review of the provision and distribution of visitor …...content curated by the flagship is...

Ideas | Strategy | Growth

SANDWALKPARTNERS.COM

A model for the provision and distribution of visitor

information

Presented by Sandwalk Partners

August 2016

2016 Visitor

Information Centre

Summit

IDEAS. STRATEGY. GROWTH | SANDWALKPARTNERS.COM

CONTENTS

1. What we have learned

2. Case Study - Canberra & Region Visitor Centre (CRVC)

3. Visitor Information Network Model

2


Changi Airport Singapore;

NYVCGO – New York;

Manchester Visitor Information Centre;

Cape Town Visitor Information Network;

Microsoft Visitor Information Centre;

Sydney Information Centre, The Rocks;

Wollongong Visitor Information Centre;

Melbourne Visitor Information Centre, Federation Square;

Sea Acres Rainforest Centre, Port Macquarie NSW;

Snowy Region Visitor Centre, JindabyneNSW;

Dorrigo Rainforest Centre, Dorrigo NSW;

Canberra and Region Visitor Centre,

Canberra ACT.

“The future of visitor centres in WA” (2014);

“Blue Skies for Visitor Information Centres” (2012);

“Maximising Sydney’s visitor economy”, (2013);

“The DMO Visitor Center of the Future”(2010);

“Visitor information centers & services in the digital age” (2014);

“The Impacts of Regional Visitor Information Centres on Visitor Behaviour in South Australia: Summary of Results” (2011);

“A Way Forward for Queensland VICs”(2013);

EXAMPLES OF VISITOR CENTRES VISITED &/OR CONSULTED & RESARCHE REVIEWED

Visitor Centers Research


They are visitor destinations in their own right;

Clear and consistent branding across web, signage, displays;

Highly visible, high traffic locations servicing locals and visitors;

Contemporary ‘Apple store’ design, adaptable fixtures and fittings;

Traditional maps & brochures integrated with digital technology;

Skilled, knowledgeable and multilingual staff with areas of

specialisation, supported by informed volunteers;

Focus on ‘what’s on today/tonight/right now;

Ancillary revenue streams (retail, merchandise, licensing, F&B)

integrated with experience are key to underpinning core function.

4

LEARNINGS - COMMON TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL VICs


A strong web-presence as first contact point;

An integrated mix of onsite digital technologies (web-kiosks, digital

signage, mobile apps) and traditional maps and brochures;

Well informed & motivated staff providing a highly valued interface

between customers and various information sources;

Location is critical to engaging locals & visitors and providing an

effective service to the largest available audience;

Regional displays, stories and experiences offering a sample of what

visitors can see and do.

5

LEARNINGS - continued


EXAMPLE 1 – NYCGO, NEW YORK CITY

Multiple high profile locations:

- Times Square, Sth St Seaport, City Hall, Macy’s Herald Square.

State- of-the-art facilities providing real time information.

Integrated, design consistent, brochure wall featuring maps, pamphlets

and discount coupons.

Customised itineraries, selling tickets, tours, Broadway shows.

Multilingual Information Specialists - 11 languages.

NYC Official Visitor Guide and NYC Official Visitor Map.

Internet access for users to browse nycgo.com, member websites with

exclusive visitor centre only offers.

6

“The centre is a futuristic attraction in itself and a great way to discover the nooks & crannies of NY” nycgo.com

“Choose your category, and matching

destinations will be highlighted on the

touch-screen tables.

Save your selections to disc to create your

own itinerary, print it, email it or send it to

your mobile device for your own portable,

personalized tour route.”

Searchable, downloadable and mobile ready content at NYCGO

Multiple high profile locations, partnered and free-standing


EXAMPLE 2 - MANCHESTER

Key Objectives:

To truly reflect the original modern essence of Manchester;

Increased opportunity to showcase the tourism product of Manchester;

Increase the products and location spread that can be accessed by

visitors… to increase economic impact;

Increase the relevance of information to that day creating interest… in

what’s going on that day/evening;

Increase the ways that visitors can gain information;

Services and products relevant to locals and visitors.

9

“Generally visitors want to talk to a member of the team despite all the technology.” Jane Randal, Head of

Visitor Economy, Visit Manchester.

Combining clean design, accessible technology and expert staff

Merchandise is fully integrated, on message and design driven


MANCHESTER continued

Impact of technology:

Better visitor dispersal and less queuing;

58% of visitors discovered new places to visit through technology;

66% cited technology at VIC as a reason to visit again;

70% accessed information through a member of the team;

46% used the Surface Tables (32% independently, 14% assisted);

27% used a computer (18%, 9%);

13% Media Walls (10%, 3%).

