What happens when reality kicks in…

A week in politics…
Following the election, reality has kicked in for politicians this week, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats being forced to work together in coalition.

One of the more fascinating aspects of the aftermath of the election was seeing news being created before our eyes. Friends and colleagues confessed to being fascinated by the ongoing possibility of hearing indiscretions in off the cuff remarks, hastily organised press conferences and opportunistic pavement interviews. There’s no doubt in my mind that thanks to this type of reality television, we’ve been able to witness history in the making and gained more insight into the workings of politics.

Incidentally, Weston Super Mare MP John Penrose has been appointed to the new post of Tourism Minister, and Jeremy Hunt confirmed as Secretary of State for Culture, Media, Olympics and Sport in the new UK coalition government.

…demonstrating the power of reality television

The election aftermath also made me appreciate even more the power of reality television. Production companies love it because it’s relatively cheap television to make, yet the ‘fly on the wall’ approach can provide great entertainment value. So this week I wanted to look at winners and losers in reality shows featuring businesses involved in tourism and the UK visitor economy.

A poisoned chalice for accommodation providers?

Accommodation providers featured in reality shows can expect immediate efects on business. I can be certain of this because I’ve interviewed some recent participants. It also helps of course that accommodation providers take advance bookings, and have the opportunities to ask people how they heard about the business either when they enquire, or during their stay.

‘Three in a Bed’ is the latest and greatest Channel 4 tourism reality show I’ve seen(Wednesdays 8pm). It features three bed and breakfast accommodation providers each week testing out an overnight stay in each others premises, and paying what they think it’s worth on check out afterwards. They also take their fellow operators off on a jaunt to a local visitor attraction to give them a flavour of the destination.

I urge you to watch it, partly for its sheer entertainment value; but more importantly as an opportunity to learn from the successes and mistakes of others if you’re operating in any type of service industry.

The opportunity to see yourself as others see you, another thing that this programme highlights,  is an extremely useful exercise. That’s one of the reasons why most of the successful operators featured in the series pay to have themselves inspected and graded by Visit Britain.

It’s become apparent that it’s not always the most highly graded business that ‘wins’ the collective accolade from fellow owner managers each week. It seems to be more down to hard work, attention to detail when it comes to customer service, and value for money.  Part of the deal is that guests are free to choose to overpay or underpay for their stay on check out, depending on how they feel. The greatest entertainment value comes mainly from seeing victims of criticism and underpayment burning with resentment for the entire programme as a result of their experience.

In actual fact, none of the Visit Britain 5 star Gold award winning establishments featured in the programme has won any of the programmes I’ve seen. What’s fascinating is that it actually doesn’t appear to really matter who wins. The programme’s a winner because what it does is to show up, and indeed showcase,  the strengths and weaknesses of each business and business owner, and how they handle people, praise and criticism.

Tourism is a people industry, and the programme shows clearly that people who take genuine pride in giving excellent customer service can expect to be successful. Great people can make a huge impact.

What this programme also demonstrates that there are some people who need real help if they’re ever to make a success of hospitality. They need to learn to be accepting of constructive critism, and above all to enjoy working with people. To be truly successful in hospitality, you need more than drive and passion; you need empathy.

Do programmes deliver measurable business?

I interviewed two businesses featured in recent episodes of ‘Three in a Bed’ (neither of them a ‘winner’ of the programme in which they featured). I wanted to guage whether they thought that their business had benefited from the coverage. The results of this admittedly unscientific straw poll were overwhelmingly positive.

Jenny Hadfield of Jeakes House,  Rye, was very positive and told me that she’d received a lot of interest in the form of enquiries since the programme was broadcast. Her email inbox had got jammed at one point, and she was pleasntly surprised to find that a lot of the interest was from past guests and other friends.  She also felt particularly pleased ‘to have the opportunity to show a good bit of Rye off on national television’, something that she felt could benefit th ancient Sussex town as a destination in the longer term.

Anna Deacon of the funky new Arthouse Bed and Breafast, Canterbury was also very positive about the benefits of participation.  She told me that she’d received 87 email enquiries on the same evening the programme was broadcast, and 10 bookings the following day, with many people commenting that they loved her idea of the relaxed self service continental breakfast they offer. It might not be for everyone, as it was something unanimously criticised by the other business owners in the programme, who pride themselves on the breakfasts they provide.

Longer term benefits for visitor attractions ?

