WRITING A STRATEGY FOR THE SUCCESS OF 5000 BUSINESSES, AND A WHOLE POPULATION

Imagine creating a strategy that integrated 6 strategies, for 6 organisations, representing 5,000 businesses. You are not simply guiding the fortunes of one organisation, but several industries and a whole economy. How would you do this?

VISITOR ECONOMY STRATEGY GROUP

I’m working with Tourism and Hospitality and feel it may be useful to explain what we are doing, partly for transparency, but mostly because it is useful to appreciate that a government strategy is not solely about government, it affects everyone, as is the case for Tourism and Hospitality. I think it is important to explain it isn’t simple (eg spend more money on marketing or build 20 more hotels) but actually quite complex and having to satisfy different stakeholders with different expectations.

All the minutes of Visitor Economy Strategy Group are published here.
https://business.jersey.com/about-us/plans-reports/visitor-economy-strategy-steering-group/

Let me tell you what we are doing – we welcome your feedback.

A STRATEGY APPROACH TO A CHANGE PROGRAMME

The first step is to listen to the industry and read the current strategies and understand the metrics and plans for each so we understand the issues for each and how they aligned.

This step may be more complex than might be expected because maybe some organisations need volume, for example attractions and events are better with a full audience. Whereas other organisations prefer added value because five people spending £100 might be better than ten people spending £10 – and that’s before you consider the operational and environmental costs of serving a high volume of low value customers.

Moreover, there is debate about people (Europeans, Americans or Brits) and product (Castles, Bunkers, Beaches or Domes, Wheels and Fun Parks). We need alignment and the clearer we can be, in terms of the way in which Jersey positions its Tourism and Hospitality offer, the more successful we will be in aligning the interests of the airlines and ferries requirements to operate profitably, the wider economic and social impact of connectivity and the requirements for a successful visitor economy.

Scenario 1
Boris from Germany sees Jersey’s history on a German TV show and wants to travel from Frankfurt and stay at 4-Star hotel for 7 nights. This demands marketing (German TV) connections (Frankfurt) beds (4-Star hotel) and availability (7 nights)

Scenario 2
Mandy from Glasgow sees Jersey on Instagram / Facebook show and wants to travel from Glasgow and stay in self-catering for a long-weekend. This demands marketing (Instagram / Facebook) connections (Glasgow) beds (self-catering) and availability (long-weekend)

We can extrapolate 100 different scenarios requiring different marketing > connections > beds > availability combinations for each. Everything is OK in the right combinations, which is why a portfolio approach may be best.

The next step is the to consider all the above with Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors 5, 10, 15 years ahead and Government preferences, priorities, and policies.

This step may also be fraught because predicting the future is always difficult. Some will be optimistic, some pessimistic, some factors you can influence others you cannot. This is where we do the gap analysis of where we are to where we want to be in 5, 10, 15 years ahead.

Government preferences, priorities, and policies may be complementary but different from Industry, and Industry as a sector may have a different view to individual businesses. Simplistically Government may want good tax revenues, full employment, manageable population and a balanced economy. Industry will want happy staff, satisfied customers, and sufficient profits for sustainable success.  Some businesses may specialise in family holidays others. business trips, yet others weekend retreats and a significant number in serving the permanent local community.

The overriding challenge is not total consensus on one “solution”, but taking a data-driven approach to a balanced portfolio that works sufficiently for the whole. This may be sub-optimal for some which is why any strategy will have its detractors, but it is better than no strategy or any strategies in opposition to each other.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE SUCCESS

As a rowing coach I know that each member of the team needs to make modest adjustments and compromises to fit-in with the rest of the team. It isn’t just rowing in the wrong direction that can compromise success, sometimes being out of sync has pretty much the same effect. The focus is not the individual but the boat: Does it make the boat go faster?

I was chatting with one of our high-performance rowing pairs and I asked three questions and it later occurred to me how important these are.
 
1.    What happened?
2.    Why did it happen?
3.    What can we learn from this?
 
First thing to note is that I am asking not telling. I am interested in their thoughts, feelings, perceptions and reflections not mine. They are rowing the boat not me. When it comes to strategy we need to listen to the people in the boat.
 
Second, by asking them, I am making them consciously recollect, review, reflect provoking awareness with the first question and curiosity with the second. Mindfulness and Presence demand conscious effort and that effort transforms an incident into an event, a distraction into a decision, something easily overlooked into a catalyst for change.
 
Third is always seeking added practical value which informs “What makes the boat go faster” or how can we make Tourism and Hospitality successful.
 
A CHANGE PROGRAMME

Sport metaphors seldom work for businesses because the effort to win a medal is simply not sustainable 365 days of the year, for the length of a career. However I do believe success comes from asking not telling, review and reflection, guided by data and nurtured by the right environment.

A strategy does not deliver change any more than a rowing session wins medals. It has to be a constant and iterative process of learning and improving, adjustment and alignment.

Importantly it is about partnership, it is not top-down or bottom-up, it is not government or industry, it is not about THEM it is about US.

VISITOR ECONOMY STRATEGY GROUP

If you have any comment, suggestions or feedback please communicate these though any of the following members of the Visitor Economy Strategy Group

Visit Jersey
Jersey Hospitality Association
Luxury Jersey Hotels
Jersey Chamber of Commerce
Jersey Business
Ports of Jersey

 

 

To be a globally relevant, sustainable and inimitable destination for hospitality that islanders are proud to share

USEFUL RESOURCES

Visitor Economy Strategy Minutes
https://business.jersey.com/about-us/plans-reports/visitor-economy-strategy-steering-group/

Visit Jersey Trade and Media
https://business.jersey.com/

Trends and Data
https://business.jersey.com/newsletter-confirmation

Visitor Economy Strategy Group
To be a globally relevant, sustainable and inimitable destination for hospitality that islanders are proud to share

#visitoreconomy #tourism #hospitality #visitjersey #jerseyci #visitjersey #jerseyadventure #jerseytravel #visitjerseyci #jerseyisland #jerseylove #jerseylife #jerseybeach #jerseytourism #jerseyhospitality #jerseyholiday #explorejersey #jerseyvacation #jerseyislandlife #jerseyhistory #jerseyexperience #jerseylifestyle #jerseyfood #jerseysummer #jerseyexplorer #jerseyislands #visitjerseyuk #jerseychannelsislands