Oxford County Culinary Tourism Strategy Project Methodology and Work Plan December 8, 2014 41 Britain Street Suite 403 Toronto, ON M5A 1R7 416-644- 3601 OntarioCulinary.com 1
PROJE METHODOLOGY Communication & Work Plan 1. Project Initiation Existing Inventory Collection Review of Ec. Dev. Goals 2. Background Review Review of Regional Tourism Initiatives Review of Best Practices Tourism Trends and Analysis 3. Inventory List and Mapping 4. Stakeholder Engagement Data Collection Facilitated Sessions Review and Finalize Inventory Facilitated Workshops EAT Input Category SWOTT 5. SWOTT Analysis Regional SWOTT Discussion Guide 6. Culinary Tourism Development 7. Final Report 41 Britain Street Suite 403 Toronto, ON M5A 1R7 416-644- 3601 OntarioCulinary.com 2
Phase 1: Project Initiation OA would begin this project with a phone consultation with the Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation and the County of Oxford to introduce the consulting team, gain agreement on the specific goals, firm timeline with key deliverables, reporting and administrative arrangements, schedule and reporting protocol and any other insights or needs to be considered. We anticipate regular conference calls and email correspondence to report on progress and resolve any issues or constraints in a timely manner. Action outcomes of all meetings will be delivered to Oxford County and Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation (and the Steering Committee) by the consulting team as outlined by the reporting protocol. OA would also gather all information from the County of Oxford, as well as Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation, that is, existing databases and any other regional documents and research that should be used to inform the SWOTT analysis, market readiness assessment and recommendations contained in the final report. OA Output: Revised project work plan Confirmed timeline (with completion dates and allocated staff resources) for deliverables Develop detailed strategic planning stakeholder sessions agenda Revised stakeholder meeting and outreach schedule Existing information inventory collection Phase 2: Background Review The purpose of OA s background review is to provide a general overview of cultural, outdoor and most specifically the culinary assets within the region, as well as tourism trends, forecasts and patterns identified within the region and province-wide. The background review and research will be done from OA offices in Toronto. OA will explore a variety of sources, including our extensive research database, industry reports and publicly available information to expand our knowledge of the region. Through this research, OA will gain a deeper understanding of the region and create compelling narratives that will compliment the culinary offerings and enhance product development in the region. OA Output: Research of culinary history of the Region Understanding the agriculture and food assets of the Region including existing organizations and initiatives Review of Regional Tourism Initiatives Review of Previous Consultations in 2013 and 2014 Review of International Best Practices for Culinary Tourism Product Development Review Audience Demographic and Tourism Profiles Using Existing Research (e.g. Statistics Canada - Travel and Motivations Study) Review of Regional and Provincial Tourism Trends Review of Regional Economic Development Goals and Tourism Market Background Summary Report used for OA Internal Purposes 41 Britain Street Suite 403 Toronto, ON M5A 1R7 416-644- 3601 OntarioCulinary.com 3
Phase 3: Inventory List & Mapping - The Experience Assessment Tool (EAT ) An inventory of the culinary assets in the region is an essential part of understanding culinary activity in the region and developing a tourism product. OA has extensive experience with data collection, research and development of comprehensive inventories that provide more than just functional data, but unique stories and emerging themes as well. For the purposes of this project, OA will employ the Experience Assessment Tool (EAT ), proprietary software that collects specific data relating to culinary tourism offerings and provides an analysis of market readiness for individual business and the region as a whole. The tool has been developed using OA s expertise assessing authentic food and drink experiences and includes over 50 weighted data fields that capture business details and inform a market readiness rating. A year license to the software program has been included in this quote, for a maximum of 500 businesses in the region. Additional access and/or analytics may be added a la carte. The Experience Assessment Tool (EAT ) looks at businesses across 10 categories, through the lens of a culinary tourist: Accommodations Attractions Culinary Schools Farms, Orchards, Pastures, Apiaries and Artisanal Producers Farmers Markets Festivals and Events Food Tours Restaurants Retailers Wineries, Breweries, Cideries and Distilleries Although EAT does not evaluate food organizations and regional initiatives that currently exist, through the research phase, OA does engage these organizations, and it is often recommended that a representative sit on the Project Steering Committee. A list of organizations, along with how recommendations on how they can support the development of food tourism in the region will be included in the Final Report. Businesses entered into EAT are geo-mapped. The County of Oxford would be given an access code to view the list and map of the inventory, along with simple and advanced