I have to declare a personal interest, in that I was once filmed by Keo films for a BBC2 reality show, at work delivering a marketing training course. It was attended by Tom Hart Dyke of Lullingstone Castle in Kent. Although the  footage was destined for the  series ‘Save Lullingstone Castle’, my moment of fame ended up on the cutting room floor. It could happen to you.

Tom can confirm that both series, including the subsequent ‘Return to Lullingstone Castle’, had the benefit of raising awareness of Lullingstone (and him as a self confessed ‘plant nut’ and horticultural expert)  as well as helping to turn the fortunes of the family run estate around.

A more recent programme in the Channel 4 series ‘Country House Rescue’ fronted by Ruth Watson, aimed to do a similar job for the gardens of Riverhill House, near Sevenoaks, also in Kent. It looks like they’re making a good go of the positive boost to their profile given to them by the programme, and I wish them good luck with the Himalyan themed landscape garden.

Nearby Sissinghurst Castle has also been the beneficiary of reality TV, but as that series of programmes showed, part of the reality concept’s enteratinment value is that it does tend to give a warts and all portrait of participating personalities. Some of it may be down to judicious editing, but I feel it likely that Sarah Raven may not have completely satisfied with her portrayal in the saga of tablecloths and menu changes she wanted for the property’s restaurant in the teeth of strong resistance by staff.

Generally though, reality television can be a great way for visitor attractions to boost awareness,  and through that, to increase visitor numbers or admmissions in the longer term.

As Anna Decon of Arthouse bed and breakfast in Canterbury admitted to me  at the end of our conversation ‘ we were a bit naive when we went into it’; but there’s no doubt that she and partner John Taylor also found the overall experience beneficial. Her parting advice to businesses thinking of signing up for exposure in a reality show?  ‘Be careful’.

I work for Manifold Associates, and my colleague Vivienne Boucher develops and delivers PR, marketing and e-business training for tourism businesses. Much of this work is delivered on behalf of Tourism South East and East of England Tourism.

Until next time…

Travel by Javelin: benefit from high speed

As soon as I found myself planning to attend an event at the British Library, which is adjacent to London St Pancras, I decided it would be an ideal opportunity for me to try out South Eastern’s  new domestic Javelin high speed rail service. It started operating a permanent full daily timetable at the beginning of this week, following several months of less frequent ‘preview’ services on weekdays only.

What’s new?

The new services allow for better use to be made of High Speed One, Britain’s first and only high speed rail line,  linking London to the Channel Tunnel, and on to Paris and Brussels. Previously it was only accessible to international travellers using Eurostar services to Calais, Lille, Paris or Brussels.

Javelin trains have brought a dramtic reduction in domestic journey times between London and large swathes of Kent, making commuting from and visiting the ‘Garden of England’  a much more attractive proposition on new or upgraded track. Ashford is now down to a journey time of 37 minutes from London St Pancras; and passengers from Ebbsfleet International can make the trip to St Pancras or vice versa in under 20 minutes. It’s also now possible for domestic rail passengers to interchange with international services in Ebbsfleet International for the first time, in addition to Ashford International.

Javelins are now operating beyond Ebbsfleet International, to Gravesend, the Medway towns where Charles Dickens grew up (Strood, Rochester,  Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham) and continue down the north Kent coast to Sittingbourne, the foodie haven of Faversham, and stations to Margate and Broadstairs, including trendy Whitstable and more sedate Herne Bay. Taking the high speed line to Ashford, Javelins now continue beyond it to the World Heritage city of Canterbury(West), Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate; or Folkestone, and Dover. More information about visiting Kent.

Javelin timetable information

What’s different about the trains?

Once you activate and enter inside sliding doors, you’lll find smart dove grey and Air Force blue interiors with concealed lighting and overhead digital information signs updating you with information about the next station stop and connecting services, in addition to audible information announcements. Plush comfortable seats are set two by two each side of a central aisle. I particularly noticed almost half in the less popular backward facing position in my carriage. There are relatively shallow overhead luggage racks above the seating,  some space for luggage under seats, and at least one open storage rack in each carriage as well.

Currently it is not possible to make seat reservations, although I noticed an electronic system in place on the outside wall above each row of seats, to make it possible in the future.  Ticket checks were made on both legs of my particular journey. As far as I was aware there were no refreshments on offer on the train.

My opinion

As expected, both my journeys were fast, smooth and comfortable, with  smooth acceleration and braking, and no noticeable vibration, even when the train reached its top speed of 140mph/225.3kph. There are 200 Javelin services running each weekday, with a reduced service at weekends. Neither of the trains I travelled on were crowded.

