Your Guide to Writing an Award Winning Submission

Transcription

1 Your Guide to Writing an Award Winning Submission

2 Foreword Receiving a state or national tourism award is no small feat and as anyone who has ever prepared an award submission would confirm participating in the awards program does require a commitment to business improvement. Is it all worth it? Of course, all winners would testify that being identified as the outstanding tourism business in a particular category is a desirable outcome. It brings significant media exposure and opportunity to add a competitive edge to future marketing campaigns. Several past winners have reported substantial increases in trade and occupancy rates as a direct result of winning a tourism award. However, it is worth noting that the benefits of entering the tourism awards are not just confined to winners. By addressing the business-focused criteria in each category, operators put themselves through a rigorous process of self-analysis that can support their business planning. Going through the awards criteria is not much different to going through a business planning process and the annual awards process presents a `prompt` for many operators to address key issues for their business: what are the objectives, the values of the business, where does it position itself and importantly where is its future? The tourism awards are not just about handing out certificates to a few operators chosen in some secret process, instead they offer a serious peer review identifying outstanding business excellence. The list of past winners is testimony to that. Kind regards Daniel Gschwind Chief Executive QTIC 3

3 Imagine the scene... You are standing on stage at the Queensland Tourism Awards presentation night, having just received the trophy for winning your category. With the bright lights shining on you it s a bit hard to see, but out in front of you are close to a thousand of tourism s best and brightest, all applauding your achievement. Just a couple of minutes ago you were sitting at your table with your colleagues as your category was announced. The presenters made the announcement And the winner is. Screams and cheers erupted from your table as your got up and made your way slowly to the stage. So here you stand, the best of the best, in the top state for tourism in the Nation. You say a few words, which you probably won t remember. What you will remember are the feelings of pride and satisfaction, the feeling of knowing that your organisation is not only the best there is but also that your peers have recognised it as the best. And underneath it all, the feeling that all of the hard work you and your team put into the Awards was all worth it.

4 Introduction What this document is all about Winning at the Queensland Tourism Awards is the pinnacle of achievement in Queensland tourism, and there s no other experience that matches it. To win you need two things a great product and a great submission. This Guide is all about helping you create that great submission, so that one day you can be standing on that stage. Don t be concerned if it seems like there s a lot information in this Guide. It s all easy to understand and you don t have to read it in one sitting. Just a small note. The categories in the Awards cover many different types of organisations and activities, such as tour operators, events, accommodation properties, attractions, wineries and so on. For convenience only, this Guide will use the word product to describe all of these different organisations and activities. So don t be put off if product doesn t exactly describe what you are or what you do the information is still relevant. What a Submission can do for you, and what it can t do It s time for you to SHINE! Tourism Awards Judges often come away from a site visit impressed by the product they have just seen. There s passion, there s commitment to excellence, there s everything needed to provide guests with a great experience. Their report to the other Judges speaks about what a great product it is. Yet time and time again the submission disappoints. The Judges who read it don t see the passion, the commitment to excellence. The product doesn t win, and the entrant goes away disappointed, wondering where did we go wrong, and should we bother entering again? The Judge who made the site visit is mystified, wondering why the other Judges couldn t see what they saw. As said before, to win you need a great product and a great submission. A submission is like the bright lights in a jeweller s diamond ring showcase they make the diamonds sparkle. Without the lights even the finest diamond can look dull and uninviting. With lights even a lower quality diamond will look its best, and top quality diamonds will be simply stunning. That s what a great submission can do for you it showcases your product, bringing out the inner quality and making it shine. But make no mistake lights, no matter how bright, can t make a poorly cut diamond sparkle. It s the same with submissions. No submission can make your product look better than it is. So while the submission is vital, in the end whether you win or not starts and finishes with your product. All the submission can do is show why you deserve to win. But what an important job that is. Good luck and let s get started. 7

5 Important Changes to Questions and Rules For entrants who have entered previous years: For those who have prepared Tourism Award submissions in previous years, it is vital that you do NOT take your previous year s submission and update the questions as they stand. From time to time, the Category Descriptor, Category Name, Category Number, Category Questions and corresponding Tips can sometimes change even slightly. These changes may affect who can enter the category and the overall intent of the question and the expected outcome. If you just update your previous years submission you may NOT be answering the correct question. The sequence of the questions from previous years may also have changed. It is always advisable to complete your new submission with fresh eyes and re-write every question including the Tip to that question from the latest Criteria provided. If you are in doubt or have any questions, please contact the Queensland Tourism Awards Coordinator at: awards@qtic.com.au For new tourism award entrants: If you are undertaking preparation of a Queensland Tourism Award submission for the first time, please take into consideration the following points: Start early. It will always take longer than you expect. Start collecting information throughout the year and place into a file. It is recommended that you collect data and statistics that you may use in the submission, several months ahead of time. It is recommended that you start drafting your answers at least two to three months before the deadlines. This year your submission will no longer require a 30 page pdf. submission. Instead you will answer each questions through a web-based platform. No previous formatting rules apply! Instead the portal will provide entrants with tools (Table, font, Colour etc.) to write your submission. Instead of 30 pages it is now based on an overall 12,500 (8,000 for Excellence in Food Toursim) word limit, the portal will not allow you to submit if you are over this limit. Collate quality images you may use throughout the submission. 8 IntroductIon

