Project Description & Tender Brief

Tender reference: TS01

Greater Visitor Economy Strategy

Marketing Birmingham Birmingham B1 2ND T: +44 (0) 121 202 5115 W: www.marketingbirmingham.com

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Contents

1.0 About Marketing Birmingham 3

2.0 Tourism In the Greater Birmingham Area 3

3.0 Scope of the Project 5

4.0 Methodology 8

5.0 Timescales 8

6.0 Budget 8

7.0 Requirements for submitting proposals 8

8.0 Conditions of tender 11

Appendix A Strategy Processes 12

Appendix B Company information (for completion) (for completion as part of 16 the tender application process) Appendix C Financial information (for completion) (for completion as part of 17 the tender application process)

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1.0 About Marketing Birmingham

Marketing Birmingham is the city’s strategic marketing partnership and the driving force behind its growing reputation as a place to visit, meet and invest. It operates the city’s leisure and business tourism programmes, Visit and Meet Birmingham, as well as the inward investment programme Business Birmingham.

Marketing Birmingham’s vision for the city region, in response to the challenges posed by the national economic climate, is clear and unequivocal; to position wider Birmingham as a world class destination for investment, a leading global event city, and an international city of choice that delivers a world class visitor experience. The Organisation’s five year strategy aims to deliver sustainable economic growth for Birmingham by maximising the outcomes of the city’s inward investment and visitor economy sectors.

Marketing Birmingham delivers integrated marketing campaigns to strengthen Birmingham’s image and profile as a city to visit, work and invest in. Furthermore it proactively attracts and retains companies in key sectors, increasing investors’ propensity to invest, and improving the performance of the city regions visitor economy to support the sustainable economic performance of the wider Birmingham area. A focus on inward investment and the visitor economy are two transformational areas that will deliver a sea change in the performance and competitiveness of Birmingham’s economy.

2.0 Tourism in the Greater Birmingham Area

The visitor economy is a significant driver of the West Midlands economy - expenditure accounting for an estimated £10 billion (AWM 2009). Despite the economic downturn, visitor numbers have continued to increase year on year between 2006 and 2012. The area is already a national and international leader in terms of its business tourism assets. However whilst Birmingham and the region perform well in terms of day visitors, improvement is needed in terms of international tourism and overnight stays.

The Greater Birmingham area has a special place in history as the birthplace of the . Inventions that emerged from this area, including the steam engine and the light bulb have fundamentally changed the way the world works. The region comprises of the following core destinations: Birmingham, The Black Country and Solihull, complemented by the market towns and rural delights of Lichfield, and parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and the Wyre Forest.

Birmingham Visitor Economy

Marketing Birmingham, operates the city’s leisure and business tourism programmes - Visit and Meet Birmingham – both of which work to positively position the city as a regional gateway and a destination of choice. With the support of more than 425 local businesses and strategic partnerships with and the NEC Group, Birmingham is ranked as the second most visited city in the UK. In recent years Birmingham's city centre has undergone a significant renaissance and is set to see further major investments and ambitious physical change as outlined in the Big City Plan - a masterplan that will co-ordinate the physical, economic and cultural development of the city centre over the next twenty years. From the New City Park in Eastside, the New City Centre Library, the remodeling of New Street Station and extension of the runway at Birmingham Airport, to the launch of the ‘Creative City’ campaign, the gateway to

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the city region is seeing unparalleled change and extensive investment which offer exciting opportunities for growth of the visitor economy.

Today visitor numbers for the current ERDF project region (Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country) now stands at 63.8 million, an increase of 28% from project application as at 2012.

The core of the city centre is characterised by the thriving retail offer, most notably the Bullring, new public squares and fountains to compare with many European Cities. Its cultural renaissance is also well documented with many established cultural visitor attractions such as Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Ikon Gallery and Birmingham Repertory Theatre. The CBSO and Birmingham Royal Ballet have continued to spread positive images of Birmingham around the world while a growth in contemporary and multi-cultural arts organisations are helping to develop Birmingham’s reputation as a vibrant cultural centre. Alongside this, Birmingham is one of the youngest, most culturally diverse, cities in , with the under 25s accounting for nearly 40% of its population. This emerging talent is making its mark by using culture to create a dynamism, vibrancy and drive that is shaping the city’s future.