search functionality, including custom maps to show market readiness based on business categories and/or assets or by searching the entire region. The interactive EAT model identifies clusters of market ready businesses as well as gaps in market readiness, and therefore identifies opportunity for product development within the region. EAT is a valuable resource for regions and individual businesses engaged in tourism product development. The database will also contribute to the SWOTT analysis, recommendations and final report. The final output of EAT can be easily integrated into a mobile site or as a searchable map instance on the region s website. OA assumes that access to existing business inventories will be provided. Once all data has been researched and entered into the software, OA performs in market research to verify the findings. An inventory review will be lead by OA with the County of Oxford at completion of this stage, any changes to the information will be reflected in the inventory. OA Output: Inventory and Geo-Mapping of Culinary Tourism Businesses Market Readiness Ratings for Culinary Tourism Businesses Inventory of Complementary Events and Organizations in the Region 41 Britain Street Suite 403 Toronto, ON M5A 1R7 416-644- 3601 OntarioCulinary.com 4
Client Review Session of Regional Inventory Phase 4: Stakeholder Engagement Support and contributions from stakeholder groups is critical to delivering successful tourism development. Stakeholder consultation allows members of the community to feel included, informed and encouraged to make contributions to the project. This consultation also allows stakeholders to see the value of culinary tourism. Common workshops and educational presentations offered by OA in a region include Culinary Tourism 101, Culinary Tourism Market Readiness Overview: Meeting the Expectations of a Food Tourist and facilitated regional product development sessions. Stakeholder outreach will be on-going throughout the project and will provide a forum to identify potential roadblocks and challenges in a timely manner. A discussion of opportunities and threats with stakeholders will inform the final report. OA Output: Discussion Guide for Stakeholder Sessions Facilitated Sessions Facilitated Workshops/Presentations Outcome Documentation Phase 5: SWOTT Development A SWOTT analysis will ensure that the final report is informed by a clear understanding of the opportunities and challenges surrounding culinary tourism development in the Region. Strategic actions outlined in the SWOTT analysis will speak to planning, implementation, risk assessment and market trends. SWOTT Definition Action Strengths Characteristics of the region that provide a competitive advantage over other areas - Analyzing EAT results to identify market ready businesses and clusters that are unique to the Region - Identify USP (Unique Selling Point) - Further develop these strengths Weaknesses Characteristics that place the region at a disadvantage relative to others - Review not market ready businesses identified by EAT and note the gaps - Identify areas of improvement - Note areas of risk - Strengthen areas of weakness Opportunities Threats Elements that the project and region could leverage to its advantage Obstacles that may present danger of future competitive disadvantage - Analyze EAT to review near market ready businesses and potential clusters for the region - Work with stakeholders to strengthen USP - Feasibility testing - Implement and plan - Review weaknesses of the Region - Review potential competition - Risk assessment (laws and regulations) - Contingency planning 41 Britain Street Suite 403 Toronto, ON M5A 1R7 416-644- 3601 OntarioCulinary.com 5
Trends Broad based industry and consumer actions and developments that may represent opportunities or threats to the region - Identify culinary travel trends - Review food and beverage trends - Consider consumer spending on food and beverage offerings - Align Culinary Tourism Development Plan with trends This phase will also take into consideration demographic, psychographic and geographic analysis and address seasonality challenges and opportunities within the region. OA Output: Interactive Digital Inventory with Search Engine and Geographic Cluster Mapping Inventory SWOTT Analysis by Category Full Regional SWOTT Analysis Phase 6: Culinary Tourism Development Plan In this phase OA will take the discoveries, insights and thoughts developed in the previous phase and generate opportunities and recommendations around Culinary Tourism Development and Marketing. Existing facilities and partnerships will be identified, as well as concepts for new facilities and partnerships. The recommendations around specific culinary tourism product development and implementation will be reviewed with stakeholders. Once approved, OA will create a detailed action plan and five-year strategy to develop and execute the development of culinary tourism in the region. OA Output: Presentation of Culinary Tourism Model and Development Recommendations Phase 7: Final Report Included in the Final Report will be a detailed action plan with a five-year marketing outline including branding, promotion and media engagement recommendations. Clear steps, suggested roles and responsibilities for the region and stakeholders will be outlined to ensure seamless regional culinary tourism product development. The final strategy will present all validated findings and an assessment of market readiness of local businesses for business improvement sessions. The strategy will also identify metrics and return on investment measurements for success of specific culinary tourism products with a five-year experience monitoring and further development plan. OA Output: One colour printed and bound copy of the Final Report 41 Britain Street Suite 403 Toronto, ON M5A 1R7 416-644- 3601 OntarioCulinary.com 6