6 Accreditation and certification requirements From 2016, select Queensland Tourism Awards entrants are required to be certified or accredited in order to be eligible for entry into the Awards program. This accreditation or certification will be in addition to the legal requirements necessary for operation of your business (e.g. registrations for vehicles and equipment, licence requirements for employees). The following accreditation programs are accepted by the Queensland Tourism Awards: CARAVAN/ HOLIDAY PARK Businesses that are part of the following groups are automatically eligible to enter the Awards program: The following categories do not require accreditation or certification to enter the Awards: Major Festivals & Events Festivals & Events Specialised Tourism Services The Richard Power Award for Destination Marketing Outstanding Contribution by a Volunteer or Volunteer Group Young Achievers Award The Marie Watson-Blake Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual. Excellence in Food Tourism Tourism Restaurants & Catering Services For further information or support please refer to or contact QTIC on (07) or via accreditation@qtic.com.au

7 Judges Site Visit What entrants are to expect and how to prepare for the site visit The site visit is an important component of your submission entry as it is worth 20 points of the total score. This site visit score is added to the written submission score to achieve your overall and final score. All entrants will receive a site visit with the following exceptions: Major Festivals & Events and Festivals & Events Entrants in these categories will be asked to provide relevant documents via . The allocated judge will call the entrant direct to discuss requirements and where applicable will visit their workplace. There will be no points awarded. Specialised Tourism Services and New Tourism Business These categories will be visited and evaluated but due to the potential diversity of entrants will not be awarded any points. The Richard Power Award for Destination Marketing, Outstanding Contribution by a Volunteer or Volunteer Group, Young Achievers Award, The Marie Watson-Blake Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual These categories do not undergo a site visit. Judges visitation process The purpose of the site visit is to assess the business being nominated and for verification of claims that may be made within their written submissions. The intention is for the judge to: Meet with the business owner or representative and inspect/sample the product being entered Verify the accuracy of information to be included in the submissions Provide guidance for the judges marking the written submissions, through the comments provided 10

8 Site visit process 1 All entrants will be contacted by the QTIC Awards Coordinator advising that they will be contacted by a judge to arrange a site inspection. 2 You will initially be contacted by phone or by your allocated Site Judge to organise a mutually agreeable time for the judge to personally visit your business. a. It is important to note that the judge that undertakes the site visit, may not be the judge who will eventually read and score your submission. Your site judge will complete a comprehensive report of their visit and this report will be provided to the judges who will eventually judge your submission. b. We understand that all entrants are busy professionals, but we ask that you be as flexible as possible with the judge s request. Judges provide their time on an unpaid basis and their time is valuable too. c. Judges will want to spend a minimum of 1 2 hours with you to talk through your business operation and see your documentation. Where possible the Judge will also like to experience your product. It is important to note that not all Judges will have the time to meet with you and also experience your product in full. That is, if you have a full day activity, participating in the full day may not be always be possible due to time constraints. Please be flexible with the Judge s itinerary and if it is possible to showcase your product in a slightly different way as to how you would your target customer, please offer this as a possible alternative. 3 The Judge will visit you on the agreed day and date. Sometimes the Judges may be running late and will contact you to confirm their arrival time. We do appreciate your understanding and flexibility. 4 On completion of the visit the Site Judge will complete a comprehensive report which is made available to QTIC and the relevant Category Judges who will be judging your written submission. TIP: ALLOW AT LEAST 2 HOURS FOR YOUR SCHEDULED SITE VISIT IntroductIon 11

