Award Information Workshop

Presented by Nicola Jean Smith, Awards Manager

Workshop Overview

• What’s New in 2014?

• Why Enter?

• Judge Announcements

• Myth Busting

• Benefits of participation

• Online Entry Process

• Award Scoring

• What are judges looking for?

MRCCI & AMRTA Collaborate

• 7th MRCCI Awards now inaugural award collaboration

• Strategic member services program

• Industry development to create benchmark for best practice

• Promote business planning in local business

– Offer networking opportunities

• Regional progression – WARSBA

• Encourage, celebrate and publicly recognise creativity, professionalism and innovation

What’s New – Why Enter?

• $2,000 industry development prize for overall best business

• Simple step by step process

– Written Entry Award Submission 75%

– Pre-arrange Site Visit 25%

• Out of region judging panel JUDGE ANNOUNCEMENT

• Judge feedback

• Score against WARSB Awards – Regional progression

JUDGE ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Margaret Wilson – 30 Years of tourism & hospitality industry in WA – WA Brand Manager for Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) – Current consulting to number of clients for ISA Group – Recipient of prestigious Sir David Brand Medal - Services to WA

tourism industry

• Meng Wong – Group Managing Director Blue Travel & Education Group – Perth based Asian wholesaler, inbound tourism company handling

Asian clients visiting Australia – Board Director ATEC for 4 years

• Talking to Qantas, Curtin University, South West Institute of Technology

Why Enter? …benefits!

• Product/Services • Marketing • Staffing • Customer Care • Business

Performance • Vision • Community • Industry Involvement

The submission writing is a

structured analysis to assess

your business performance from

every angle.

Cultivate & celebrate!

Promotional Benefits

• Local industry recognition

• Independent 3rd party endorsement

• Acknowledgment through local associations

• Promotional opportunities through AMRTA, MRCCI, local press and social media avenues

• AMRTA & MRCCI on-line exposure

• Finalist & Winner Logo’s that offer a competitive edge to market to encourage new business

Key Dates

• Nominate Now – Enter Later!

• Nominate Close - Fri 27 June, 2014

• Submission Close - Fri 25 July, 11:59pm

• Site Visit – End July to late August

• Finalists Announced

• Award Event Presentation Night

– Thursday 4 September, Aravina Estate

Myth Busting

• Too expensive?

• Its to arduous?

• I don’t have enough time?

• My business is not in Margaret River?

• I’m too small or just not ready?

• Sharing financials?

Only $50 to enter

Step by step process

7 weeks to go

20 mins = 250 words a day

Open to all members

Perfect - value is in the process

Sound statistics, percentage

references, charts and graphs

www.mrcci.com.au/awards

• /nomination – Award Handbook.pdf

TIP – READ & JUST PRINT PAGES YOU REQUIRE

TIP – NOMINATION FORM – need to scan and upload

• /nomination – open & deadline Fri 27 June, 2014

– Live for Award Handbook download

– Live for upload and & payment Nomination Form

• /submission – open & deadline Fri 25 July, 11:59pm

– Will open for Approval Written Submission mid July

Award Handbook

• Award Handbook BIBLE

• Conditions of Entry

• 16 categories and criteria (retail just updated)

• WARSBA

• Qualification Period – 1 July 2013 – 30 June 2014 CRITICAL

• Review Category Questions and start writing

• Format Guidelines EASY POINTS – see Conditions of Entry

• Nominate Now – upload & pay online

Format Guidelines

• Conditions of Entry – Format Guidelines EASY POINTS

• Cover Page & Contents Page

• 12 point size ARIAL font with 1.5 line spacing

• 1.7cm margins top to bottom, right to left

• No more than eight pages of tables & graphs

• Keep to word count requirements for each question

• Bullet points are encouraged

• Final Award Submission to be uploaded as PDF document

Award Handbook

• Nomination Form

– Judge Support

– WARSBA Category TICK

• Submission

– Tick Judge Feedback

– Outlines Submission Entry Upload requirements

• Entry Form

• 100 word overview

• 5 – 10 hi-res images for publicity purposes

• 1 x hi-res business logo

Online Entry Process

Award Scoring

• The judge scoring your written submission will not be the judge doing your site visit

• Total Score 75% Submission

25% Site Visit

• Business Categories 21 questions

• Tourism Categories 21 questions + Category specific and Accreditation

Site Visit

• Member of the judging team end July to late August, 2014

• Be prepared as judges have fixed time

• Ensure all documents referred to in the submission are ready for the judge to have a look at

• Good idea to rehearse the site inspection so nothing is left out

• Great to staff member who wrote the submission at the visit

Overall - Judges look for?

• A financially sound business

• A thorough and sound business plan and an innovative marketing plan

• A business that knows its customers and has a service culture

• A passionate and innovative submission that clearly illustrates a business striving for excellence

• A business that has made a significant contribution to the local business and tourism community

Submission

• Easy points – Handbook Format Guidelines

• Keep within the qualifying period

• Keep comments concise and relevant

• Let the passion you have for your business shine through, highlight what is unique

Submission

• Make sure you substantiate and illustrate all claims, solid examples

• Demonstrate strategic thinking and a planned approach

• Include financial &/or statistics and comparisons from previous years

• Mention Accreditation

Submission Errors

• Not answering each question in full

• Lack of quantifiable references

• Insufficient response to financial/business statistics

• Lack of consistency and accuracy when stating figures

• Graphs and tables difficult to understand

Business Overview

• 250 word overview • Never assume the reader already knows your product • Offer historical information - how did your business/product

come about? • Avoid using sweeping claims • Mention any accreditation

Business Model

Products/Services • Describe your types and range of products and services • What type of customers are they best suited to • How are these products and services delivered to your

customers – do you have a shop front, restaurant, work from home, have an online store, run tours?

