CAAN – Overview of Current Marketing Opportunities

Dear Activity Providers,

We realise that there has been quite a lot of correspondence over the past 10 days regarding various marketing opportunities currently available within CAAN’s websites.

It is exciting to have so many marketing opportunities available to the industry at this stage but each campaign can only be successful with industry support.

The purpose of this post is to provide a summary of the current marketing opportunities and outline the priority in which they should be addressed.

Step 1 – Update CanoeNI.com (Canoeing Providers only)

CanoeNI.com will be re-launched tomorrow (Wed 3rd November), in fact the early stages of the newly developed website will be live today to allow for final/ tweaks and development.

What do you need to do:

No previous information on canoeing providers has been retained from the previous website therefore it is important you update your information such as canoeing profile, canoeing events, canoe hire and guided trips to ensure you receive prominence on the website.

When:
NOW – the site is live and only those who have been updated will receive enquiries!!

Further information on how to do this is available at: http://forum.outdoorni.com/Thread.aspx?ID=213

Step 2 – OutdoorNI.com Christmas Campaign

OutdoorNI.com is launching a Christmas campaign in mid November with the aim of generating enquiries and revenue for activity providers at a typically quiet time of the year.

What do you need to do:

To take part you are required to submit Gift Vouchers for Activity Experiences. These vouchers should be valid for at least 6 months.

When:
The campaign will be launched in mid November so all gift vouchers should be uploaded by Friday 12th November.

For further information on the Christmas Campaign see:
http://forum.outdoorni.com/Thread.aspx?ID=209

Step 3 – Northern Ireland’s Big Adventure Weekend

Northern Ireland’s Big Adventure Weekend will be taking place on 9th & 10th April 2011. The aim is to increase the awareness of the wide range of outdoor activities available in Northern Ireland to both the Northern Irish population and the day tripper from the Republic of Ireland.

The event will be promoted by a fully integrated marketing campaign supported and funded by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board

What do you need to do:
Submit at least two activity events for the weekend 9th & 10th April 2011. To ensure consistency there are minimum requirements.

When:
All events should be submitted by 30th November 2010. This is to allow NITB and CAAN to construct the marketing plan.

For further information on Northern Ireland’s Big Adventure Weekend see:
http://forum.outdoorni.com/Thread.aspx?ID=211

Step 4 – OutdoorNI.com re-launch

OutdoorNI.com is currently undergoing a significant redesign to further increase the number of enquiries and referrals generated to activity providers. The target date for re-launch is early 2011.

To ensure you receive prominence on the redesigned website it is important you take action before the end of November 2010.

What do you need to do:

Activity Ideas
-This is a new area on OutdoorNI.com so it is the priority area for you to update.
-These Activity Ideas are not date specific but provide an opportunity for you to upload your 5 ‘best sellers.’
-There are several examples in the User Guide to give guidance on the type of information required

When:
It is important to upload these activity ideas by the end of November as CAAN will use these to create suggested itineraries for each area. If you haven’t uploaded an activity idea you will not be included in these itineraries.

Further information including the new User Guide – How to get the best from OutdoorNI.com is available at http://forum.outdoorni.com/Thread.aspx?ID=210
This clearly explains the simple steps to take to maximize your presence on the website and is also full of inspirational examples for you to adapt to your business.

10th Activity Tourism Forum Meeting Notes

The meeting notes for the 10th Activity Tourism Forum held at Greenmount Agricultural College on Oct 19th are available to download from the following link http://forum.outdoorni.com/Thread.aspx?ID=212
It was great to see a record turnout on the day.

If you have any questions or queries regarding these marketing opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact me or any of the CAAN marketing team.

Kind Regards,

Chris Scott
Activity Tourism Manager
CAAN
02890 306 940
chris@countrysiderecreation.com