9 Entrants site visit guide The site visit is designed to reflect what you will be including in your submission. The following information will provide you with an outline of what the site visit judge will be looking for. It is by no means an exhaustive list but highlights the focus areas that the Judge will be scoring on. Obviously not all suggestions will relate to all entrants. 1. Product WHAT THE JUDGES SCORE ON: Initial impact Additional services available to enhance the tourism experience brochures, tours etc. Appearance/presentation including (where applicable) building, vehicles Access, signage Improvements made in the last 12 months or realised benefits from last year TIP Ensure all the staff are aware that the judge is coming. It is not a good first impression for the judge if the staff don t know about the visit. Make sure they are knowledgeable about all aspects of the business. Explain to the judge if there are signage restrictions e.g.: shire or council Show the judge the improvements you have made e.g. new tour bus, facility renovations, new uniforms etc. 2. Business Planning WHAT THE JUDGES SCORE ON: Business plan, vision/mission statement Risk management, OH&S policies and procedures Association with other tourism organisations Promotion of awards Accreditation and certification certificates TIP Have your documents ready for the judge to sight. This demonstrates organisation as well as saves time. Display any awards, membership certificates etc. you may have. 12 IntroductIon

10 3. Marketing WHAT THE JUDGES SCORE ON: If you have a current marketing plan Website Social media sites TIP Demonstrate that your marketing plan reflects your marketing practices. The judge will look at your website and other social media sites prior to their visit. They will be looking to see if they are current and up to date, appealing, easy to navigate. Do they accurately depict and truly reflect of your business? View customer comments. 4. Customer service and professional development WHAT THE JUDGES SCORE ON: Customer service training program Customer feedback Online interaction Specific needs TIP Display your customer feedback/questionnaire forms, discuss how you use them. Demonstrate that you cater for all special needs including dietary, physical, intellectual, smokers, business travellers etc. This provides an opportunity to show the judge any initiatives that you have implemented e.g. specific menus, wheelchair access etc. 5. Sustainability WHAT THE JUDGES SCORE ON: Environmental actions Involvement with the local community and other tourism businesses TIP Provide any policies and procedures supporting your environmental actions. Demonstrate how you measure your carbon footprint? Show the judge that you are using locally made soap in accommodation, locally produced food in restaurants. Employing local people, how you support local charities, how you include local businesses in your tours etc. Show the judge that you are displaying other tourism brochures. Good luck with your site inspection! 13

11 The submission process required us to analyse all parts of our business including strategy, market segments, guest satisfaction, marketing, product, risk and safety, training, environment and community. Our strengths and weaknesses soon became evident. What gets measured gets done, and each year we worked hard to get better. Recognising our great team and working through a process that helps us continuously improve was the real benefit. Winning was just a bonus. ~ Darren McClenaghan Resort Manager, RACV Noosa Resort

12 Section 1: Managing the submission process Creating a great submission is a process. This section discusses some of the key aspects of that process. Understanding what a submission should show The questions in the awards cover many aspects of an organisation s operations. That is one of the main reasons why it can be difficult to win you have to demonstrate excellence across so many areas. While a good submission will answer the Questions, a great submission will demonstrate conclusively to the Judges that the organisation is: AWARE: it constantly scans both internal and the external environment for changes and trends; DELIBERATE: it knows where it wants to go and has strategies in place to get there; COMPREHENSIVE: it is excellent across all areas of its operations; PASSIONATE: its people care deeply about what they do; REFLECTIVE: it continually considers the results of its actions and is unafraid to make changes; INNOVATIVE: it constantly seeks out new and improved ways of doing things; COURAGEOUS: it is willing to take considered risks where warranted, and sometimes fail, in order to achieve excellence; RESPONSIBLE: it monitors and understands its effect on society and the environment and seeks to have a positive impact; INVOLVED: it understands it is part of a wider destination and industry, and that the success of its business is linked with the success of the destination and industry; METICULOUS: it pays attention to detail and knows that small things are important. That is, the submission will make your diamond sparkle. 15