Birmingham has worked hard to profile the outstanding culinary scene; with more Michelin Star restaurants than any other city outside the capital and an area of the city devoted to creating its very own Asian speciality, the Balti. Birmingham’s foodie accolades are far and wide – its diverse dining scene earned Birmingham the 19th spot in The New York Times' 45 Places to Go in 2012 acclaimed shortlist.

The National Sea Life Centre, Cadbury World, Back to Backs and the Thinktank museum are important family attractions alongside major public, arts, sports and cultural events. Furthermore, Birmingham has a thriving business tourism infrastructure, such as the NIA, NEC and the ICC. The city hosts numerous high profile events, conferences and exhibitions on an annual basis. Conferences and exhibitions held in Birmingham directly support a number of leisure sectors such as hotels, restaurants and entertainment providers.

Black Country Visitor Economy

Including the City of Wolverhampton and boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall as well as the surrounding countryside and villages, the Black Country earned its name from its history as the crucible of British industry. Key visitor attractions include the Black Country Living Museum, Dudley Zoological Gardens and Castle and Dudley Canal visitor centre and extensive canal network.

The Black Country has a range of 20th century art at the New Art Gallery in Walsall and one of the best Pop art collections in Wolverhampton Art Gallery. There are historic houses, theatres and music venues and collections of the best crystal and glassware. The Black County is renowned for its authentic pubs and locally brewed ale, other recreational opportunities include top class Football and the midlands only all wqaehter race course in Wolverhampton.

Tourism in Solihull

Home to Birmingham Airport, Solihull houses the main international gateway to the Greater Birmingham Area, which in combination with the adjacent NEC form major assets in the Greater Birmingham Economy and are key to the area’s strong position as a business tourism

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destination. Designer-brand shopping, idyllic rural villages, fine dining, and some excellent hotels also add to the visitor offer giving the area a contemporary feel.

Tourism in the wider LEP area

The more rural parts of the Greater Birmingham Area i.e. Southern Staffordshire and Northern Worcestershire provide an interesting contrast to the urban tourism offer. Home to Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding National Beauty, the ‘Staffordshire Hoard’ and attractions including Drayton Manor Theme Park, Lichfield Cathedral, and the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire has a range of attractions within reasonable travel time from the Birmingham gateway. Similarly, to the south of Birmingham, Worcestershire offers opportunities for exploring the great outdoors, from the Malvern Hills and the Vale of Evesham to the Wyre Forest. Key attractions in this area include the Severn Valley Railway, West Midlands Safari Park and a range of heritage and gastro attractions.

In addition to analysis of our collective tourism assets and trends in the marketplace there are also a number of sector developments and wider programmes to consider in the context of developing future opportunities:

. Visit has recently been successful with a Regional Growth Fund bid, receiving support of £19m to grow English tourism. The programme is predicated in delivering growth at local level - Marketing Birmingham has been identified as a primary partner in the programme. . Marketing Birmingham is managing a major three year ERDF funded tourism programme, (Investing in the City Region Project) with partners in Solihull and the Black Country, finishing in September 2014, and will seek opportunities to bid for further funding. . Marketing Birmingham is developing a Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) proposal, with the target of commencement by March 2014. . The focus on English tourism provided by the 2012 Olympics and 2012's jubilee celebrations. . Exploitation of the of the Staffordshire Hoard’s potential as a tourism asset. . Gateway infrastructure improvements at New St and Birmingham Airport.

