Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1        Relevant Background Information

1.1       A paper noting the positive impact of the first three State of the City: Development Debates in 2010/2011 was presented to Development Committee in June 2011. Participants agreed or strongly agreed that the content was interesting and all and agreed or strongly agreed that that the content was relevant.

1.2       The fourth State of the City: Development Debate was held on the 28th June 2011. Neil Gibson from Oxford Economics presented research commissioned by Belfast City Council (and presented to Committee in June 2011) on Belfast’s competitiveness. The event was extremely well attended and has supported Members’ later deliberations on the strategic direction of the Development Committee and the wider corporate planning debates, particularly in terms of economic development.

1.3       The State of the City: Development Debates are there to support and move forward the wider work of the council. During the recent workshops with Members the need for city leadership, a focus on city marketing and tourism and the need to sell and strong brand to international partners were all raised as key challenges for the council. To this end it is proposed that the next three State of the City: Development Debates focus on city marketing. 

2          Key Issues

2.1       The suggested dates for the next three SOTC seminars have been revised to October/November (this depends entirely on speaker availability – we would hope for October but may need to go with November) and December 2011/January 2012

and March 2012. Typically the speakers for these events need considerable notice to ensure availability.

2.2              October 2011

            European wide example

Dr John Heely, Chief Executive of European Cities Marketing. He also runs his own company, Best Destination Marketing. 

2.3       European Cities Marketing provides a platform on a pan-European basis for cities to perform better in their convention and tourism activities through the exchange of knowledge and best practice within a city marketing framework. European Cities Marketing is promoting and linking the interests of more than 120 members from more than 100 major cities in 32 countries.

2.4       ‘Dr. John Heeley is an excellent lecturer and I am happy that he is one of our regular speakers on city marketing. His academic background combined with his 20 years experience in leading destination marketing organisations makes him one of the highest rated lecturers by the students in our international postgraduate MSc in Urban Management’ Dr Erik Braun, Lecturer, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

2.5       December 2011

            Manchester

            Andrew Stokes, Chief Executive, Marketing Manchester

2.6       Andrew joined Marketing Manchester in 1999 as director of destination marketing and became chief executive in November 2001. Originally from London, Andrew studied in Liverpool and began his career in the theatre sector, at The Liverpool Playhouse and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society. This was followed by a move back to London to the Royal Albert Hall and later appointment as director of sales and marketing for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Andrew is chairman of Manchester Pride and a board member of Manchester International Festival, CityCo Ltd, Manchester Central (the City's international convention and exhibition centre) and Piccadilly Partnership. Andrew was chairman of Cultureshock, the award-winning multi-arts festival that surrounded the XVII Commonwealth Games in 2002. Andrew lives in Chorlton, Manchester and enjoys spending time at the cottage he restored on the west coast of Ireland.

2.7       March 2012

            Edinburgh

Kenneth Wardrop, Head of Destination Edinburgh Marketing Alliance.

Kenneth Wardrop is an economic development and tourism professional with twenty five years experience working in Economic Development.  Kenneth took up the post of Head of Destination Edinburgh Marketing Alliance in May 2008, seconded by the City of Edinburgh Council to deliver this new city promotion project.

2.8       From October 2006 until May 2008 Kenneth was the Interim Head of Economic Development with the City of Edinburgh Council responsible for Economic Policy and Strategy, Regeneration, Tourism, Edinburgh’s Winter Festivals, and Access to Training and Employment.  His experience has primarily been in the development and implementation of evidenced based economic and tourism strategy and policy, destination promotion and marketing, the provision of tourism infrastructure, visitor facilities and attractions, and the delivery of high profile events previously in Stirling and district and most recently in the City of Edinburgh. 

2.9       Major projects have included  Edinburgh’s Winter Festivals (including Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and Christmas),  the refurbishment of the National Wallace Monument in Stirling, the redevelopment of the Old Town Jail and Stirling Youth Hostel, regeneration of Stirling’s old town, the Rob Roy, Trossachs, Aberfoyle  and Breadalbane Visitor Centres in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, the 700th Anniversary Celebrations for the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1997,  and the MTV European Music Awards 2003.  Kenneth is a Director of the Edinburgh Convention Bureau Limited. 

3          Resource Implications

3.1       The budget for State of the City is £35,000 and is included in the PBDU budget for 2011/2012.

4          Recommendations

4.1       Members are asked to approve the three proposed speakers for the next phase of State of the City.”

            After discussion, during which the Director undertook to investigate the feasibility of identifying a suitable speaker from the Irish Technology Leadership Group to provide an address to the Council as part of the State of the City debate series during their visit, the Committee agreed to adopt the recommendations.