13 Making the commitment Once you ve decided to enter the awards, commit to doing the best job you can. Especially if you want to win. If that s the case, there are no halfway points, no we ll give it a bit of a try and see how we go. You will be up against competition who will be moving heaven and earth to create a great submission, so you need total commitment. o tors to have If you are going to have a site visit by a Judge, commit to making sure the Judge goes away impress commit to creating the best submission you can. Set aside the time, either yours or your staff s (or both) to go through the process. If you don t have the time, consider hiring a consultant to help you. To create a great submission you should allow somewhere between 60 to 100 hours from beginning to end. If that sounds like a lot, that s because the process is intensive and thorough. But then winning your category can make a massive difference to your business. A difference that will make those 60 to 100 hours one of the best investments you ever made. So don t be put off. The awards are the most prestigious tourism awards in the state precisely because they re tough, and because the standard of entrants and submissions is so high. Entering the right category Entering the wrong category will destroy any chance you have of winning so it s important to get this right. For most products it s pretty obvious which category is the appropriate one to enter. But not always. Attractions, Festivals and Events, and Tour and or Transport Operators all have Major and Non-major categories, while there are seven Accommodation categories. For Tour and or Transport Operators the criteria makes it easier by specifying that if you employ more than 15 people full time you qualify as Major, otherwise you do not. For Festivals and Events if you exceed 50,000 visitors you are classed as a major festival and event. But for Attractions all the criteria says is that Major Attractions attract among the highest visitor numbers during the qualifying period, while tourist attractions attract significant visitor numbers. So if your product is an attraction you will need to make up your own mind. If in doubt, contact QTIC to seek advice. For Accommodation products the choice is usually straightforward. Small owner-operated accommodation providers who offer personalised service need to decide whether they will enter the Hosted Accommodation category or one of the other open categories such as Standard or Deluxe. Note that in Hosted you will mainly be competing with other small operators, while in the open categories you will be competing with large or even very large operations. However, don t let that put you off entering an open category. The history of the Awards shows that smaller operators can and do win categories such as Deluxe against much bigger competition. Again, if you are unsure contact QTIC and seek advice. TIP: ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED INTO THE RIGHT CATEGORY 16

14 Understanding the process and timeline While every organisation will go through its own journey when developing their submission, this is a fairly standard process. The common steps are: RE-READ THE JUDGES FEEDBACK FROM LAST YEAR If you entered last year, these comments will provide you with some feedback as to what the judges felt was valuable and what they felt may have been missing from your submission which could help in obtaining a better score COLLATE THE MATERIALS These include items you will need to create the submission and could include items such as your Business Plan, Marketing Plan, Risk Register and Professional Development Calendar, Customer Statistics, Client Testimonials, quality photography etc FORMAT REVIEW New rules apply due to the new online Take one last look before process, please see you submit the section two. final submission. REVIEW YOUR SKILLS AND RESOURCES Creating a submission requires access to a wide range of skills and resources. These include someone with suitable writing skills and a good proof reader, word processing, basic photo editing and graphic design, internet usage, and most importantly time. If you don t have all of these in-house, ensure you can source them from outside. 8. DEVELOP THE FIRST DRAFT SUBMIT REVIEW AND REVISE Expect to go through your draft several times before you are happy with the submission. It s unlikely that the first draft will look much like the final submission DECIDE WHO WILL WRITE THE SUBMISSION See the discussion on page 18 for more. SET MIlESTONES Develop a timeline to help keep you on track. In particular, set the milestone for the first draft well before the submission deadline. PROOFREAD A vital step. See the discussion on page 20 for more on this. This may take longer than you think. Do your stress levels A favour and do not leave it to the very last moment. Now at last you can relax. 12. REFLECT Future Business Planning Exercise After a couple of weeks, it is a good exercise to go back over your answers and identify areas where you think you could make improvements for the year ahead. Writing your Tourism Award submission is a valuable way to review and improve your business on an annual basis.

15 4 Writing the submission There are four overlapping options Write it yourself Have one or more of your staff write it Write it in-house, then hire a consultant to review the submission Hire a consultant to write the submission 1 Note that write here means not just putting down text, it also means using photos and graphics, no longer will entrants need to have experienced graphic design skills to make your submission stand out. All entrants are working with the same system and will visually look the same. The great thing about writing your submission yourself is that your passion for the business is much more likely to shine through. However, two obstacles can stand in the way. You may not be able to spend the time a good submission needs, or you may not have the writing skills. If either of these obstacles exists, it may be a good idea to consider the other options. 2 Getting one or more of your staff to write the submission can be a good idea if they have good writing skills. They also are more likely to show the passion for the business and understand it better than an external consultant. However, they also have other jobs to do, so if you go down this path make sure you allow them to set aside the necessary time, and don t just add it to their existing workload. Of course, if you are a micro tourism business you may not have any staff, so this option won t be available to you. 3 Hiring an external consultant can be an excellent way of producing a great submission. You may choose to simply have the consultant review drafts of the submission as you write them in-house and make suggestions for improvements. 4 Alternatively, you may get them to actually write the submission. If you choose to have a consultant write the submission, they will need to have strong writing skills and be able to spend the time needed. However, Awards Judges often comment that submissions written by outsiders tend to lack passion, so talk with your chosen consultant about that. and an external person will take a while to understand the business to the level needed, so make sure you are ready to spend time with them to familiarise them with the operation. Also, be aware that it will be more expensive to have a consultant write the submission rather than just review it. Hiring a consultant to write the submission doesn t mean you can walk away from the process. You will still need to be closely involved each step along the way, from familiarising the consultant with your business, to reviewing drafts as they write them, to approving the final product. Indeed, you will probably spend as much time as you would have had you written the submission yourself. But the final result should be stronger. 5 QTIC also provides a number of free entrants support programs through-out the awards process, to benefit not just first time entrants but even experienced ones that need a refresher, please visit and look at the entrant support available.