Over the last five years work has been undertaken to look at the destination’s brand across the destination spectrum – as a place to live, work, study, visit and meet. An online resource http://birminghamtoolkit.com has been established to help tell the Birmingham story and to positively position the destination. The toolkit was created to give easy access to city stakeholders and interested parties, including the media. It is a portal of facts, stats, images, videos, case studies and that bring the personality of wider Birmingham to life. The Strategy for the Visitor Economy needs to consider this work, as well as information provided by partner DMO’s and agencies and advise on tourism brand approach where necessary.

The wider Birmingham area now needs to build on such progress and devise a coordinated approach to development of the Visitor Economy in order to realize such opportunities and future proof itself from a tourism perspective in terms of the product, positioning and profiling.

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3.0 Scope of the project

It has been identified that whilst significant progress has been made in developing the City Region’s visitor economy the sector’s development has been limited at times by a lack of coherent strategic direction across the city’s partners. Marketing Birmingham’s activity is directed by its corporate business plan and programme action plans however the city of Birmingham and its partner areas have no overarching tourism strategy to direct activity and provide future strategic and tactical direction.

The scope of this project will be to:

. Write a strategy for the Visitor Economy of the Greater Birmingham Area. . Identify strategic aims and priorities for the Visitor Economy Sector in the short, medium and long term. . Act as a tool to guide and coordinate the work of Marketing Birmingham, partner organisations and businesses in the sector. . Provide a coherent rationale that can be used to support future funding bids.

A project proposal has been developed (attached at appendix A). The following stages have been identified as inherent to the process:

1. Review of the evidence base (Provided by the Regional Observatory) 2. Review of relevant national, regional and local policy 3. Establish panels 4. Stakeholder consultation 5. Product audit and analysis 6. Benchmark competitor cities 7. Draft strategy for consultation 8. Action planning 9. Consultation 10. Finalise strategy and action plan(s)

The geography for this strategy will cover the Black Country & the Greater Birmingham and Solihull (GBS) LEP region referred to here as ‘Greater Birmingham’ (see map below).

It has not yet been determined whether there should be an action plan for each distinctive area or for the study area overall. This will be determined through the research and strategy writing process.

Use of the Strategy

Marketing Birmingham is currently implementing a comprehensive campaign to increase the profile of the Greater Birmingham area.

The Investing in the City Region ERDF programme outputs include:

. Increase the volume and value of visitors . Improving / maintaining Birmingham’s ranking in the ICCA league table of the most popular destinations for large conferences and events . Attracting and delivering new international events

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The findings of research to inform development of the Visitor Economy strategy will be used to benchmark performance of the current ERDF programme whilst the strategy will provide a legacy document and tool with which to apply for further / future funding.

Figure 1. Map of the Visitor Economy Strategy Area

The GBS LEP area is identified in Purple, the Black Country LEP area is identified in Green.

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Research findings will also be used to inform the work of two Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs):

. The Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP which has ambitions to increase GVA across an area encompassing Birmingham, Solihull, southern Staffordshire and northern Worcestershire by 30% by 2020 and creating 100,000 private sector jobs. In particular the LEP is looking to promote growth in sectors where sustainable job creation can be achieved, such as tourism and hospitality.

. The Black Country LEP aims to make the Black Country a confident ‘we can do it’ place, where skills, work ethic and diversity are key to its prosperity. The Black Country is made up of a polycentric network of four centres – Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Bromwich and Brierley Hill/Merry Hill – each offering a distinct, wide range of shopping, leisure and cultural facilities, office employment and housing. The visitor economy is seen as a key ‘enabling sector’ in this process.

4.0 Methodology

Consultants should review the project proposal, include details of their recommended approach, and highlight any further activities needed to meet the requirements of the terms of reference. We would suggest that in preparing tender documents consultants pay reference to Visit England’s “Principles for Developing Destination Management Plans” document, as well as information available through Marketing Birmingham’s brand websites.

Whilst this project will be contracted out to an external consultant, the in house expertise of Marketing Birmingham’s Regional Observatory team will supply background data (and are available to support the consultancy team as required).

5.0 Timescales

Monday 11th November 2013 Proposal and quotes returned to Marketing Birmingham.

