Visit Lincoln Annual Review
2018
Together We’re Stronger January – December 2018
Together We’re Stronger
This report provides data and a narrative outlining the activity delivered by Visit Lincoln on behalf of the company’s stakeholders and partners – focusing on the visitor economy. Visit Lincoln Annual Review 2018 |
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Together we’re stronger
1. Digital Media 04 2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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3. Media and Public Relations 40 4. Groups and Travel Trade Activity 51 5. Contracts, Partnerships and Projects 54 6. Business Tourism, Conferences and Events 66 7. Visit Lincoln Corporate
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Contents Visit Lincoln Annual Review 2018 |
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Together we’re stronger
1 Digital Media
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Website – VisitLincoln.com The website VisitLincoln.com is attracting an average of 74k unique users a month (average over 12 months) and 226k page views per month. The website is the main portal to attract visitors to the Central Lincolnshire region – using the ‘attract’ brand of Lincoln to hook visitors into the area – then through website content and listings, our visitors learn about the wealth of things to do, events, places to stay etc. in the wider area. Businesses can become a partner of Visit Lincoln and have their business listed regardless of their location. The website shows users where businesses are located using their distance from the city as the reference/search parameter.
2018 Insights: • Around 2.7m page views across the Visit Lincoln website during 2018. • Around 753k unique visitors to the Visit Lincoln website in this period (an increase 8.5% on 2017). • The Christmas Market homepage was the most popular landing page during this period. • Followed by the Things to Do home page, What’s On landing homepage, Steampunk Festival, Lincoln Castle, Christmas Lights, and International Bomber Command Centre. • 11.6m impressions on social media over Facebook and Twitter, a decrease compared to 2017 due to the popular video content used during that period. • 44k followers across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – an increase of 8k in 2018.
74,000
VisitLincoln.com unique users a month
1. Digital Media
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Website – VisitLincoln.com VisitLincoln.com total web stats
1. Digital Media
2018
Visits
Unique Visits
Pageviews
January
53,974
43,809
159,755
February
55,285
44,442
162,496
March
74,206
58,443
203,876
April
76,270
61,458
204,019
May
100,494
76,875
262,557
June
90,162
74,013
209,430
July
99,541
79,123
242,640
August
134,895
104,260
318,934
September
88,057
70,065
214,152
October
104,588
83,692
249,404
November
128,464
101,836
266,240
December
109,114
86,384
224,911
104k
Unique Visitors in August making it a record month
8.5%
increase in unique visitors in 2018
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Visit Lincoln Activity Report: City of Lincoln Council
Unique Website Visits Key Red - 2018 Blue - 2017 Green - 2016 Dotted - Actuals Solid - Averages
Record Month for VisitLincoln.com: August 2018 Visit Lincoln saw website traffic to VisitLincoln.com reach an all time high in August 2018. For the first time ever unique users surpassed 100,000. Through Google Analytics this can be attributed to people searching for information about RAF100 Weekend and the Steampunk Festival. Record Month for VisitLincoln.com: August 2018 Record Month for VisitLincoln.com: August 2018
Visit Lincoln saw website traffic to VisitLincoln.com reach an all time high in August 2018. For the first time ever unique users surpassed 100,000. Through Google Analytics this can be attributed to people searching for information about RAF100 Weekend and the Steampunk Festival.
The red line indicates traffic to Visitincoln.com throughout 2018 – it is 8.5% higher than the previous year (2017).
Visit Lincoln saw website traffic to VisitLincoln.com reach an all time high in August 2018. For the first time ever unique users surpassed 100,000. Through Google Analytics this can be attributed to people searching for information about RAF100 Weekend and the Steampunk Festival.
DIGITAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN PAGES RAF Lincolnshire 1. Digital Media
â—?
Traffic: 12,474 unique visitors (17,451 visits)
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Digital Campaign Pages RAF Lincolnshire
Christmas in Lincoln
Lincoln Ale Trail
The main campaign page for RAF Lincolnshire 2018 proved very popular and linked all the events and activities taking place across the year. The page focused on aviation experiences in Lincoln and Lincolnshire; including International Bomber Command Centre, Bastion in the Air Exhibitions and the Lincolnshire Show 2018. www.visitlincoln.com/aviation
Helping people plan Christmas shopping and Christmas events in Lincoln – featuring the Christmas Market. www.visitlincoln.com/christmas
Showcasing the range of pubs and bars in the city centre that serve real ale and craft beer. www.visitlincoln.com/ale
Access Lincoln – cycling ‘micro-breaks’ Work on Access Lincoln’s Micro-breaks continued from 2017. Inspirational images, videos and simple cycle maps have been created for the first MicroBreak destinations. Visit Lincoln Partners of designated MicroBreaks will be offered cycling maps and other supporting content to help promote cycling to their destination. The Access Lincoln Community Engagement team promotes these cycling and walking based activities.
1. Digital Media
Lincoln Loves Kids
Year of the English Garden
The landing page for the family guide to Lincoln city and countryside. www.visitlincoln.com/kids
Gardens and garden related events appear on this page. www.visitlincoln.com/gardens
Easter Holidays in Lincoln
Evenings in Lincoln
A round up of all Easter holiday activities for families during the school break. www.visitlincoln.com/easter
Featuring events in the city that happen after 5pm to encourage visitors to stay in the city, and highlighting venues in the city with shows in the evenings. www.visitlincoln.com/evenings
Summer Holidays in Lincoln All summer holiday events and things to do appear on this page. www.visitlincoln.com/summer
Half-term in Lincoln
Cycling Breaks in Lincoln Cycling activities, events, and cycle-friendly places to stay appear here. www.visitlincoln.com/cycling
Each half-term there is a round-up of what’s on for families during the week. www.visitlincoln.com/half-term
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Digital Marketing Activity Consumer e-Newsletters
1,800
e-newsletter subscribers
Subscribers: 1,800 (reduction from 2017 due to reconfirmation in line with GDPR). Industry average open-rate for tourism and travel is 20.9%; average open-rate for Visit Lincoln’s consumer mailing list is 27.7% – above average.
2018 e-newsletters:
27.7%
open-rate for our consumer mailing list (above industry average)
• Planes, Trails & Adventures in Lincolnshire in 2018
• Heritage Open Days
• Easter Holidays
• Lincolnshire Day
• Cycling
• Visit Lincolnshire Launch
• Discover Lincolnshire Weekend and English Tourism Week • Spring Gardens • Lincoln Fashion Week • RAF Lincolnshire video
• Lincoln Sausage Festival
WINNER – ‘Innovation in Tourism’ at the Lincolnshire Technology and Innovation Awards Visit Lincoln won the ‘Innovation in Tourism’ category at the Lincolnshire Technology and Innovation Awards 2018. Beating off stiff competition from other businesses across Lincolnshire, the judges praised Visit Lincoln’s work in launching a new AR tourism app at Lincoln Cathedral which not only brings stories to life for the visitors, but also makes the building more accessible to people with mobility challenges.
Video Marketing – RAF Lincolnshire Following the success of the promotional tourism videos created in 2016, Visit Lincoln decided to lead its 2018 RAF Lincolnshire campaign with more video marketing. Working with partners, a series of new videos were produced and shared across VisitLincoln.com and social media. Partners who contributed financially also received their own video clips for their marketing, by working together we offered a coordinated strong message about RAF Lincolnshire and why someone should consider a visit in 2018. Once again the Lincoln based creative agency WallBreaker created the videos.