16 So, whether you develop the submission in-house or externally, make sure everyone in your organisation knows how important the Awards are, and that their support will be needed throughout the process. This is especially important at the stage where material is being sourced and collated from many areas across and outside the organisation. You may also choose to use a combination of these options. Perhaps you might write some sections and get others to write the other sections. The advantage of this approach is that it spreads the workload. The danger is that the document will include a variety of writing styles, which could make it lack coherency. So be prepared to spend time reviewing and modifying the final draft to ensure the writing styles are consistent. This is important -Regardless of which option you choose, one person in your organisation must take final responsibility for coordinating the project and ensuring the quality of the submission. How to choose a consultant Choosing a consultant is never easy. Ideally, look for a consultant with a track record of creating successful Awards submissions. Don t be afraid to ask Who have you done submissions for, and what results were achieved?. If they have a good track record in other types of submission, such as Awards in other industries, or Grant applications, that may be a good start. But be aware that Grant applications are not the same as Awards submissions they have different purpose and different readers. In particular, Grant applications don t necessarily need to show passion, they just need to show you have met the criteria. When you have made your choice, it s very important that you put down in writing what is expected from both your business and from the consultant. Document the timeframe for milestones such as the first draft, second draft and final version. Finally, make sure you are comfortable with whomever you choose. You will be working closely with these people over a few months, so make sure you get along well and have confidence in them. TIP: PRE-WARN ALL STAFF IT S TOURISM AWARD TIME Make sure everyone in your organisation knows how important the Awards are, and that their support will be needed throughout the process. 19

17 Proofreeding When you ve finished writing your submission, it can feel like the end of the process, and all you want to do is get it submitted and move on. However there s one crucial step left proofreading. There are two aspects to proofreading. First, checking that you have written an answer for every part of each question and that your answers cover everything a question is asking. Second, checking for spelling mistakes, repeated or missing words, poor grammar and sentences that don t make sense. All of these can bring your submission down. Careful proofreading is vital. Be aware of two hurdles to overcome though. First, proofreading is tedious and difficult. Tedious because it takes time, and difficult because it requires close attention to detail and continuous concentration. Second, if you wrote the submission you are actually not ideally suited to being the proofreader. Why? Because, as the writer, you know what you intended to say. And when you proofread, your mind will actually see the words you meant to say, not what is on the page. There s not much you can do about the first hurdle. You just have to put the time and effort in. But you can jump the second hurdle by doing two things. First, get someone else to do the proofreading someone who wasn t involved in the writing of the document, or at least the sections you wrote. Second, have either yourself or someone else read it out loud and slowly, word by word. If you do this you will find that repeated words, missing words, clumsy sentences, sentences that don t make sense, all of these will jump out at you. Make sure whoever reads it out, whether it s you or someone else, does so slowly. If you or they go quickly, your mind will insert what you meant to say. If you do it yourself, don t be tempted to just read it inside your head, using your inner voice. You will pick up errors much more effectively when your brain hears the words out loud it turns out that it doesn t matter that it s you who is doing the talking, what matters is the hearing. Which leaves us with spelling and grammar. Word processing programs and the new portal have good automated spelling and grammar checking tools. Good but not perfect, so you must not rely totally upon them. In particular, do not assume that because spell check finds no errors, all the spelling is correct. For example, spell check will be happy with there when it should be their, and no when it should be know'. 20 Section 1: Managing the submission process

18 Managing deadlines The Awards have a very strict deadline for putting in your submission. If you miss that deadline, it s all over for another year. That is why it is so important that you: start early in preparing for and writing your submission; set a timeline with key milestones for completion of each stage; and actively manage the project timeline. Aim to have your submission finished and uploaded at least a week before the deadline. That will give you room if there are unexpected delays. IMPORTANT TIP: THERE ARE ALWAYS UNEXPECTED DELAYS TIP:????? 22 section 1: managing the submission process

19 Notes 58 section 3: answering the questions

20 Notes 59

21 For further advice & information please contact: Queensland Tourism Industry Council P (07) E awards@qtic.com.au W queenslandtourismawards.com.au 2017Queensland Tourism Industry Council. The information and statistics shown in the fi and tables are sample only for use in the formatting process. RIS3036