Monday & Tuesday 18th &19th Oct 2013 Proposed dates for interviews should these be necessary

Friday 22nd November 2013 Appointment of consultants

Friday 20th December 2013 Completion of all back ground research – findings to be reported to Marketing Birmingham. We envisage this to be completion of Stage 1, Stage 2 and progress in stages 4 & 5 as identified in Appendix A.

Friday 4th April 2014 Final Report submitted to Marketing Birmingham

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6.0 Budget

The budget for the project has been set at:

‘Wider Birmingham’ encompassing The Black Country & GBS LEP Region £51,000 (excluding VAT)

Any quotes submitted should not exceed these amounts and should include a breakdown of spend / all costs, payment requirements and schedule.

7.0 Requirements for submitting proposals

Your tender should set out clearly and concisely:

. Your organisation’s experience of undertaking similar contracts; include details of any destination clients you have worked with and three relevant case studies of past projects.

. Pen Portraits including the name, job title and experience of the person who would manage the contract on behalf of your organisation and the person/persons responsible for different elements of the contract N.B as this is a strategy for the Visitor Economy we would expect a member of the consultancy team to be a qualified economist with appropriate experience.

. Details of your proposed methodology

. Proposed outputs

. Your costs; including any expenses and VAT (VAT to be identified separately). Costs should be clearly broken down to reflect the different elements of the methodology you propose. Fees should be shown in relation to number of consultant days and cost per day (by each consultant working on the project). Expenses and VAT should be shown separately.

Completion of organisation identity and financial viability questionnaire – please complete Appendices B & C and return

Evaluation of Proposals

We will check each submission and rank contractors according to the following criteria:

Criteria 1 (pass/fail): financial viability

Criteria 2 (50%): suitability of the proposed methodology, approach and understanding of the issues

Criteria 3 (30%): relevant experience and track record in undertaking similar projects

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Criteria 4 (20%): cost and value for money – although this is an important consideration, the contract will not necessarily be awarded on the basis of cost.

Process & Timescales

Step one – Wednesday 23rd October 2013. advertise tender brief Step two – tender Companies must respond to tender brief and proposal brief deadline requirements and submit one hard copy and one electronic copy of their proposal to be received by Marketing Birmingham prior to 12:00 noon on Monday 11th November 2013.

Tenders submitted after this time will be removed from the process.

Please submit any questions to Marketing Birmingham via its In-Tend system. To ensure a fair and transparent process, any questions sent past this deadline will not be answered. The company will endeavour to answer all questions by 8th November 2013. Please note that we cannot accept more than three questions per party.

Specify your company name, lead contact person and email address to be used for correspondence throughout the whole procurement process.

The tender must be submitted via our eProcurement system and additional copies may be submitted by post

(i) eProcurement https://in-tendhost.co.uk/marketingbirmingham/aspx/Home

(ii) by post

Please send in a A4 envelope to:

Greater Birmingham Visitor Economy Strategy Tender reference: TS01Marketing Birmingham Baskerville House Broad Street Birmingham B1 2ND

The envelope must be marked with the tender code TSO1 and the words NOT TO BE OPENED UNTIL 12 NOON, MONDAY 11th NOVEMBER 2013.

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Step three - All responses will be evaluated against pre-identified criteria. evaluation of an interview,proposal these will and take plac Should interviews be required, these will take place Monday & notification of Tuesday 18th/19th November 2013. successful tender The final appointment will be made and the successful company will be notified by 22nd November 2013, and issued with a project contract.

