Monday, 13 May 2013
Tourism network to help put Hebden Bridge businesses on the map
A vital new tourism network has launched to help businesses in Hebden Bridge and surrounding areas to market themselves more effectively and get more customers through the door.
The South Pennines Tourism Network has been established by rural regeneration agency Pennine Prospects to provide a range of practical, free support for tourism, hospitality and creative industries in the area.
Support will include free marketing workshops, masterclasses, online tools and ‘virtual’ events to help local businesses stand out and increase their profit potential.
The new resource has been launched as part of Pennine Prospects ‘local distinctiveness’ campaign – a programme to raise awareness of the unique characteristics of the South Pennines’ landscape, people and places, in order to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more.
Businesses can sign up to the tourism network for free at www.southpennines.co.uk where they can also register for one of several free marketing events which have been organised to celebrate the launch of the network.
These fast-paced, fun workshops promise to provide effective, easy-to-implement marketing tips, suitable for even the smallest of budgets.
A workshop is being held at Hebden Bridge Town Hall on Monday, 20 May from 1.30pm-3.30pm.
Booking is essential and businesses can sign up here.
The network will be co-ordinated by tourism marketing expert Susan Briggs, on behalf of Pennine Prospects. Susan has 27 years experience in the sector, and has written several books on the subject.
Susan said: “This new tourism network is about providing low-cost, practical advice and tools that will really work for local businesses, helping them to stand out and drive repeat footfall.
“We’ll be focusing on the principles of ‘local distinctiveness’ in everything we do, in other words, those things that make a business and its surrounding area unique and memorable.
“The South Pennines is blessed with many characterful towns and villages, fabulous food and drink and a thriving creative scene, and we’ll be showing businesses how to tap into those selling points to improve their bottom line.
“We hope lots of businesses will sign up to take advantage of this free new resource.”
As well as providing support for businesses, Pennine Prospects’ local distinctiveness campaign also includes a wide range of public facing information and activities. These range from a web ‘encyclopedia’ of beer brewers and pubs in the area and a new Making and Doing (MAD) Festival set to launch in October to celebrate the region’s independent creative scene.