• Christmas in Lincoln • Lincoln Christmas Market • Christmas Shopping • Festive Theatre • Christmas Card
• 100 Voices Trails • Bastion in the Air • Lincolnshire Show • Summer Holidays • RAF100 Weekend
1. Digital Media
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Master RAF Lincolnshire Video
1. Digital Media
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Digital Marketing Activity RAF Lincolnshire: Partner Videos As well as the master video, Visit Lincoln also created ‘micro’ videos for all the partners who were involved.
International Bomber Command Centre • 18k reached, 5k views.
Petwood Hotel • 12k reached, 4k views.
Cranwell Aviation Heritage Museum • 6.5k reached, 2k views.
Lincoln Cathedral Airmen’s Chapel • 17k reached, 6k views.
RAF Digby Operations Room • 2.5k reached, 1k views.
RAF100 Weekend & 1940s Weekend • 62k reached, 21k views.
Bastion in the Air – Video Marketing • Reach: 21,500 • 3-second+ views: 8,700 • 10-second+ views: 2,000 • Top demographic: female, 65+ • (www.facebook.com/VisitLincoln/videos/2183450428348933/)
1. Digital Media
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International Bomber Command Centre
1. Digital Media
RAF Digby Operations Room
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Petwood Hotel – Dambusters Squadron Bar
1. Digital Media
Lincoln Cathedral – Airmen’s Chapel
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Cranwell Aviation Heritage Museum
1. Digital Media
RAF100 Weekend & 1940s Weekend – Lincoln BIG
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Bastion in the Air – Video Marketing The first video was launched in March two months before the exhibition started. Visit Lincoln suggested using archive footage of WWI aircraft and aircraft production in the first video to introduce the exhibition to people and to display the range of aviation activities on offer in 2018 (reflecting the ‘past – present – future’ brand for RAF Lincolnshire themed marketing). A second video was shot once the exhibition was up and running. Using volunteer models at each exhibition a new storyboard was filmed showing people walking around and interacting with the exhibitions.
1. Digital Media
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InstaMeet – English Tourism Week Visit Lincoln led on English Tourism Week’s marketing activity for the city. A new campaign page was created listing free things to do across the county. Content was submitted by Partners and proactive social media from @VisitLincoln helped drive people to the page. Working with VisitEngland, Visit Lincoln also arranged a photo call with Lincoln MP Karen Lee. The photo was used to highlight the volume and value of the visitor economy to the local media. As well as this the very first InstaMeet was arranged at Lincoln Cathedral. The event attracted influential Instagrammers from across the country and flooded the social media site with beautiful pictures of Lincoln. It was so successful that VisitEngland championed the event to other DMOs in the UK. The Instagrammers were encouraged to post pictures which followed different themes, and the best photos were presented with prizes.
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1. Digital Media
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Digital Marketing Campaign Pages RAF Lincolnshire • Traffic: 12,474 unique visitors (17,451 visits). • Acquisition: 66% organic search, 20% referral (39% Facebook, 25% Twitter, 13% Flipboard), 13% direct. • Locations: 17% Lincoln, 14% London, 3% Nottingham, 2% Sheffield, 2% Grimsby, 1% King’s Lynn. www.visitlincoln.com/aviation
Christmas in Lincoln • Web Traffic: 24,541— of those, 18,520 were unique page views. • Acquisition: 74% search, 19% referral (44% Facebook, 28% Twtter, 10% Lincolnite, 6% Direct, 4% ChristmasMarket.co.uk) • Location: 16% Lincoln, 15% London, 6% Nottingham, 3% Sheffield, 2% Peterborough) Christmas campaign page here: www.visitlincoln.com/christmas
1. Digital Media
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Summer Holidays in Lincoln Using the summer holidays as a hook to attract residents and visitors to Lincoln, the dedicated ‘Summer Holiday’ campaign page was updated with events, things to do and activities. One of the highlighted activities was the 100 Voices trail. The URL was shared on social media www.visitlincoln.com/summer
1. Digital Media
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Social Media Three types of content are used: • Video: fantastic to reach many people and engage with them, not good for driving website traffic, high resource and financial commitment required; • Photography: good to reach new people and engage, resource and finance still needed but more accessible than video; • Web links: offers opportunity to find out more and inspire with content, less engagement.
Social media is utilised with two goals: • Awareness of Lincolnshire as a destination; • To drive traffic to the VisitLincoln.com website. The three channels used are: • Facebook: good for engagement with visitors as they share content with friends and family. Good for reaching new people, good for driving traffic to the website; • Twitter: good for interacting with businesses/ journalists, for reaching new people, real time content best as dwell time is short on this channel; • Instagram: image led so good for inspiring visitors and engagement, no opportunity to drive traffic to website.
1. Digital Media
RAF100 Flash Mob
• 128K reach, including 55k views.
One of the most successful pieces of social content this year has been the Flash Mob (organised by Lincoln BIG through the Cultural Destinations funding programme) that danced on Lincoln High Street during the annual 1940s weekend in August 2018. Visit Lincoln was on hand and captured the whole occasion via Facebook Live.
• Views from UK, USA, Europe, and Australia. • Demonstrates effectiveness of live video and shooting in the vertical format.
The reach of the video went global with many people leaving positive comments about Lincoln.
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Together we’re stronger
2 Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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Campaigns, Print and Marketing RAF Lincolnshire 2018 & RAF100 The new 2018 branding was available to businesses from November 2017 with more downloads of the online tool kit in the New Year (2018). The concept tells a story of ‘past, present and future’ to unite key attractions and events across Greater Lincolnshire. The RAF Lincolnshire branding was designed to complement the official RAF100 national brand, and was funded through the Cultural Destinations programme.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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RAF Lincolnshire Business Support Video Business support for its partners is a priority for Visit Lincoln. We believe that educating our partners will not only benefit their business but also the wider city. As a result Visit Lincoln suggested a series of expert video blogs from the retail guru Corin Birchall sharing advice and ideas about how they could get involved in the RAF Lincolnshire campaign. The activity was funded through the EDRF Collaboration for Growth project. The branding was adopted successfully on key consumer literature, offering a coordinated campaign approach and signposting more people to the RAF Lincolnshire campaign page on VisitLincoln.com
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2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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100 Voices Trail – 2018 Lincoln BIG led on creating a new 100 Voices Trail across Greater Lincoln, Visit Lincoln supported the marketing of the trail to residents, visitors and local businesses. One key element of the trail was selling sponsorship. Visit Lincoln helped Lincoln BIG build the sponsorship packages by liaising with its business partners. All the trail information was hosted on VisitLincoln.com and social media activity supported not only the launch but also the ongoing promotion of the 2018 Trail.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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2018 City & Countryside Guide – 60,000 Print Run The 2018 Visitor Guide was produced and ready for distribution in December 2017. 60,000 copies were printed. The guide is intended to act as a brochure for central Lincolnshire and encourage people to visit the website where they can discover more and plan a trip. As part of the distribution agreement, KM Media distributed 30,000 through its national Tourist Information Centre network which covers all of the UK. They were also available at the Visitor Information Centre in Lincoln and were posted out when requested through VisitLincoln.com. The remaining copies were available to all our partners and non-partner venues and accommodation across Lincolnshire. They were also used at key events, in PR and media visits.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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NEW branded leaflet racks across Lincolnshire Following a successful partnership with KM Media on the 2018 City and Countryside Guide, Visit Lincoln supported their new distribution business by co-branding new leaflet racks across the county. Co-branding the racking highlights VisitLincoln.com as an additional resource for holiday planning as well as brand awareness.
Lincoln Loves Kids – 15,000 Print The 2017/2018 Lincoln Loves Kids brochure has been distributed.