Project Initiation 25th November 2013

8. Conditions of tender

. This project is co- funded via the European Regional Development Fund, and follows the ERDF public procurement procedure as outlined on http://europa.eu

. Marketing Birmingham reserves the right to split the contract and award different elements to multiple suppliers

. All intellectual property rights relating to the above described deliverables will be assigned to Marketing Birmingham

. Additionally, it should be noted that the corporate commercial programme sometimes involves contra deals which would remain outside this contract

. Regular reviews will take place to ensure the agreed high level of services are maintained

. Marketing Birmingham reserves the right to terminate this agreement should any of the requirements fail to be met

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APPENDIX A

STRATEGY PROCESS

Visitor Economy Strategy Proposal

Aim:

The strategy will be used to provide strategic direction for the greater Birmingham Area’s tourism sector over the period 2014 – 2020 and will influence Marketing Birmingham’s wider strategic considerations, impacting on the organisation’s other work areas, including inward investment and strategic marketing, as well as that of partner organizations and authorities.

Objectives

The objectives of the strategy will be to:

. Develop a robust destination management plan for the wider Birmingham area (as identified on the map on page 7 of this brief); . Provide strategic direction to further enhance the destination’s profile and image; . Provide strategic direction for infrastructure development within the City Region; in particular those developments which are directly linked to the tourism sector; . Align the strategic direction of the tourism sector with overarching economic strategies and plans applicable to the geographical scope of the study area; . To ensure alignment with other relevant strategies including the cultural, festival and heritage strategies; . Ensure the proposed direction for the sector supports inward investment strategies and development of the priority sectors; . Ensure the sector is informed and aware of how to maximise opportunities for growth that will lead to wider benefits of Greater Birmingham, including opportunities to access international markets.

The outcomes for the tourism strategy will be to:

. Increase hotel occupancy and REVPAR of serviced accommodation providers within the study area; . Increase levels of business for serviced accommodation providers in the leisure and conference/event markets; . Improve job creation in the visitor economy; . Increase awareness of The Birmingham City Region as a national and international visitor destination; . Develop a sustainable overnight visitor market for the Birmingham City Region; . Identify key markets which will allow targeted brand development; . Highlight the importance of the visitor economy in providing entry to employment and subsequent skills and training which improve employability its role in providing flexible working opportunities; . Inform the skills agenda for the visitor economy in the City Region.

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Audience

Key stakeholders: GBS LEP, The Black Country LEP, , Solihull MBC, Dudley MBC, Sandwell MBC Walsall MBC, Wolverhampton City Council, The Black Country Consortium, Representatives of TBID Steering Group, leisure and tourism businesses within the Greater Birmingham Area including key attractions and facilities such as the NEC, ICC and Birmingham Airport.

Strategy Production

The production of the strategy will involve a series of stages:

Stage 1: Background Research

1.1 This will include a review of:

. 2004 draft visitor strategy for Birmingham proposed by TEAM . Tourism Strategies form surrounding Local Authorities and DMO’s . Marketing Birmingham Business Plan . Competitor strategies in relation to report structure and content . Key trends, issues, challenges and opportunities identified in the latest data and research (Provided by the Regional Observatory)

1.2 Additional tasks will include:

Developing an understanding of Marketing Birmingham’s involvement with evolving national, regional and local policies and in relation to tourism structures:

National: The Strategic Framework for 2010 - 2020 (Visit England), Delivering a Golden Legacy (Visit Britain), Destination Management Hand Book (Visit England).

Regional: GBS LEP Economic Strategy, Regional Spatial Strategy for the West Midlands.

Local: Big City Plan, Birmingham Development Plan, Birmingham City Council’s Corporate Plan, Birmingham 2026, and Development Plans and relevant strategies for all partner Local Authorities, most notably those for Heritage, Culture, Festivals and Transport.

1.3 Production of a draft strategy outline

Stage 2: Establish Panels

2.1 Establish a steering group

The aim of the group will be to combine the expert knowledge that exists in Birmingham at a local and national level with the aim of informing and guiding the development of the strategy. (This could be the TBID steering group.)

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2.2 Establish a monitoring group

The aim of the Monitoring group will be to monitor the progress of the strategy and to ensure targets are being met. (This could be SMT.)

Stage 3: Stakeholder consultation

3.1 Interviews with key stakeholders

. Identify key stakeholders to interview, develop interview questions and decide who takes responsibility for each interview

. Semi structured interviews with key stakeholders not represented in the workshop.

