Building your networks

This section of the toolkit is about learning from and working with other businesses.

For your visitors, your attraction or experience is just one part of their trip.

Successful tourism is an ecosystem of providers who offer visitors places to stay, places to eat, ways to move around and interesting things to do.

Your success will depend on being part of that network. Collaborating with other businesses, in the arts, culture and heritage network and beyond it, will be vital.

Talking about your attraction or experience

Exercise 4A

Networking involves being able to talk clearly, concisely and confidently about your attraction or experience and what it offers to potential partners and supporters. You often have only a short time to do this; remember that first impressions count.

You need to make others believe in your experience, even if it doesn’t exist yet.

You may find this daunting at first but every time you do it, it will get easier. Your pitch will improve with practice.

Rehearse talking about your experience or attraction by making notes on:

What is unique or unusual about what visitors experience with you?
Which part of the experience has the biggest impact on visitors?
How many visitors do you expect and when?
Why are you / your team well-equipped to deliver this?
Why are you passionate about your experience?

Who you need to meet

When you are developing a new tourism offer you need to make yourself known to other people in your area and demonstrate your willingness to work with them.

How learning from others can help develop a great experience for visitors contains more details on the importance of networking.

Council tourism officers - Your council should be one of your first contacts when you are developing your new offer for visitors.

Local tourism collaborative networks - This is a network of geographically-based tourism businesses and other organisations who aim to work together to improve the area as a destination.

Other local tourism businesses - They will know who visits your area and what they are looking for.

Tourism Northern Ireland - Tourism NI is responsible for the development of tourism in Northern Ireland, supporting the tourism industry and for marketing Northern Ireland as a tourist destination. They support the growth and development of quality tourism businesses.

Local Visitor Information Centres – Are an outlet for promotional materials and maybe able to take bookings.

Local arts and cultural organisations - May offer opportunities for joint marketing and cross-selling, especially to niche audiences.

Local accommodation providers - May you to visitors if they know you and like what you do.

Local tourism businesses - May offer joint marketing opportunities to attract visitors to the area.

Taxi drivers, bus drivers – Are often a great source of local information for visitors so make sure they know about you.

National arts, culture and heritage organisations, e.g Arts Council NI and Arts and Business NI – Can help you find artists and arts and heritage organisations in the area.

Local arts and cultural organisations - May create or support larger scale events such as festivals or arts trails that you could be involved with.

Local accommodation providers - May be able to promote or host artists or performers at their venue or be interested in packaging your experience with their offer.

Local food producers and suppliers - Could provide authentically local food for your experience, creating a stronger sense of place.

Tour operators – If you offer a suitable package, they may be interested in bringing groups to you.

Tour guide associations – Can help you find guides and people who can train your staff.

Local buses, taxis and other transport operators – Can help visitors without cars reach you.

Identify the people in your area who need to know about you

Exercise 4B

Who can give you advice?
Who might partner or collaborate with you?
Who could recommend you to vistors?
Who could add to what you do?

Identify the people in your area who need to know about you worksheet

PDF

Key lessons from your local networking

Exercise 4C

What is the key information and advice that people have given you about tourism in your area?
How can you use these insights to make your venture more successful and resillient?

Key lessons from your local networking worksheet

PDF

Need help reading on this site?

Contents

Contents

Building your networks

This section of the toolkit is about learning from and working with other businesses.