Lincoln MUM’s Expo Mum’s Expo at Bishop Grosseteste University. The event raised awareness of the Lincoln Loves Kids brand, money was raised for charity through the ‘hook a duck’ stand and copies of the Lincoln Loves Kids booklets were handed out to parents, carers and grandparents.
Molly’s Guide The co-branded Molly’s Guide (A5 magazine) with Lincoln Loves Kids, was distributed in pupil’s book bags across 111 Lincolnshire schools. As well as the Lincoln Loves Kids branding appearing on the front cover, it also included a welcome message from Visit Lincoln introducing the readership to Lincoln Loves Kids. The partnership has promoted Lincoln Loves Kids to a family audience based in Lincolnshire and encouraged more parents and carers to use VisitLincoln.com/kids to plan family time in the local area.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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2019 Consumer Brand: Discovery 2019 Work began at the end of 2018 on the creation/ development of a new 2019 consumer brand. Following a creative workshop, held in The Blue Room at Stokes in The Lawn, businesses and tourism stakeholders were asked to help shape the consumer brand for 2019. A strong theme of ‘discovery / victoriana / curiosity / showmanship’ emerged. This theme supports the events programme taking place in 2019 which includes the Spark Festival (May 2019), V&A Exhibition (Autumn 2019), Dinosaur Encounter (Summer 2019), Museum of the Moon (Spring 2019), Alice in Wonderland manuscript (Summer 2019) and Frequency Festival (October 2019); as well as the annual events such as Steampunk. Working with Ruddocks Design Agency a series of concepts were produced to bring the theme of ‘Discovery’ alive.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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What’s On Guide The third edition of the What’s On Guide was published in March 2018 by the Bailgate Independent. Once again it offered a comprehensive events listing (March – September).
The fourth edition of the What’s On Guide - renamed Hello Lincoln - was published in October 2018. Once more an art competition was run to find a front cover image. The centre pages had a Christmas focus – with Visit Lincoln feeding into the content. It was distributed throughout the city centre, via direct door drops and in high profile retail racks in Waitrose, M&S, Co-Op, WHSmiths & LNER.
Bedroom Browser A stylish hard-backed A4 book was produced for hotels to display in their guest rooms. Produced by Kingfisher Media and sponsored by Visit Lincoln the 2018 ‘Welcome to Lincolnshire’ Bedroom Browser included key events for 2018. 100 extra copies of the book were made available to Visit Lincoln and they have been shared with our accommodation partners across Lincolnshire. The book ensures staying guests receive a positive welcome as well as the right information.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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Bastion In The Air – WWI Exhibition 2018 Visit Lincoln was appointed as the marketing delivery partner for Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire’s ‘Bastion in the Air’ exhibition in 2018 (HLF project). The two exhibitions were at RAF Scampton and also The Collection Museum in Lincoln. Visit Lincoln delivered all consumer and industry marketing to encourage people to visit the exhibitions (May to September 2018) Activity included two highly successful press days, as well as PR, advertising, digital marketing and industry engagement.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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UK Trip Advisor Public Vote Lincoln was shortlisted as the most Romantic City in the UK by TripAdvisor with public voting supported by Visit Lincoln. The increased activity resulted in more website hits to VisitLincoln.com.
Press Day International Bomber Command Centre Visit Lincoln supported the media launch of International Bomber Command Centre, offering a coordinated message about IBCC and the wider RAF Lincolnshire activities in 2018 to national and group media. Visit Lincoln supported with press packs and national media enquiries.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
Official Opening International Bomber Command Centre IBCC opened with an official ceremony in April, and as well as supporting on the day Visit Lincoln also launched a series of new packages and promotions which encouraged people to plan a repeat visit to Lincolnshire later in the year. A new online campaign page was created listing accommodation, food and experience packages and a new piece of print was handed out sharing the exclusive URL with guests. Visit Lincoln also ran a competition to win free tickets to the outdoor screening of Dambusters at IBCC on its opening weekend. The competition was marketed through Visit Lincoln’s Facebook page. Three pairs of tickets were given away.
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RAF100 Weekend – August 2018 Lincoln’s RAF100 Weekend (organised by Lincoln BIG and supported by Visit Lincoln) more than lived-up to its promises, attracting an estimated 50,000 people to the city over the weekend. Visit Lincoln’s website revealed that, in the month leading-up to the RAF Weekend, there were 30,000 visits to the event pages promoting the weekend’s activities. Website visitors came from Australia, America, Germany and Sweden, as well as friends and family from across the UK. The whole city was vibrant and welcoming with lots of activities combining to create an exceptional showcase for visitors to Lincoln. Everywhere was teeming with visitors, swaying to the nostalgic songs of the Forties and loudly applauding some great dancing routines.
30k
visits to event pages promoting RAF100 weekend
Web Visitors from Australia, America, Germany and Sweden
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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Birmingham New Street Station – It’s Faster by Rail WINNER – BEST RAIL PROMOTION & MARKETING CAMPAIGN 2018 Following the success of 2017’s event which saw the Lincoln Knights invade London Kings Cross train station, we again partnered with Lincolnshire County Council’s Community Rail Team for a similar event at Birmingham New Street Station in May 2018. The exhibition space was branded RAF Lincolnshire and new literature was printed highlighting Lincolnshire as a place to visit by rail this summer using content supplied by Visit Lincoln. The new RAF Lincolnshire promotional videos were played on a big screen and a five metre Red Arrow model was available for people to sit in and have photographs taken. The marketing activity successfully achieved the Best Rail Promotion and Marketing Campaign at the 2018 ACORP Community Rail Awards.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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Bastion in the Air Visit Lincoln contributed 46% added value to the marketing of Bastion in the Air. As the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for the city Visit Lincoln not only delivered the core marketing needed for the HLF exhibition, but it also marketed the exhibition to its network of tourism businesses, VisitEngland and industry partners.
The Collection Exhibition online event listing • Traffic: 4,223 unique visitors (4,992 visits); • Acquisition: 47% organic search, 30% digital advertising, 10% direct, 8% referral (43% Facebook, 10% Twitter, 4% The Lincolnite) • Locations: 27% Lincoln, 16% London, 4% Nottingham, 3% Grimsby, 2% Scunthorpe.
RAF Scampton online event listing • Traffic: 5,882 unique visitors (7,006 visits); • Acquisition: 65% organic search, 12% direct, 16% referral (54% Facebook, 11% Twitter, 5% Airshow Forum) • Locations: 24% Lincoln, 12% London, 4% Nottingham, 2% Grimsby, 2% Sheffield.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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2019 City & Countryside Guide – 60,000 Print Run Production of the 2019 Visit Lincoln City & Countryside Visitor Guide began in October 2018. A deadline was set to have the new 2019 guide ready for distribution at the Lincoln Christmas Market – one of the most popular events of the year and a key distribution opportunity. Once again Visit Lincoln worked with KM Media to produce the guide. Content, editorial and images were supplied by Visit Lincoln and sales/ print was managed by KM Media. Distribution began in December 2018 with 30,000 being distributed nationwide through the national Tourism Information Centre distribution service. The other 20,000 will be distributed to county tourism businesses throughout the year and the remaining 10,000 will be used by Visit Lincoln at events, exhibitions, partner meetings, press visits and other activity.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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Visiting Supporters Guide
2019 Lincoln Loves Kids – 15,000 Print
Visit Lincoln and Lincoln City Football Club began working together to encourage more people to visit the city.