PROJE WORK PLAN OA commits to completing the project by March 20, 2014 as outlined in the proposal. Note: in-market research and stakeholder engagement may be limited due to the limited timeframe. OA typically recommends six to nice months to develop a well-researched and indepth Culinary Tourism Strategy. * Consultant Team, SC Steering Committee Milestone (week of) Phase and Tactics Resources Deliverables Week 11Dec. 1 Week 2 2Dec. 8 Week 3 Dec. 15 Week 4-5 Dec. 22-9 Week 6 Jan 5 Week 8 Jan 19 Week 10 Feb 2 Week 11 Feb. 9 Week 12 Feb 16 Week 13 Feb 22 Week 14 Mar 2 Week 15 Mar 9 Week 16 Mar 16 Week 17 Mar 22 Phase 1: Project Initiation Launch Meeting (Dec. 5) and Stakeholder Kick Off Meeting (Dec. 15) SC Project Initiated Contract Signed Formalize Work plan and Deliverables Stakeholder Meeting Plan for January Inventory and Research Collection and SC Existing research (SC) Steering Committee Conference Calls and SC Phase 2: Background Review Investigate History of the Region Review Regional Tourism Initiatives Best Practices Review Tourism Trends Review Audience Demographic Review Summary Report Existing research (SC) Some SC supplied Phase 3: Inventory List and Mapping Initiate EAT Generating the Inventory SC Mapping the Inventory SC Phase 4: Stakeholder Engagement Final Work plan Stakeholder Session Agenda List of Research Existing Database Inventory On-going Communication OA Internal Report (Jan 5) Draft Regional SWOTT (Jan 30) Complete Regional Inventory Facilitated Workshops and Sessions (throughout the Region) (SC to assist with stakeholder outreach) Jan 12 & 13 Stakeholder Interviews Engaged Community 41 Britain Street Suite 403 Toronto, ON M5A 1R7 416-644- 3601 OntarioCulinary.com 7
Phase 5: SWOTT Development SWOTT Analysis Regional Analysis Phase 6: Culinary Tourism Product Development Culinary Tourism Development Presentation to Steering Committee and SC Phase 7: Final Report Final Report Development Final Report and SC Final Report Presentation to and SC Steering Committee Product Development and Marketing Plan Bound Final Report ADDITIONAL OA RESOURCES How to Plan a Regional Food Summit and Farmer Chef Meet and Greet The Chef s Guide to Procuring Local Food The Farmer s Guide to Working with the Foodservice Industry Guide to Criteria, Verification & Enforcement - Culinary Program Development Guide Guide to Creating and Formalizing Partnerships Media Relations 101 Social Media 101 Advanced Social Media 201 Developing Your Incredible, Edible Food Event: Product Development Guide Developing a Tasty Trail: Product Development Guide Let s EAT! Assessing and Achieving Market Readiness to Meet the Expectations of the Food Tourist (each business category is fully expanded upon) What are we looking for at a Farmers' Market (for Managers and/or Vendors) and How to Leverage Culinary Tourism to Grow Your Festival/Event and Attract a New Demographic Creating a Local Ambassador Program Attracting and Engaging Millennials How to Create a Provincial Food Service Designation Program CRITICAL SUCCESS FAORS Critical success factors for developing a new regional tourism product include engaging stakeholders, with shared ownership of the idea and format of the product. Having partnered with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture on the development of the Four-Year Culinary Tourism Strategy and Action Plan (2011-2015) highlighting success factors for culinary tourism development, OA is well versed in what is required to create an effective, sustainable tourism product. It is important that the region has strong leadership with a vision for Culinary Tourism. When confirming the model for the region, it is important that criteria and membership be discussed with the stakeholders for any culinary tourism product development, as well putting Return on Investment (ROI) metrics into place. The Culinary Tourism program will require clean and concise branding to identify members and continuous monitoring and development as the region s story evolves. 41 Britain Street Suite 403 Toronto, ON M5A 1R7 416-644- 3601 OntarioCulinary.com 8
CRITICAL SUCCESS FAORS Engaged Stakholders Shared Ownership Leadership ROI Metrics Membership Criteria Monitoring and Development A key success factor in the process of culinary tourism product development is outreach and communication with stakeholders. The development should be grassroots, with multiple opportunities for networking and information sharing. Multiple sustainable culinary tourism programs and product best practices will be discussed with stakeholders to ensure the community is empowered to make an informed decision on the best model for the region. From our experience, it is best to engage tourism stakeholders during the shoulder season (November to April) and the culinary community on Mondays (as they are typically small businesses which are closed at that time). We would suggest using a combination of methods to reach out to the stakeholders, including multiple stakeholder meetings and on-line surveys with follow up phone calls and emails to verify the information collected. 41 Britain Street Suite 403 Toronto, ON M5A 1R7 416-644- 3601 OntarioCulinary.com 9
41 Britain Street Suite 403 Toronto, ON M5A 1R7 416-644- 3601 OntarioCulinary.com 10