Business Model

Innovative Business Practices • Do you have innovative ways of doing business and servicing

your current customers? • Is it your marketing, recruiting, ordering, manufacturing or

planning that sets you apart from your competition? • Explain what you feel is innovative or diverse to make your

business different?

Marketing – Target Market/s

• Describe your main customer/clients/target markets.

• Is there Tier 1, Tier 2 or primary or secondary targets. Indicate what % of each of your target markets make up your total business. Use a table with target marketing, definition and current percentage splits.

• Market Research – AMR Shire, AMRTA, WATC descriptions?

IDEA – AC NEILSON DEMOGRAPHICS eg AB+, target descriptions

• Which target do you actively chase the most business from ?

Marketing – Strategy & Results

• Fresh ideas (wow factor), think outside the box, fun creative

• Traditional marketing eg local letterbox drops, local advertising

• Online marketing eg website, social media

• Innovative email marketing, SMS alerts or social media?

• How do you measure effectiveness ?

IDEA – TABLES, MEASURABILITY IS KEY, ANALYTICS, ENEWS STATS

Marketing - Competitive

Competitive advantage? Do you sell key points of difference?

• Do you promote/sell special and unique points of difference. • Is it your services and products, is it your brand or is it your

community involvement? • Competitive reports? • What makes your customers call you first? Are you on a main

road, are you easily seen by passer’s by? Are your contact details easy to find in the phonebook, online or the local newspaper?

• You may have extended opening hours & be available for emergencies?

Staffing

Strategies for retaining & motivating staff?

• Demonstrate a strong commitment to training and development

• Demonstrate training outcomes • Evidence of formal and informal training programs • Documented procedures and/or training

IDEAS – Staff incentives, Member of the Month reward

Vision – Plan for Growth

• Refer to a Business Plan

• Do you have plans to grow/diversify your business in the future?

• Target emerging markets, penetrate existing markets

• Do you feel your current staff levels are adequate to service your existing customer base?

• Research methods or stakeholder reporting?

• Growth in your local area or is there potential development that would lead to future growth in your customer base?

• Will you require further staff to service new customers?

Vision

• Do you have plans to enter new markets, supply new products or expand your reach into existing markets?

• If you have one, refer to business plan for this information.

• Provide relevant information as to how your business has expanded in the qualification period and what is planned for the next 12 – 24

Vision

• Determine strategic or long term direction

- What is the strategic or long term direction of your business and what resources or research, financial or business statistics underpin this vision

- Where would you like to see your business in five to 10 years?

Customer Care

• What strategies did your business use to attract customers?

• This can include elements of your MARKETING section.

• Identify how needs of customers are actually identified and how you care for people with specific needs?

• How do you actually get customers coming through the door, calling your number, visiting your website or booking online?

• Strong points of difference with competitors

• PR, brand establishment, wholesale product

• Policy on response time to enquiry for all trade and consumer customers and how this is monitored

Customer Care

• Customer retention strategies

• Do you have a loyalty program?

• Do you maintain a customer database which you use to contact customers with things like specials or what’s new with the business? Or is it the quality of your staff and customer service that keeps people coming back?

• What strategies do you have in place to keep your customers returning? Do you have a customer service plan and policies in place?

Customer Care

• Measuring Customer Satisfaction?

• Do you measure what customers think of your business or the products or services you sell?

• Can you provide stories of customer feedback and explain how you responded to the feedback?

Business Performance

YOU DON’T HAVE TO PROVIDE FINANCIALS

• Business turnover and profitability. Use percentages and figures to indicate the rates of growth or decline. • Use graphs to indicate reporting eg month to month

figures year on year. • Represented in revenue, tour numbers, bed nights,

product gross sales figures. • Indicate % increase or decrease amounts. • Commentary for activity changes is of key interest for

judges to see how you responded or how you put risk mitigation strategies in place.

Business Performance

• Actively monitoring performance V business plan. • How is business performing overall? • Are your business activities and performance in-line with your

business plan? IMPORTANT – MEASURABILITY IS KEY MILESTONES, STAFF ON COMMISSION BASED TARGETS P&L WEEKLY REPORTING or MONTHLY REPORTING QTRLY UPDATES from ACCOUNTANT or CONTRACT STAFF

Tourism Industry Involvement

• Need to highlight an active involvement in the industry

• Commitment at all levels

• Judges looking for those that want to add to the WA and Margaret River Region experience

• Looking for those who go above and beyond normal activities

THANK YOU & nominate now!

AWARDS TEAM CONTACT

Awards Manager Nicola Jean Smith

awards@margaretriver.com

Awards Co-Ordinator Caris Pepper

awards@mrcci.com.au

Website www.mrcci.com.au/awards