In July 14,500 of the 2017/18 Lincoln Loves booklet had been distributed. Production on the new 2018/19 booklet began in July 2018. Working with its newest Corporate Partner, Visit Lincoln was successful in getting the 2019 print run sponsored by Lincoln City Football Club. The family focus of the project and printed material supported Lincoln City FC latest family marketing campaign. Working with the marketing manager a sponsorship package was agreed and the front cover artwork was refreshed which saw the Lincoln Loves Kids Duck dressed in a Lincoln City Football shirt.
The football club joined Visit Lincoln as a Corporate Partner, which led to the production of a new ‘Visiting Supporters’ Guide’ and sponsorship of the 2018/19 Lincoln Loves Kids booklet.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
Local press and PR was done around the launch of the new 2019 booklet and the sponsorship from Lincoln City Football Club. The cost of print and design were paid through advertising. Once again the booklet and the wider Lincoln Loves Kids campaign promotes the city as a year round family friendly destination.
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Lincoln Loves Kids gets busy at ‘Lincoln by the Sea’ Visit Lincoln took it’s family project ‘Lincoln Loves Kids’ to the city centre beach once again – building on the success of last years events. Working with partners The Entertainer, Tumble Tots and Active Nation, parents and carers were able to find out more about family activities in the city and surrounding area whilst their children played on the beach.
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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NEW Lincoln Christmas Market Visitor Map Visit Lincoln approached City of Lincoln Council with a proposal to work on a new visitor map for the Lincoln Christmas Market. The purpose of the map was to help visitors signpost their way around the market and explore the different zones the market had to offer. It also gave information about Park & Ride, coach drop off/pick up points, toilets and safety information. Visit Lincoln managed the production of the guide and its distribution. It successfully secured sponsorship from the University of Lincoln and generated additional income through map sales to visitors and local businesses. A key part of the map was including information about Lincoln 2019, and encouraging people to plan another visit in the New Year.
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2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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320k
Audience reach Enjoy Uphill Lincoln
660k
Impressions online Social Media and Website
City of Lincoln Council Staff Expo
Enjoy Uphill Lincoln Week
At the beginning of August Visit Lincoln arranged a mini expo at City Hall for the staff. The purpose of the event was to let the council staff know what was happening across the city in 2018, give them free City Guides, maps, What’s on Guides and other incentives to plan a day trip. It also gave Visit Lincoln, Lincoln BIG and the Visitor Information Centre staff a chance to ask for feedback from residents on the marketing that was being done.
Visit Lincoln regularly attends the Bailgate Guild meetings, and in July 2018 the Guild decided to join as Corporate Partners. Visit Lincoln was set the task of generating more footfall in Uphill Lincoln to support the businesses that trade in the area. A new campaign called ‘Enjoy Uphill Lincoln’ was pitched to the group, the aim was to encourage more footfall into the area by promoting ‘discount and incentives’ to residents, shoppers and visitors. Every business was given the opportunity to submit an offer. The discounts were hosted on a special page on VisitLincoln.com, and promoted via email marketing, social media and local PR. Visit Lincoln also worked with the local media outlet CityX to create a bespoke video. The campaign was a huge success with many uphill Lincoln businesses seeing more people in their shops and more sales over the week.
Bailgate Wedding Fayre Visit Lincoln delivered the digital marketing for the Bailgate Wedding Fayre 2018. The Fayre attracts thousands of people every year who are looking for a wedding venue and can bring significant economic benefit to Lincoln and Visit Lincoln partners.
100k
Audience reach Bailgate Wedding Fayre
150k
Impressions onlince Social Media and Website
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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Half Term: Uphill Lincoln Pumpkin Trail Following the success of Enjoy Uphill Lincoln week, Visit Lincoln worked with the Bailgate Guild in October to create an Uphill Pumpkin Trail. Working with the Little Pottery Studio and Lincoln BIG every business in the Bailgate area had the chance to purchase a porcelain pumpkin which they could paint, decorate and display in their shop window. A new map was designed by Visit Lincoln, and a leaflet, window posters and certificates were printed.
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Visitors and residents were invited to follow the numbered trail, answer a series of quiz questions and then submit their answers to the Visitor Information Centre for a chance to win prizes. The free trail was a phenomenal success, and attracted families from across the country to Uphill Lincoln. Due to demand a second print run of leaflets had to be done. Once again, businesses in Uphill Lincoln saw the benefits of increased footfall and sales.
4.3k
Web visits to the Pumpkin Trail Page
600
Competition Entries
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
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New Dog Friendly Guide Launches in Lincoln Visit Lincoln launched a new dog friendly online guide with the RSPCA in November, building on the good work already being done by Lincoln Castle’s ‘Dog-Friendly’ weekend. The guide gives advice on dog friendly things to do, events, places to eat and drink, and stay across the city which meant visitors didn’t have to leave their pooch behind, plus extras such as information on local veterinary centres and pet shops.
3.1k Web visits
“Thank you so much for this brilliant guide. We hate going anywhere without our dog so this guide will be much used!!” Christine Williams, Facebook
2. Campaigns, Print and Marketing
Christmas Competition ‘Takes Off’ at East Midlands Airport Visit Lincoln worked with the marketing team at East Midlands Airport to run a series of Lincoln inspired Christmas competition prizes to their travellers throughout December. Advertising and promotion at key transport locations, like airports and railway stations, helps raise awareness of Lincoln to regular travellers who have not considered a visit to Lincoln before. Working with our Visit Lincoln partners the prizes included drinks at Thors Tipi, a family ticket to Lincoln Castle’s Christmas Emporium, a short break at the new DoubleTree by Hilton Forest Pines Spa & Golf Resort, a family ticket for the New Theatre Royal as well as tickets to Escape Lincoln. Thousands of entries were collected, the profile of Lincolnshire was raised and every business involved received new consumer email addresses for future marketing.
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Together we’re stronger
3 Media and Public Relations
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Media and Public Relations Familiarisation visits and hosting journalists play an important part of our marketing, and we continue to be grateful to our partner venues that support and host media visits. There were many press trips in 2018. The most significant press trips were arranged for The Sun, Readers Digest and Telegraph Travel. The theme included RAF Lincolnshire, RAF100, Bastion in the Air, RAF Scampton and the anniversary of the Dambusters.
Other influential press trips focused on the traditional city break experience in the city. Visit Lincoln hosted its first Instagrammer press visit with InstaBritain and developed a ‘culturally focused’ itinerary which would fit with the audience of the social media channel.
Press trips included: • Readers Digest • Telegraph Travel • Lonely Planet • The Sun • InstaBritain
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• Exclusively British Magazine • Travel begins at 40
Total Number of Press Trips to Lincoln in 2018
3. Media and Public Relations
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The Sun Newspaper: RAF Lincolnshire
3. Media and Public Relations
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Telegraph Travel – RAF Lincolnshire & Dambusters
Exclusively British Magazine Lincolnshire Life Magazine – 100 Voices
3. Media and Public Relations
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Bailgate Independent – RAF Lincolnshire & Enjoy Uphill Lincoln Week
3. Media and Public Relations
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Lonely Planet – Travel Review
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InstaBritian
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LNER Rail begins work with Visit Lincoln In 2017 Visit Lincoln hosted the senior marketing team from Virgin Trains East Coast. Through the franchise changes - VTEC to LNER - we’ve worked hard to maintain a good relationship with the East Coast team. Activity saw Lincoln Castle listed in the ‘Top Royal Attractions to Visit Outside of London’ on the official East Coast rail website. Encouraging more rail visitors to the city will help grow the visitor economy and create demand as we approach the increased rail links between Lincoln and London in late 2019.
