Agenda and notes

On 19th February we had a good meeting in the Hotel Balcon de Competa. There were not many people in attendance, but definitely some great ideas. Maria thinks it is something different so we should do well. She also advised that I should be the sales person for Competa as everyone knows me.

LETSGONORTH MEETS LETSGOSOUTH

AGENDA

VENUE: Hotel Balcon de Competa
DATE: 18th February 2015
TIME: 11:00 to 12:00

Objective of the meeting: to introduce businesses to LetsGoNorth and the new tourism initiative LetsGoNorth meets LetsGoSouth – a collaborative project which examines the historical and cultural links between Scotland and Spain and builds on those links.


Welcome

Introductions

About LetsGoNorth

What is LetsGoNorth meets LetsGoSouth

About Smart Holidays

Sponsorship – how to join

The Explorer magazine

Questions and answers




NOTES FROM 18TH FEBRUARY


10 minutes

Introductions – who I am – what LetsGoNorth is – a tourism marketing company
- who Manuel is

What is LetsGoNorth


 Dunnet Head Educational Trust – administers the Friends of the North Highland Way – a social enterprise
 The commercial marketing company Brough Bay Ltd. t/a LetsGoNorth Ltd.

What we do
 Market Scotland in Spain
 Manage the North Highland Way Project
 Manage the new project LetsGoNorth meets LetsGoSouth

About LetsGoNorth meets LetsGoSouth

 Current sponsors
 Thanks to the prize givers for the Knights of the North Highland Way challenge – Sergio, Helen and Manuel
 Hubs planned with the Axarquia in the epicentre


LETSGONORTH MEETS LETSGOSOUTH

LetsGoNorth is a tourism marketing company based until recently in Scotland and now in Sussex in England. We have been developing tourism projects since 2000 when we took over the Dunnet Head Bed and Breakfast and tearoom. In 2003 we formed the Dunnet Head Educational Trust to raise the profile of the most northerly point of the UK mainland.

In 2010 we took over the tourism association North of Scotland Hospitality which then had over 100 members. We have worked to develop this into a commercial tourism marketing company. One of our projects is the North Highland Way, a walking route from John o Groats to Cape Wrath across the top of Scotland.

We launched LetsGoNorth meets LetsGoSouth in May 2014 and have been encouraged by the response from local businesses both in Competa and Canillas and on the coast.

AIMS

The aims of the LetsGoNorth meets LetsGoSouth project are as follows:

 To build a series of “hubs” of information supported by businesses about selected areas both in the UK and Spain. In the UK hubs are Caithness & Sutherland (north of Scotland), Orkney and there is one planned for Lincolnshire.
 In Spain we are developing hubs in the Axarquia, Castril (near Granada), Marbella and Loja. The Axarquia is the epicentre of the project as it is the first to be developed.
 Collaborative marketing encouraging business in both the UK and Spain using web sites at www.letsgonorth.com and www.letsgosouth.co.uk.
 To identify parallels between Spain and Scotland. The first of these is the Senda Litoral and the North Highland Way.
 To identify historical and cultural links between Spain and Scotland and build these into products which can then be sold.
 To work with public and private sector organisations for the benefit of the areas concerned.

ACHIEVEMENTS

 Distributed 1500 of the 2000 leaflets printed as follows:

FITUR
SICAB International Horse show
Castell del Ferro
Tourist offices in Nerja, Torre del Mar, Competa, Canillas de Albaida and Alhama de Granada
Several outlets in Competa
Osuna
Businesses in the Acebucal / Frigiliana area

 Challenge event in Scotland launched…. See www.dunnethead.co.uk (linked from www.letsgonorth.com). Prize is a break for two nights in a B&B in Competa. Sergio Fernandez of Competa has sponsored the medals. Manuel has offered a prize of a tour.
 Three very fruitful meetings between the main sponsors – Tina Irving of LetsGoNorth and Manuel Garcia of Smart Holidays Andalucia.
 First press release sent out (January)
 Feature in the next issue of the magazine Market Place
 A number of other sponsors identified in the Competa area.
 Sales person on board for Nerja, Torrox, Torrox Costa and Almunecar.
 Part time administrator who has assisted in putting together the database.
 Promotion at Business Breakfast Club
 Promotion at Costa Women Axarquia
 Promotion in the far north of Scotland in the local press
 Work closely with WalkingWorld as partners (60,000 walkers)
 Work closely with Easyways Walking Holidays based in Scotland (3000 walkers)
 As of yesterday we have two new “hubs” in Alhama de Granada and Loja.


PLAN

North Highland Explorer – to be published mid March. To be renamed The Explorer and be distributed in Scotland and Spain as well as digitally on subscription. 500 copies. 50% about Spain 50% about Scotland. It will be distributed by post to 40 members of the North Highland Way.

Launch new web site at www.letsgosouth.co.uk.

Exhibitions in selected locations to be identified.

Draw up a project plan and budget in conjunction with supporters and public services

POST MEETING NOTES:

Manuel and Tina to work on another meeting in the same format for Nerja on 19th March.
Thanks to Adrian Chivers for his sterling work with getting contact details. He reported that many businesses are still closed, but he has a great methodology for follow up and will input details into the new Mailchimp database.
Patrick (Birdbuffs) to introduce the project to his Naval Association.
Brian will be working on the new web site once he has finished work on the current one.
Thanks to Steve Harding for the flow chart for the web site. We are not in a position to be able to pay for a new web site at the moment so will be doing this ourselves at the outset.
Tina needs to now take stock of what she plans - with so many contacts and so many ideas, she and Manuel both need to focus on the offering. Tina is working with a member of the Business Breakfast Club to develop a course on a business development.
Thanks for Carol Raines for putting the Mailchimp dbase together.