncoreactivitywhile transitioningtoanoutreach

strategy.

Prior to learning of the BCWine Institute’s interest in expanding their operation, the

determinationwasmadethatco-locatingwiththeVQAwas inthebest interestsofall

stakeholders.Thisrecommendationismadeduetothesynergiesofthetwooperations

andthevaluetheVQAbringsastheanchortenantwhichprovidestheVisitorCentrethe

greatest flexibility to transitionas consumer trends continue tomigrate toalternative

models.

A secondary but less viable option is to co-locate within other tourism businesses.

CriteriaforsuccesswiththismodelwouldbetoensurethattheVisitorCentreisnotthe

anchor tenant but rather rents space that can be scaled as necessary and that it is a

financiallyviablealternativenotrequiringtheVCtoparticipateinprojectsthatcouldbe

consideredoutofscope.

Consideredwastheoptiontoco-locatewiththePentictonTrade&ConventionCentre,

Library/Museum or the Art Gallery. Over the next ten years the City of Penticton

FacilitiesMaster Plan, Phase 2 identifies the need formassive upgrades and possible

consolidation.Duetotheextendedlengthoftheprojectandmultipleunknownsaswell

26

astheneedforatimelysolution,theconsultantwasunabletoproperlyevaluatethese

asviablealternatives.

This consultant does not recommend a stand-alone Visitor Centre bricks andmortar

operationinanycircumstance.

***

Whileperhapsabitextremeinhisthinking,finalcommentsquotedfromarecentarticle

authored by tourism consultant Doug Lansky on the viability of stand alone Visitor

Centres.

Cities and regions keep building and maintaining tourist offices and visitor centers, but do these buildings serve a necessary function, especially in urban areas? Or are destinations just running

them out of habit? …

…If the tourist office is not a destination-driver, nor a top experience, nor a necessary resource for sharing information … how important is it? In fact, if we hadn’t invented the tourist office

concept before, would we be able to justify creating one today?

27

SOURCES

DestinationBC

1. VisitorServicesNetwork

ConsultationEvaluation

PhaseII:SummaryofConsultationSessionFindings

OverallCommunityReviewJune2015

2. GlobalTrendsinVisitorServices

VisitorServicesNetworkNovember2015

3. CaseStudies&PilotProjects2015

4. InDestinationTripPlanning

ResearchSummaryandSituationAnalysisJune2014

5. VisitorNetworkStatisticsProgram2010-2015AnnualData

TourismPenticton

1. TourismPentictonBudget2016

2. SWOTAnalysis(dateunknown)

3. PentictonPopUpVisitorInformationCentreCaseStudy2015

4. ScheduleAVisitorInformationServicesAgreementwithCityofPenticton

5. PentictonVisitorCentreStatistics

Other

1. DestinationMarketingOrganizationWebsites

TravelOregon

TourismWinnipeg

TourismToronto

2. Articles

IstheSmartPhoneKillingtheVisitorCenter?,DougLansky,Tourism

Consultant,Tnooz,February1st2016

3. Presentations

TheFutureofVisitorServices

BronwynWhite,Travel&TourismMarketResearcher,TrendWatcher,

Futurist,SydneyAustraliaNovember232015