12


EXAMPLE 3 - MELBOURNE

Location is key - central presence in Federation Square supported by

prominent signage - 40% uplift in visitation.

Extensive multilingual services.

Focus is personal face-face service - no digital devices:

- Their research suggests visitors use digital (web) to research pre-travel but

want information face-to-face in market.

Brochure take-up increasing - brochure selection carefully curated and

presented.

Developing partnerships with local businesses.

13

“…Worlds best example of a centre that has invested in its staff and facilities to create an interactive and

engaging delivery of information…” TTF maximising Sydney Visitor Economy Report 2013

Service is centred on expert staff, with technology adding content


CONTENTS




15


CANBERRA VISITOR INFORMATION TRENDS

16

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Visitor to CRVC

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Visitors to ACT

2012 2013 2014

Visitors - CRVC & Online

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Bookings Web Counter Phone

While visitors to ACT have grown… … visitors to the CRVC have declined.

However, web visits have grown strongly… … with both trends reflected in transaction data


CANBERRA VISITOR INFORMATION TRENDS - continued

17

Holiday/Lei

sure

29%

VFR

35%

Business

30%

Other

6%

Purpose - ACT Visitors

Holiday/leis

ure

70%

VFR

14%

Business

4% Other

12%

Purpose - CRVC Visitors

Alone

32%

Couple

24%

Family

15%

F &/or R

12%

Business

8% Other

9%

Travel Party - ACT Visitors

Alone

12%

Couple

58%

Family

16%

F &/or R

12%

Travel Party - CRVC Visitors


CRVC services are of decreasing relevance to visitor needs.

Strong online access for information and transactions suggests value of

an effective, and user friendly, web presence.

Visitor group with strongest growth (VFR & business) not using CRVC.

Strength of VFR suggests any visitor information strategy must engage

directly with locals as a conduit to servicing visitors.

Strong on-line & on-site transaction trend suggests the potential for a

viable commercial model to underpin service delivery.

18

LEARNINGS FROM CANBERRA TRENDS


CRVC RENEWAL - STRATEGIC FOCUS AREAS

Create a beacon to the region - regional produce, culture, hospitality

Focus on what’s on today/tonight/right now.

Partner with successful local businesses to increase user footprint and

provide ancillary revenue streams.

Clear and consistent branding across all channels.

Contemporary design, adaptable layout, programmable lighting, state

of art digital infrastructure, aspirational content.

Traditional maps & brochures to be integrated with digital technology.

Skilled, motivated & trained staff, ‘real time’ advocates for “modern

Canberra”.

CRVC to be a trusted source & valued link between customers and local business.

19


Clean design, integrated digital & analogue content, expert staff


“I used to take the train down to the Upper West side to the world famous Zabars, one of my favorite grocery stores anywhere…” nycgo.com feature

NYCGO “Photo of the day”

Showcasing local community, arts, culture, lifestyle, “must-dos”


Each step on the journey increases the visitor’s engagement

Attract and

Motivate

Welcome

and

OrientEngage Immerse &

DwellImmerse

Share

Return

Retain

Recom-mend

Convert

High EngagementLow Engagement

Online & Approach On Arrival Transaction Point Immersive Experiences

KEY IS TO CREATE AN ENGAGING VISITOR JOURNEY


Capability

Platform

• Web, digital, social

• Sales, marketing, promotion, ticketing

• Content curation, management, distrib

• Staff, Ambassadors,

Events

Art

History

Regional

Fare

Exhibitions Attractions

Accom

Retail

Shows

Dining

• Synchronizes assets into integrated experiences underpinned by:

– Community Hub

– Sense of place

– Compelling ‘must do’ destination

– Interactive/social

– Destination brand

• Collaborative partnerships with attractions to optimise:

– Value proposition

– Seamless integration

– Visitation

– Dwell time

– Conversion

– Yield

– Social Engagement

• Underpins sustainable commercial revenues, driver of visitor economy

360º VISITOR ENGAGEMENT

The flagship VIC becomes a place where the region’s community, arts, lifestyle and tourism assets are

showcased as compelling experiences for locals and visitors.

