Top Dorset dragons implement pitches from BU undergrads
Owner of the Chocolate Boutique Hotel Gerry Wilton with students and staff
In an experience akin to the adrenaline rush of pitching to the worldly dragons on dragons den, BA (Hons) Events Management and BA (Hons) Leisure Marketing undergrads from BU’s School of Tourism have been pitching their ideas to Dorset’s top businesses.
Three of the business which have taken their chosen students idea forward includes Aruba, the Chocolate Boutique Hotel, and The Captains Club Hotel.
This involved the Events and Leisure students being given a project brief, preparing a consultancy report identifying a gap in the market for a new event or leisure product and outlining a fully cost effective business case.
The team who won Matthew Piovan, Operations Manager at Aruba’s attention proposed to bring ‘Ascot to Aruba’, with the students already working with Matthew to make the event a reality this Autumn,
“Every year the students manage to come up with wonderful new event concepts for Aruba that give me the ideas and inspiration for events that we can actually carry out throughout the group. This year was no different with an excellent range of ideas, well thought out, researched and presented.”
Owner of the Chocolate Boutique Hotel Gerry Wilton was so impressed by the winning events students proposal he is already in the process of organising their idea, a chocolate festival for families in line with national chocolate day.
“I was surprised and pleased by the quality of ideas that were presented to me. Detailed thought was given to the theme, marketing and finance of all ideas and most importantly profit.”
Other ideas being carried forward by the dragons include a Titanic black tie event this coming October at The Captains Club.
Read MoreBU’s John Fletcher speaks to BBC Radio 4 about the changing economics of UK tourism
Professor John Fletcher
Professor John Fletcher spoke to BBC Radio 4’s Face the Facts programme today about the economy of the UK Tourism industry, and what patterns are expected to arise in the near future.
John revealed that the UK tourism industry is the 3rd largest export after the chemical and financial industries, and it affects every sector of the UK economy, from hotels, to transport and agriculture.
Also giving the tourism industry credit for being ‘incredibly resilient’, as it survives natural disasters like Tsunamis. Although with residents outside of the EU having to apply for two visas to visit the UK under the current Schengen agreement John said,
“It is harder to come to the UK than it ever has been, it is forecast over the next 17 years that tourism will grow by 60%, half of this statistic is expected to be Chinese, the effort expected of them to get a UK Visa is crazy.”
John also says that domestic tourism shouldn’t be forgotten, as it is a large part of the tourism economy, and that the Olympics may even bring a dip in tourism to the UK as visitors will be dissuaded by crowding, but credits the UK’s appeal,
“We have so much going for us, we have a gift of presenting our culture and heritage, even in the rain!”
To listen to the full programme featuring John’s interview, tune into BBC Radio 4’s Face the Facts programme on July 11 at 12.30, and July 15 at 21.30.
Read MoreEvents students pitch in Dragons Den to CEO
Events management students were challenged to a Dragons Den style entrepreneurial presentation on Tuesday 24 of April, fighting for the ‘investment’ of Tony Brown CEO of Beales department stores.
Other Dragons included Events Management Programme leader Pearl Morrison and Miguel Moital, Senior Lecturer in Events Management.
There were 4 presentations throughout the morning, each trying to impress Tony Brown to be awarded the best business idea to suit Beales, £100 worth of vouchers and a day shadowing the CEO himself at work.
The first group proposed a ‘Toytastic’ ticketed event, which did impress the Dragons, although they were criticised for using inaccurate marketing and advertising costs, and not using enough digital marketing.
Francesca Gorvin, a student from the ‘Toytastic’ group said after her presentation,
“I think it went really well and we had a few issues with group dynamics in the year, so think that now that has been resolved I think it was a good turn out and it has been received well by the dragons.”
Other presentations included a ‘Gourmet junk food’ event, which would feature a celebrity chef teaching students how to cook healthy typical junk food meals focusing on discounted cooking equipment, ‘Beales be beautiful’ a complimentary focused fashion and beauty event, and ‘Beales Olympics’ focused on using the Xbox kinect to hold Olympic based competitions in store.
Tony Brown CEO of Beales department stores described the presentations as ‘very innovative’ and will probably use ‘some aspect of all of them’. He also gave some practical advice to the events students,
“I think it would be useful for students to get involved in the real commerciality of what businesses do… to understand the rationale about what stands behind it and the real costs, as that’s the bit that I think most groups have missed.”
After all the tough pitching and stiff competition Tony declared each team a winner, stating the ideas were all so innovative he could see them all working in the store, promising to duplicate the voucher money for each team.
Dragon Pearl Morrison said,
“The students did so well Tony Brown couldn’t choose the best one which is phenomenal really, so we are really proud that they have come on from the journey from their tour around Beales to standing up in our board
room at Bournemouth University today and doing their presentations.”
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BA Leisure Marketing invites all Alumni to 21st celebrations
Alumni are invited to join this celebration of 21 years of Leisure Marketing, organised by a group of current ‘BALM’ students.
Come celebrate, catch up and be reBUnited with alumni friends and lecturers of Bournemouth University. See how the course and University has evolved and raise money in memory of accomplished Leisure Marketing academic Mike Morgan.
Saturday 17 March 2012, 7:30pm – 11:30pm
The Balfour Suite, Bournemouth Football Club, King’s Park, BH7 7AF
Price: £15 – book your tickets at: http://balm21st.eventbrite.co.uk
Dress code: Smart casual
The evening includes full buffet, venue bar, team quiz, networking activities, speeches and a raffle with proceeds creating a commemorative legacy for accomplished academic Mike Morgan.
Please forward any memorable digital photos taken whilst on the BALM course for use on the event night. Also if you have any dietary requirements or queries please email us at: balm21st@gmail.com
We look forward to celebrating with you!
As BALM students, we like to think about the environment! Please consider using public transport to the
Read MorePlanner for the school of Tourism triathalon hits local press
Louise Hanlon-Brooks and her family on the day of the triathalon
Louise Hanlon-Brooks, 39, a mother of three and a resources planning manager for the School of Tourism at Bournemouth University, took part in the challenge to raise money for The Stroke Association, after her father, Roger, suffered a series of mini-strokes in October 2011 on Christmas day.
Her story was published in the Bournemouth Echo today which you can read in full here.
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