Media Packages – The Telegraph & Bridleway B&B Following a press trip with the Telegraph in December 2016, Bridleway B&B (near the Lincolnshire Showground) was approached by the media group once again in September 2017 to feature in their Travel Supplement. Being included is by invitation only, and Bridleway B&B was included based on the excellent experience the journalist had on their last trip to the B&B.
3. Media and Public Relations
Visit Lincoln also helped the business owner develop an exclusive RAF Lincolnshire package which was promoted through Telegraph Travel (accommodation, evening meal, tickets to IBCC, Castle, Cathedral and Bastion in the Air exhibition).
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3. Media and Public Relations
LNER Chinese Travel Journalist – historic Lincoln
Wanderlust Travel Blog
In preparation for the increased train service between Lincoln and London we have been doing more work with the business development and marketing teams at LNER. The benefits are twofold; we help ensured Lincoln appear in LNER’s promotional travel campaigns and the team gets more familiar with the product offer in Lincoln. In November we worked with LNER’s press team to host a Chinese travel writer in the city. LNER had created a new ‘heritage cities’ travel itinerary for their Chinese customers and they wanted to include Lincoln in it. At the end of her trip, her review article of Lincoln was published on her popular travel blog, and it was used by LNER to create new editorial and picture content tailored to the Chinese market.
The popular travel blog Wanderlust contacted Visit Lincoln requesting images for a new blog it was writing ‘Five reasons to Visit Lincoln, England’. The published article was made live on the 26th November and in one week had received 1,800 page views, had been shared 121 time through social media and generate a solid reading time of nearly 10mins, showing a growing level of interest from people looking for places to visit. Wanderlust.co.uk/content/ reasons-to-visit-lincolnengland-cathedral-castle/
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Popular Travel Blogger shares the best bits of Lincoln Travel blogger and TV presenter Alex Outhwaith’s visited Lincoln in October and soon her review of Lincoln was generating interest among her thousands of followers. Although we still work with many print journalists on newspaper and magazine articles, we are seeing more and more social ‘influencers’ approaching us for press visits. The media world is evolving and we’re changing with it. The reach of social media Influences is incredible, a quick search shows many of the leading ones have the same readership numbers of print media and often much better engagement levels. For Alex we created an itinerary which included Lincoln Cathedral and Castle, International Bomber Command Centre and free time to explore the cobbled streets of The Strait and Uphill Lincoln. Top quality food and drink can turn a good holiday into an exceptional one – and, with so many foodie treats on offer in Lincoln, Alex was spoilt for choice. We chose to work with Visit Lincoln partners The Bronze Pig, Cosy Club, The Wig & Mitre and Stokes at The Lawn – and Alex was so impressed she wrote a whole separate blog on Lincoln’s quality food and drink.
3. Media and Public Relations
41k
Followers on Instagram (Alex Outhwaite, Travel Blogger and TV presenter)
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Lincoln Castle Christmas Emporium As part of the ‘Lincoln at Christmas’ media campaign we included information about Lincoln Castle Christmas Emporium, which was sent out to our database of travel media. One of the most prominent pieces of press coverage this generated was through Metro East Midlands, which listed the event as its lead festive ‘Christmas Cracker’, along with the Lincoln Santa Fun Run.
3. Media and Public Relations
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Together we’re stronger
4 Groups and Travel Trade Activity
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Groups and Travel Trade Activity Group itineraries
Tourism & Travel Trade Show (BTTS)
Shearing Holidays, one of the UK’s largest coach holiday operators, contacted Visit Lincoln and Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire to include a Lincolnshire Aviation itinerary in its 2018 Coach Itinerary after meeting the team at the 2017 British Travel and Tourism Show 2017.
Visit Lincoln coordinated the Lincolnshire stand at the 2018 British Travel and Tourism Show in March 2018. The event generated interest from group media and enquiries from agencies looking to bring coaches to the county. Visit Lincoln managed the exhibition stand with six partners including International Bomber Command Centre, North Lincolnshire Council, the Petwood Hotel, South Kesteven District Council and Lincoln City Council. The exhibition stand was branded ‘Welcome to Lincolnshire – Home of Aviation 2018’. An extra exhibition space was negotiated free of charge by Visit Lincoln and a 5 metre Red Arrow model was taken to the show. This additional space gave more room to display information about the 100 Voices Trail, North Lincolnshire Air Show and other aviation related activity.
4. Groups and Travel Trade Activity
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Coach Tourism Council – Membership Meeting Visit Lincoln invited the Chair of the Coach Tourism Council (CTA) to Lincoln to help shape a new Groups Strategy for the county. The Chair, Chris Wales, met with Lincoln City Council, North Lincolnshire Council and Visit Lincoln to discuss the best ways Lincolnshire could engage with Group/ Coach Operators. It was decided that rather than investing in attending trade shows, longer more meaningful relationships could be developed by joining the CTA. This would give Visit Lincoln and partners year long membership to build relationships with the operators directly.
WI Group Trip – Summer 2018 Visit Lincoln secured a group visit from Johnsons Coaches which saw 950 WI ladies from 90 different groups come to Lincoln for the day. Visit Lincoln pitched Lincoln as the destination they should visit and helped produce goodie bags for each visitor. The team also worked with all the shops in Uphill Lincoln to create a brochure of ‘money saving discounts’ in the Bailgate shops ensuring there were plenty of incentives for the ladies to spend money in the local area. Information about a repeat visit in 2019 was also supplied. The economic impact of the visit to the local area is estimated at £19,000 (based on an average £20 spend).
4. Groups and Travel Trade Activity
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5
Contracts, Partnerships and Projects
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Introduction: Discover England Fund
£4m
total value of the six Discover England Fund projects
DEF Projects Visit Lincoln are supporting: •
Englands Originals
•
Cycle England
•
US Connections and Mayflower 400
•
Explorer’s Road
•
Literary Greats
•
Faith Tourism
5. Contracts, Partnerships and Projects
Visit Lincoln is working across six Discover England Funded projects – the total value of which is worth close to £4 million. The projects focus on product development and creating new packages and incentives to attract visitors to the UK, and subsequently Lincoln/Lincolnshire. Discover England Fund (DEF) – US Connections Visit Lincoln is the allocated marketing partner for Lincolnshire County Council’s work with the Mayflower/US Connections Discover England Fund project. The project aims to bring more USA visitors to Lincoln and Lincolnshire. Destination Plymouth Ltd. is the accountable body and lead organisation for the US Connections project. Plymouth is working alongside partner destinations who form the Programme Board on the ‘US Connections’ project. ‘US Connections’ is a test and learn
project that will develop newly packaged tourism products that will attract the US inbound market to England. The project covers a wide geography with 13 English destination partners and a number of product themes. These themes will connect the destinations through new touring itineraries and an enhanced visitor offer.
The objective of developing the new itineraries is to provide tour operators and the travel trade with the inspiration and information they need to develop and sell bookable holidays to England.
US Connections Activity includes: • Business Training – free training sessions encouraging Lincolnshire businesses to work with the travel trade. A focus to get businesses ‘internationally ready’. • National Tour Guiding Conference – the first time a dedicated conference has been organised for tour guides. Lincolnshire tour guides attended to ensure they were fully briefed and up-to-date on the latest practices and policies for welcoming USA groups.
• Tour operator familiarisation trips delivered, including Kuoni. • New itineraries developed – three new themed itineraries have been developed including United Allies (D-Day), The Origins of Faith and Old Stories of a New World. • Press visits from US journalists.