23

IDEAS. STRATEGY. GROWTH | SANDWALKPARTNERS.COM24

Core services, markets & activities

Expanded audience &improved conversion

New activities & partnerships

Historical

business model –

in decline

Growth in

revenues from

core business

streams

New revenues

streams

supplementing

core business

DECLINE SUSTAINABILITY GROWTH

IMPROVED ENGAGEMENT DRIVES BUSINESS TRANSITION


Proposed new CRVC National Capital Exhibition

PROPOSED NEW CRVC LOCATION - REGATTA POINT


Shared Admin (no public access)

Attract & Motivate

Welcome & Orient

Dwell, Immerse, relax and convert

Immerse

Immerse

Dwell, relax, reflect

Concourse

Entry Foyer

Transaction Area

Regatta Point Lounge

Premium Content

Approach

Engage, Convert, Transact

NEW CRVC VISITOR JOURNEY


NEW CRVC - EARLY DESIGN CONCEPTS

Entry Foyer - indicative view showing reception desk, info screen and interactive pods

(source: Regatta Point Concept Design, AMC Architecture)


Entry Foyer - indicative view showing interactive pods and location of wall touch screen




Premium Content and Transaction Areas - indicative view showing pods, lounges, FSDUs




CONTENTS




30


VISITOR INFORMATION NETWORK

31

• An attraction in its own right, engaging & welcoming - a Beacon

to the Region. High visitation, strong commercial performance,

sufficient infrastructure to host a suite of services.

Flagship

• Local attractions and venues that are points of significant current visitation and have the resources and capability to deliver a broad suite of services while sustainably covering costs;

Partner

• Locations with lower visitation/less commercial potential but important community sensitivities, offering a reduced suite of services at low cost;

Hub

• Small, potentially mobile centres, opened to meet seasonal or other event driven opportunities. Limited, focused offering, some with small but robust/short-term commercial potential.

Express

The flagship VIC is the linchpin in a strategy to distribute visitor information across the region through the use

physical and digital platforms


Capability Platform

Events

Art

History

Regional

Fare

Activities Tours

Accom

Retail

Shows

Dining

VISITOR INFORMATION - CONTENT DISTRIBUTION MODEL

Co

nte

nt

filte

red

to

n

ee

ds

of

ea

ch

ou

tle

t

OUTLETSFLAGSHIP

Partner

Hub

Express

Content curated by the Flagship is filtered to the other outlets to optimise engagement at each location, with

information, experiences and offers relevant to adjacent attractions.

32


CENTRALISED MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

Content curation and presentation;

Branding, messaging;

Promotion, marketing and sales;

Retail planning and inventory management;

Licensing and merchandising;

Schedule of integrated activities and events;

Commercial revenue streams;

Performance and ROI;

Optimal user experience

Enhanced value to partners.


POSITIONING & BRANDING

Leading visitor centres increasingly broaden services, content and

branding to bring locals and visitors together

VIC is a “Community Hub” and “Beacon to the Region”;

“Know-all, serve-all” model - trusted source of info for locals & visitors;

Create an emotional link with locals (proud to be local);

A portal for local businesses to curate & promote products &

experiences.

Leverage use of ‘i’ icon to assist visitor recognition and engagement;

Brand must be recognizable and flexible enough for roll out across

the network;

Commercially leveragable for branded and licensed merchandise.


ONLINE & MOBILE

Experience - first 3 seconds is key to demonstrating brand value,

curated with the end user in mind.

Navigation & Structure - need for navigation for browsing (“I don’t

know what I want”) as well as detail search functionality (“Where do I

find what I want”).

Content - can creatively demonstrate brand personality.

Design - clarity is key, facilitating not obstructing content.

Social - User generated content (Trip Advisor, Tumblr, Facebook,

Twitter & Instagram builds a database of stories, images and video

content.

Mobile - multi-platform, downloadable from the website, pre-arrival,

or onsite, all information outlets.


London and Copenhagen take the guess-work out, curating simple lists of “must dos” in several categories

Visit Lex (US) focuses on core regional attractions visitcornwall.com is highly, & easily customisable


For Newtown (Sydney) the precinct’s artistic, lifestyle & counter-culture cred are at the heart of the brand

Visit Helsinki combines clean, image driven presentation, curated “must-dos” and simple customisation


VIC should be a visitor destination in its own right;

Beacon to the Region - showcase of local experiences, life, produce;

Clear and consistent branding across web, signage, displays;

Highly visible, high traffic locations servicing locals and visitors;

Contemporary design, adaptable fixtures and fittings;

Traditional maps & brochures integrated with digital technology;

Skilled, knowledgeable and multilingual staff with areas of

specialisation, supported by informed volunteers;

Focus on ‘what’s on today/tonight/right now;

Ancillary revenue streams (retail, merchandise, licensing, F&B)

integrated with experience are key to underpinning core function.

38

SUMMARY

Ideas | Strategy | Growth

2 MacDonald St

Paddington NSW 2021

www.sandwalkpartners.com

Simon Spellicy

M: +61 421 11 77 22 E: [email protected]

Andy Lown

M: +61 401 710 167 E: [email protected]

David Antaw

M: +61 408 649 361 E: [email protected]

CONTACT DETAILS

review of the provision and distribution of visitor …...content curated by the flagship is...

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