2013 DCBA Strategic Plan - Destination Cape Breton Association

The following tools will be used again in 2013 along with the introduction of a new mentorship programto ensure that the groundwork started in 2012 will achieve both the required and desired results forvisitor experiences.“The 12 Essentials of a Cape Breton Experience”: In order to ensure consistent and quality products,the need exists to continue evaluating our tourism product (constantly and consistently), as well as towork closely with each operator who has undergone an assessment so that they are able to effectivelyidentify and address areas that require improvement. As a result of delivering a series of ExperientialTourism workshops and one-on-one mentorship sessions with operators who have undergone the 12Essentials assessment in 2012, there is now increased opportunity to open the lines of communicationbetween DCBA and the operators and create a more engaging and approachable relationship betweenall parties involved to ensure that the goal of building and delivering a quality tourism experience can beachieved.Accelerated Market Readiness Program (AMR): AMR refers to a business improvement program thatoffers individual tourism operators the ability to increase their standards of excellence and be moreresponsive to emerging tourism trends in an inexpensive and timely manner.The purpose of the AMR program is to give tourism operators the opportunity to engage with anindependent qualified tourism expert on issues specific to their own operation to see if they are truly“market ready.” In its simplest form, being “market-ready” translates into being positioned to maximizethe customer experience which will in turn lead to an optimization of sales levels for that tourismoperation. The AMR process allows the operator the chance to think about the areas of the businessthey would like to target for improvement and seek the proper advice from the tourism consultant attheir very own place of business, not in a conference setting.AMR allows tourism operators the opportunity to participate in a practical hands-on mentoring typetraining program that examines issues specific to their business. From their discussion with the tourismconsultant they receive the benefit of advice from an independent expert who will benchmark theirbusiness and leave them with a concise report complete with suggestions for improvements that can bemade to their own operation. Most importantly, the program is offered in a very time efficient andinexpensive manner for the operator.The 11 operators that went through the AMR assessment in 2012 identified the below as “next step”priorities.Participants will work on implementing the following development efforts independently:9 of 11 operators (81%) would benefit from enhanced signage.8 of 11 operators (73%) would benefit from the development/enhancement of a business plan.7 of 11 operators (64%) would benefit from a façade program.6 of 11 operators (55%) would benefit from the development of a clear positioning statement.5 of 11 operators (45%) would benefit from retail design.DCBA will support participants in the following development efforts:5 of 11 operators (45%) would benefit from standardized staff training.15