• 100 new USA travel trade contacts have been developed – giving a richer pool of groups to market Lincoln to, including those in North America, New York and through VisitBritain.
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US Connections: Tour England Visit Lincoln also hosted travel journalist Fionn Davenport for his Lincolnshire leg of a two week tour of England. Fionn toured all 13 destinations, seeking out experiences, attractions and places to stay that meet the needs of the US visitor and are ‘bookable’ to inform the thematic and regional itinerary development of US Connections. There were 30 pieces of media secured around the trip, providing Lincoln with local and regional media exposure. Visit Lincoln continues to attend the regional Pilgrim Roots meetings. Visit Lincoln is committed to supporting this group and continues to work closely with all partners to ensure Lincolnshire receives recognition for its US and Mayflower connections as we approach 2020.
5. Contracts, Partnerships and Projects
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Mayflower 400 Mayflower 400 is a project focused towards the upcoming anniversary of the Mayflower Pilgrims in 2020 – a UK/USA programme of events and activities is expected to generate a lot of American visitors to the UK, and Lincolnshire from 2019 onwards. In late 2018 Visit Lincoln was told the project had been successful in achieving a six month amplification programme until September 2019.
Mayflower Activity • Product Development – continuing the development of bookable products and business support through a consultant who will work with each destination, including Lincolnshire. The consultant will connect sites and attractions to create bookable packages that can be ‘bought’ by tour operators and visitors. • Itinerary and content development – creating a directory of all the Lincolnshire Mayflower products including speakers, historians, guides and academics who can add value to a group visiting Lincolnshire by giving talks, after dinner speeches, etc.
• Media & PR – Visit Lincoln continues to work with the appointed PR agency for Mayflower 400 on press releases, press trips and PR in Lincolnshire. • Digital Trail – development of a new digital trail enabling visitors and tour operators to navigate themselves around all the Mayflower destinations, including Lincolnshire. • Cruise Ship Market Research – working with Cruise Britain on a feasibility study will provide insight into how Mayflower destinations can target the inbound cruise market.
• Trade Engagement – familiarisation visits and a US Sales Mission are taking place alongside the US team of VisitBritain. • World Travel Market – attending the show to pitch itineraries to groups and tour operators. • Cruise Britain Showcase – generating a cruise ship database to generate more inbound USA visitors.
5. Contracts, Partnerships and Projects
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Discover England Fund (DEF) – England Originals England Originals aims to bring historic cities across the UK alive with themed itineraries and bookable tours. Lincolnshire is involved in the ‘Treasure Trove’ itinerary which links the city with York and Durham in a package holiday. Not only does this encourage travellers to explore other cities outside of London, but it also links Lincoln with other heritage cities. Once visitors have arrived in their chosen city they can access a wealth of information through new digital trails and an AR app which helps bring stories alive and provides views/access to areas they ordinarily can not see. This kind of experience is very popular with millennial travellers from the US.
England Originals Activity includes: • Booking functionality – leading tour operators are listing and actively selling the England Original itineraries. • Business onboarding – Visit Lincoln is working with a shortlist of city businesses who will appear as preferred suppliers in the travel itineraries and marketing. • Online bookable support – Visit Lincoln and Travelbeat are working with city businesses on a 1-2-1 basis to ensure they are ‘bookable’ and can welcome group bookings. • England Originals App – the app was launched at World Travel Market in November and generated considerable interest. Lincoln’s content includes information about the Cathedral, Castle, High Bridge, Newport Arch.
• Agent Training – bespoke training for US agents on how to sell Lincoln and the other destinations involved in the project. • Media – press visits, press releases and other PR activity with the media continue with Visit Lincoln feeding into opportunities and hosting any press visits in the city. • Consumer Marketing – the first phase of the online booking site has gone live and is being supported by a series of short social media videos. • Welcome Training – training in Lincoln is being arranged so businesses and their staff are ready to welcome US/millenial visitors.
• Travel Trade Engagement – Flight Centre, Kuoni and other leading tour operators have expressed an interest in selling the England Original tours.
5. Contracts, Partnerships and Projects
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Discover England Fund (DEF) – Cycle England New Lincolnshire cycling holidays are being developed and launched through the DEF Cycle England project. The new bookable cycling holidays are targeted to the Dutch and German market through group organisers and tour operators, they launch in March 2019. But Visit Lincoln is keen to ensure the new routes and experiences are also available to domestic visitors and residents. In October 2018 Access Lincoln (sustainable transport project funded by the DFT and managed by Lincolnshire County Council) became the lead Lincolnshire match funder for the Cycle England project. Working together, Visit Lincoln and Access Lincoln will use the new route development created in Lincolnshire through Cycle England as one of the core outputs for Access Lincoln – and a legacy for residents and visitors to explore more of the county on their bikes.
3 new Lincolnshire cycle routes:
Cycle England Activity • Product and route development – three new cycling routes have been developed and mapped out and include North Lincolnshire, Lincoln City and the Lincolnshire Coast. • GPS tracking – tracking and mapping of the routes have been conducted to ensure holiday makers have access to the information needed. • Experiences and businesses connected to the route – a full audit of tourism businesses (cafés/ accommodation / attractions / experiences) has been done to ensure they are included in the routes. • Website – a new website www.cycle-england.co.uk has been built and includes maps, inspiration images, video and booking details. • Image & video library – new photography for the county was commissioned, plus video that can be used for marketing.
• Printed Literature – a series of printed literature was created and translated into Dutch and German for the target audience. It was taken to overseas exhibitions and also distributed to overseas tour operators. • Ground Handlers – a comprehensive audit of ground handlers has been done to ensure the cycling packages can be sold on after the DEF project has finished (sustainable approach). • Overseas exhibitions – a series of overseas exhibitions have been attended by both the Welcome to Yorkshire team and Visit Lincoln. These include trade and consumer events in Holland and Germany. • Press Visits – upcoming press visits are being planned. • Ground Handler familiarisation trips – Visit Lincoln has also secured a familiarisation trip with one of the leading ground handlers in the UK Saddle Skedaddle.
An application has been submitted asking for a six month extension for Cycle England. If successful it would see the project continue until September 2019.
5. Contracts, Partnerships and Projects
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VisitLincolnshire.com Website Activity from its launch 1 October 2018: The proposal for Visit Lincoln to deliver a new county website was accepted in May and the website launched on Lincolnshire Day (1 October) 2018. The new website creation was managed by Visit Lincoln and focused on inspirational experiences that are available across the county. The new website does not offer business listings - instead it aims to provide inspiration using the very best experiences Lincolnshire has to offer and links direct to the businesses involved for booking. The website has been supported by; Lincolnshire County Council, Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, North Kesteven District Council, North East Lincolnshire Council, North Lincolnshire Council, South Kesteven District Council, West Lindsey District Council, East Lindsey District Council, Boston Borough Council, South Holland District Council, and Lincoln City Council.
Website Activity from its launch 1 October 2018: 7,014 unique visitors (8,391 visits) Top landing pages are: Homepage (53%) Map of Lincolnshire (9%) Walking & Cycling (6%) Countryside (5%) Coast (4%) 43% of visitors are coming from search engine results, which is encouraging. 29% are through referrals - links from other websites, including social media. More than 40% of this traffic is from VisitLincoln.com and more than 22% is from Visit Lincoln’s Facebook marketing. Other referral websites include lincolnshirelive.com, burghley-horse. co.uk, and visitengland.com. 27% are direct visits from simply typing the URL address into their browser.