3.2 Key stakeholder workshops

. Workshops with key stakeholders. Topics for discussion will include current issues, missed opportunities, strategic priorities, potential for partnership working, funding opportunities etc

. Further analysis of key themes from interviews with key stakeholders

Stage 4: Market segmentation and product audit

4.1 Identity key consumer segments and the activities that visitors undertake when they visit the wider Birmingham area.

4.1.1 Identity new market segments (geographic & demographic) and niche opportunities that have untapped potential

4.2 Review of wider Birmingham’s current position

. Identify Birmingham’s primary visitor attractions and resources. This will include current markets, brand themes, conference venues, accommodation stock, attractions, events, infrastructure, entertainment and night life

. Identity the gaps in Birmingham’s product and what further provision is required

. Identity Birmingham’s current or planned future developments.

. Identify Key markets that should be the focus of strategic direction throughout the Greater Birmingham Area; and

. Identify what products are required to satisfy existing and potential visitor segments and suggest suitable delivery mechanisms.

Stage 5: Benchmarking of other cities

5.1 Establish Birmingham position in relation to similar cities (domestic & international) to identify best practice and areas for improvement.

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5.2 KPIs such as economic impact, hotel occupancy, number of visits (day/overnight) reasons for visits, origins of visitors, employment in tourism sector, spend, perceptions etc will be used to benchmark Birmingham’s position

The aim will be to establish Birmingham’s market positioning, and to identify strengths on which to build and weaknesses to address in order to strengthen its positioning in the marketplace.

Stage 6: Draft strategy for Consultation

6.1 Produce draft strategy 2 weeks prior to consultation to allow time for redrafting

Stage 7: Action Planning

7.1 The Strategy will provide an important framework, but the greatest value will arise from the Action Plan, where the Strategy’s policies will be translated into specific programmes of action, that will have responsibility for driving implementation and monitoring performance.

7.2 The Action Plan should have a strong focus on the market segments that have greatest potential for the area and the product developments, marketing programmes, and information services that will be necessary to realise those opportunities. The two aspects should then be brought together within a series of Product Development and Marketing Programmes (PDMPs).

The primary tasks will be to: (a) Identify key actions for the thematic Product Development and Marketing Programmes, identified in the Strategy (b) Set priorities for action against specific timescales – for example: short term priorities (1- 2 years); medium term priorities (3- 5 years); and longer term priorities (beyond 5 years).

Stage 8: Consultation events

8.1 Identify key stakeholders/ key partners to invite to comment on draft

8.2 Hold 2/3 consultation workshops to maximise wide attendance of key partners/key players

Stage 9: Finalise strategy

9.1 Redraft strategy based on consultation comments

9.2 Produce final version of strategy and consult steering group/MB for final comment

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APPENDIX B ORGANISATION IDENTITY

1.1 Name of the company (Prime or single contractor) in whose name the tender would be submitted:

1.2 Contact name:

1.3 Address:

1.4 Telephone number:

1.5 Fax number:

1.6 E-mail Address:

1.7 Company Registration number:

1.8 Date of Registration:

1.9 Registered address (if different from above):

1.10 VAT registration number:

1.11 Website address:

APPENDIX C

The following financial information is required to be provided:

The following financial information is required to be provided: a) i. A copy of the most recent audited accounts for your organisation that cover the last two years of trading or for the period that is available if trading for less than two years. Provided that your company qualifies for an audit exemption, then unaudited accounts can be submitted.

ii. If the company has been trading for less than a year management accounts to date are required.

iii. In addition to (ii) forecasted management accounts are also required.

NB. If you have been trading for less than a year and are therefore unable to provide point i and ii, please ensure that you submit point iii, as no information will result in an automatic fail

b) If the organisation is a subsidiary of a group, the above information is required for both the subsidiary and the ultimate parent.

c) Where appropriate it may be necessary to request inter-company guarantees. Please provide consent.

d) The name and address of your banker.