5. Contracts, Partnerships and Projects
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Be Lincoln Trade Campaign – Lincoln is a great place to Invest The brand was previewed at City X’s Directors Conference in October. Visit Lincoln’s expertise and knowledge of the city can also be used to attract more investment, the overall knock on effect will also make it a better place to visit, work, and learn.
Stirlin gives new homeowners a ‘Visit Lincoln’ welcome There is no doubt that buying a new home is an exciting time, but Homes by Stirlin went one step further by giving their homeowners a warm welcome to Lincoln too. Visit Lincoln met Site Manager Andrew Bowman and Property Consultant Abby Evans at Stirlin’s Nettleham site, Lodge Lane to hand over the latest Lincoln Loves Kids booklet, What’s On magazine and City & Countryside Guide. Local pride among residents is really important to the success of Lincoln and it’s great working with a developer like Homes by Stirlin which understands the value of promoting and supporting the local area.
5. Contracts, Partnerships and Projects
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Excellence in Tourism Awards – Lincolnshire Media & Visit Lincoln Following the success of the Business Awards, Visit Lincoln approached Lincolnshire Media with the idea of creating a new set of tourism awards to celebrate local success and raise awareness of the billion pound visitor economy in Greater Lincolnshire. The last set of county tourism awards had been hosted nearly eight years ago when the former DMO Visit Lincolnshire was trading. Lincolnshire Media organised the event and sponsorship whilst Visit Lincoln endorsed the awards to its Partners, local authority destination partners and wider business community. The awards took place in February 2018 at the DoubleTree by Hilton. Plans are in place to coordinate the awards so the Lincolnshire winners can feed into the national VisitEngland awards in future. Visit Lincoln invited a representative from Virgin Trains East Coast (now LNER) to the awards ceremony. Samantha McKnight Business Development Manager at LNER presented the ‘Meet Lincoln and Lincolnshire Business Tourism Venue of the Year’ award.
5. Contracts, Partnerships and Projects
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Lincolnshire Business Expo Visit Lincoln attended the Lincolnshire Business Expo with its ‘Tourism – Talent – Trade’ stand. Joel Murray and Bryony Keep spoke with partners and potential new partners on the work Visit Lincoln is doing and its vision to promote Lincoln and Lincolnshire as a great place to live, work, invest, learn and live.
Children of Lincoln The work to make Lincoln a Child Friendly City continues and after attending a Children of Lincoln steering group meeting Visit Lincoln identified an opportunity to use the events section of VisitLincoln. com as a wider platform to list all family events taking place across the city. A proposal to develop the functionality of this was submitted at the last meeting – the work is ongoing.
VisitExpo – Stonebow Media & Visit Lincoln After attending the Business Expo Visit Lincoln worked with Stonebow Media with an idea to do a similar event for the visitor economy in Lincolnshire. The idea was put forward to host the annual Leaflet Swap at the same time as a wider tourism conference which would bring leading speakers to businesses across Greater Lincolnshire. Stonebow Media led on the event organisation, leaflet swap and sponsorship, whilst Visit Lincoln invited the keynote speakers and workshop topics. Speakers included a representative from Hull City of Culture, as well as Project Directors from England’s Originals and Mayflower400.
5. Contracts, Partnerships and Projects
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ExpoEast – Stonebow Media, Regional Networking Exhibition Visit Lincoln highlighted its Talent-TourismTrade activity at the regional business exhibition Expo East at the Newark Showground. With many cross-county business opportunities it was a good event to attend to build the team’s network of regional business contacts.
Mansions of the Future Visit Lincoln believes that arts and culture are at the centre of an attractive and vibrant city, and so it offered its support for the upcoming ‘Mansion of the Future’ launch; including negotiating discounted accommodation for media and speakers, introductions to food/drink suppliers and catering companies.
Invest Lincoln Trade Campaign – Lincoln is a great place to Invest Visit Lincoln commenced work with Lincoln City Council on the development of a new ‘Trade’ marketing campaign (ongoing). The activity supports Visit Lincoln’s Business Plan which will promote Lincoln as a place to live, work, visit, invest and learn. As part of this new activity, Visit Lincoln was invited to attend February’s Greater Lincolnshire Property and Construction Awards 2018 as guests of Lincoln City Council.
5. Contracts, Partnerships and Projects
Angela Andrews, CEO of Lincoln City Council, highlighted the new Invest Lincoln campaign in her keynote speech. To grow its knowledge of the property sector Visit Lincoln also attended the LEP and Lincolnshire Council’s Belton Horse Trials Networking event. This also led to an invitation to attend the monthly People in Property in Lincoln (PIPIL) networking event.
Lincoln City Council ‘Proud to be Lincoln’ Conference Lydia Rusling, CEO at Visit Lincoln, was invited to speak at Lincoln City Council’s ‘Proud to be Lincoln’ 2018 Conference. At the conference the council outlined its priorities for the forthcoming year and hosted workshops for local business feedback on their strategic priorities.
P&O Ferries – Gateway Advertising Visit Lincoln attended the ‘Making Waves’ conference with P&O Ferries earlier in the year. The event strengthened ties with the company and began a conversation about Gateway Advertising from key transport routes (Hull Port) into Lincolnshire.
Access Lincoln – Lincoln BIG Lincoln BIG won another element of the Access Lincoln project in September 2017. The winning proposal included marketing activity supported by Visit Lincoln.
Chinese Delegation To support the trade links that are being set up between Lincolnshire and China, Lydia Rusling was invited to attend a Lincolnshire County Council Chinese Delegation trip to Lincoln and was interviewed on China TV about Lincoln.
East Coast Main Line Rail Franchise Bidders Meeting Understanding the routes into Lincolnshire for visitors and business travellers is essential in the successful marketing of the city and county. As a result Visit Lincoln was invited to meet bidders for the new cross country rail service which connects Lincoln to the East Midlands. Visit Lincoln offered its support and is looking to develop a strong working relationship with the successful bidder.
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6
Business Tourism, Conferences and Events
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Business Tourism, Conferences and Events Meet Lincoln activity continues to perform strongly and interest in the venue finding service is growing.
Venue Finding
Based on feedback from corporate partners who use the service, a separate Meet Lincoln & Lincolnshire sub-group has been created to better shape activity and ensure we respond to what our partners want.
129 Venue Finder Enquiries to date ÂŁ150,000 Converted Business to date 28% Average Conversion Rate Average 1,000 profile visits per month
Social Media Average 30 new followers per month Webstats
6. Business Tourism, Conferences and Events
Average 1,500 unique visitors per month
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7 Visit Lincoln Corporate
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Visit Lincoln Corporate
41
New Visit Lincoln Partners
15
new partners from the merge with the Lincolnshire Hotel and Guest House Association
PARTNERSHIP GROWTH
Bailgate Guild
Visit Lincoln recruited 41 new partners in 2018. Not only does this enrich the information and content in marketing campaigns and VisitLincoln.com, but it also supports the running costs of Visit Lincoln.
Joined as Corporate Partners of Visit Lincoln in May and received a new campaign page on VisitLincoln.com. Plans were also put in place to deliver a special week of discounts in Bailgate shops, all promoted through Enjoy Uphill Lincoln Week.
South Kesteven District Council Joined as destination partners in February. New South Lincolnshire pages have been created on VisitLincoln.com resulting in more traffic and cross marketing between relevant products and events.
Places to Stay & Lincolnshire Hotel & Guest House Association (LHGHA) Visit Lincoln worked with the LHGHA on a proposal to dissolve the former Lincolnshire Hotel and Guest House Association and instead create a new ‘Places to Stay’ group managed by Visit Lincoln. The merge resulted in 15+ new partners and a new accommodation group being established which will share information and insights with business owners.
Lincolnshire Coop Joined as destination partners in April to support the work of Visit Lincoln across the city. A representative has joined the Board of Directors and is already helping to shape the strategic growth and direction of Visit Lincoln as a Community Interest Company.
Lincoln City Football Club Visit Lincoln signed Lincoln City Football Club as Corporate Partners in February 2018. The new partnership will focus on ‘away day’ marketing opportunities for visiting football fans and weekend package opportunities.
7. Visit Lincoln Corporate
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PARTNERSHIP MARKETING Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) - Visitor Economy Representation CEO, Lydia Rusling, attends the LEP Visitor Economy Board meetings to update the group on Lincoln/Lincolnshire activity.
Future of Lincolnshire Heritage Group Visit Lincoln was invited to attend ‘Future of Lincolnshire Heritage’ group, ensuring the group’s activity is linked with the wider tourism activity.
Visit Lincoln – Leading DMO in UK
Corporate Website pages The corporate (B2B) webpages on VisitLincoln.com continue to be refreshed so they are more user friendly to partners and businesses. New sections include information on resources (branding toolkits), news blog, meet the team and for the first time access to research and industry data like STEAM. Visit Lincoln has invested time in developing these pages because it believes visitor economy businesses need access to the right business support and information so they can plan for the future and grow.
Visit Lincoln was contacted by the Visitor and Cultural Services Manager at Colchester Borough Council asking for information about how Visit Lincoln delivers it activity. When asked why it has chosen Visit Lincoln, they replied saying it was because Visit Lincoln is seen as a market leader.
7. Visit Lincoln Corporate
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Insights corporate newsletter The corporate e-newsletter continues to grow in popularity. The aim is to keep Partners and potential Partners up-to-date with activities and progress made by the Visit Lincoln team, plus highlight business opportunities.
Corporate Twitter @VisitLincolnBiz Visit Lincoln’s corporate twitter account launched. The latest activity of the team is updated on the account as a way of keeping partners and businesses up to date with the latest marketing and behind the scenes work. The account currently has 400 followers.
7. Visit Lincoln Corporate
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VISIT LINCOLN: ESTABLISHING AS A COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY On 30th April 2018 Visit Lincoln began trading as an independent Community Interest Company. In the months leading up to the new CIC being launched all relevant legal, financial and HR policies were reviewed and established. The key activities included: • Asset Purchase Agreement. • Accountants appointed: Duncan & Toplis. • Xero accountancy tool in place and training complete. • VAT registration complete. • HMRC: Registration complete. • Company policies: Legal/HR consultant appointed to lead on new policies.
Team: • Lydia Rusling Chief Executive
• Joel Murray Digital Marketing Manager
• Clare Williams Business Development Director (returned from maternity leave June)
• Bryony Keep Business Development Executive (left Visit Lincoln in May)
• Charlotte Goy Marketing and PR Director
• Bank account set-up and online banking established. • Funding Visit Lincoln budget transfer complete (from Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce). • Insurance: Combined liability insurance in place. • TUPE of staff: Process complete from the Chamber of Commerce and Lincoln BIG including new pension scheme set-up. • Joint Venture Agreement: Complete with Lincoln BIG. • Corporate Comms: Plan instructed and local PR complete.
7. Visit Lincoln Corporate
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Partner Plaques
Lincoln Visitor Economy grows to over £200 Million
Visit Lincoln wanted to recognise the support of its Corporate and Destination Partners, and therefore invested in engraved slate plaques for its Corporate and Destination Partners. The presentation of the plaques has not only been well received among partners, but it has also given Visit Lincoln further PR/media opportunities.
In August the latest STEAM data for Lincoln City was announced. It showed that tourism is booming in the city with over 4 million people visiting Lincoln in 2017 and a 7% growth in the visitor economy reaching over £203 million – a record figure. Data from the official 2017 STEAM tourism report shows the greatest growth in Lincoln’s accommodation sector (+16%), food and drink (+6%) and transport (+6%). Employment also grew by nearly 4% with the total number of people working in the tourism industry reaching over 2,500. This latest data clearly shows how important the visitor economy is to the city. This is unprecedented growth which rivals that of much bigger historic cities across the UK – we should be incredibly proud. Tourism is a very competitive market and by working together Lincoln was able to attract more visitors than ever before. The Lincoln Knights Trail, Battles and Dynasties Exhibition and Domesday Book at Lincoln Castle all gave great incentives to visit in 2017. New developments such as Stokes at The Lawn, promotions at London Kings Cross, along with VisitLincoln.com and award-winning campaigns created a winning formula.
7%
increase in the value of Lincoln’s visitor economy, reaching £203m - a record figure
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Partner Meetings Our business partners are at the very centre of everything we do. Being 90% funded by the private sector we prioritise regular meetings with our partners to update them on activity and check the progress of our work – and the impact it is having on their business.
Our Partnership meetings in 2018 included: • Board of Director Meetings • Corporate Partner Meetings • Places to Stay Meetings • Meet Lincoln and Lincolnshire Sub-Group • Visit Lincoln Annual Partner Event
Talking Tourism at the North Lincolnshire Council Conference Following the launch of the countywide website VisitLincolnshire.com, the Visit Lincoln team headed up to Broughton, near Brigg, for North Lincolnshire Council’s Tourism Conference. The conference also included a presentation from Hayley Toyne about the latest round of business funding for Cycle England, one of several Discover England Funded projects currently taking place in Lincolnshire, as well as an update about the new county website VisitLincolnshire.com.
Lincolnshire Media Business Awards Visit Lincoln co-sponsored the ‘Overall Business of the Year’ with NatWest in the 2018 Lincolnshire Media Business Awards. The sponsorship package gave enhanced corporate profile to Visit Lincoln amongst the wider business community of Lincolnshire.
7. Visit Lincoln Corporate
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Midland Business Insider: Lincolnshire Economic Briefing Visit Lincoln was invited to speak at the November ‘Lincolnshire Economic Briefing’ hosted by the business media site Midland Business Insider and sponsored by Wright Vigar. Lydia Rusling joined a panel of four business leaders and spoke about the value of tourism / place marketing to a city like Lincoln. Her comments were supported by the other business speakers and the wider Lincolnshire business community. Over the past year Visit Lincoln has prioritised this corporate activity as it wants to work with more businesses who support its goal to make a great place to not only visit but live, work and invest in too.
7. Visit Lincoln Corporate
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Visit Lincoln Corporate Media Relations The team continues to take a proactive approach to its corporate marketing and PR – ensuring partners and potential new partners are aware of our activity and achievements. Article, blogs, opinion pieces and end of year reviews have all been delivered and resulted in more enquiries and recruiting more partners.
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World Travel Market: UK’s Biggest Trade Show In November Visit Lincoln attended the World Travel Market (WTM) at Excel in London. WTM is the largest travel show in the UK. Lincolnshire had a presence on the VisitEngland stand thanks to our involvement in the DEF projects. As well as this, Lydia Rusling (CEO) was invited to take part in a panel discussion with other destination leaders to talk about the success of Visit Lincoln and how Brexit could impact on UK tourism. It was rewarding to see Visit Lincoln selected to take part and hailed as a rising star of the tourism industry.
7. Visit Lincoln Corporate
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Visit Lincoln Annual Review
2018
Together We’re Stronger Contact:
Lydia Rusling | CEO Visit Lincoln t: 01522 842705 | w: visitlincoln.com
January – December 2018