In addition to making it easier for visitors to travel in comfort and style to or from 21 stations in Kent, the new service has the added advantage of making it much easier for passengers planning to travel to the north of Britain on the east coast line, to places like Leeds, Tyneside, Edinburgh or anywhere else served by rail from London St Pancras or adjacent Kings Cross. This also applies if your journey starts in the north or east of England and you’re journeying in the opposite direction to Kent. The high speed service  arrives and departs from Platforms 11-13 at London St. Pancras. To find it simply follow the signs for ‘National Rail’ and you’ll find you ascend to these platforms by escalator or lift/elevator.

On a north Kent Javelin journey from Margate, the Javelin trains only join the high-speed line at Ebbsfleet, west of Gravesend, for the final 20 miles into London, so the time saving benefits of  using the high speed services does lessen as you go further east. Services via Ashford will however run on the high-speed line for longer, and will be quicker than existing services, with  the journey from Dover  shorter by 15 minutes, and Canterbury shorter by 23 minutes, compared to other routes.

Another consideration, whichever direction you’re travelling in, is that if the high speed route is a travel option for your particular journey between Kent and Edinburgh in Scotland, the north east, or east of England, you’ll find it’s no longer necessary to endure the hassle of travel across London by bus, tube or taxi! This alone can shave an hour off your total journey time, which is another great reason to travel by Javelin. Try it soon. In many cases it’s worth the small premium on the cost of the regular service. I shall certainly use it again.

Javelin trains are also going to be used to transport people travelling to London 2012, with the Olympic Park at Stratford International, the intermediate stop between Ebbsfleet and St Pancras, just a few hundred metres away from the station. Watch the video.

Until next time…

Time to re-evaluate Charles Dickens ?

This week I was in Regent Street on the very evening that there was a co-ordinated switch on of London’s Christmas lights, across the West End and City, by the stars of Walt Disney Pictures ‘A Christmas Carol’, adapted from the Christmas story written by Charles Dickens in 1843.

There was no missing the giant silver illuminated stars which hung across the road, right down its length. The Regent Street lights were  switched on by Colin Firth, while Jim Carrey presided over similar celebrations in nearby Oxford Street.  It all coincided with the world premiere of this latest Hollywood adaptation of a work by Dickens, in Leicester Square, which was transformed into a winter wonderland especially for the event.

What makes Dickens relevant today?

The plots and characters of Dickens’s novels continue to resonate with today’s audiences, in spite of well over a century passing since the great author’s untimely death from a stroke in June 1870, at the age of 58. Many contemporary authors can only dream of emulating such long term international success.   Allow me to explain why I believe that in 2012, the bicentenary of his birth on Friday 7th February 1812, you can expect to hear almost as much about Dickens, as about London 2012. Here’s why.

Secrets of Dickens’s lasting popularity

• His works have stood the test of time and have never gone out of print
• He created a plethora of memorable characters
• He succeeds in creating pictures in the reader’s imagination with words
• He associated his key characters with memorable catch phrases
• He published his novels in serialised form to make them more accessible.
• He worked hard to promote his works in person, at public readings.
• He felt strongly and spoke up about social issues still relevant today
• His works have been widely translated and frequently used as set texts by students of English in the non Anglophone world
• The compelling storylines of his novels continue to stimulate  adaptations for television, theatre and cinema audiences

My involvement with Dickens 2012

The Mayor of London, Film London and the Charles Dickens Museum chose  the day of the Disney world premiere to announce Dickens 2012.  Planning for a major international celebration of events and activities to coincide with the bicentenary is already well underway.

This is a project in which I’m already actively involved, having recently been commissioned to research  the many Dickensian connections of Kent and Medway.  I hope to continue my involvement and lend  support to the county’s plans to launch Dickens’s country in time for 2012.

How I became a fan of Dickens

Co-incidentally, like Dickens himself, I was born in Portsmouth; but I actually became a fan largely as a result of being introduced to his works by a marvellously enthusiastic primary school English teacher, who always used passages from his novels whenever she set her class exercises in reading aloud, comprehension or dictation. This soon got me hooked into reading his novels.

Dickens in Kent

Dickens spent his formative childhood years (1817-22) in the Medway towns of Chatham and Rochester, which his friend and biographer John Forster described as ‘the birthplace of his fancy’. It was in Rochester where he first encountered the theatre, which was also to become an important influence in his life.

Contrary to popular perception,  his gimlet eye also concerned itself with observing life in the English countryside, as well as with urban life and social deprivation. Descriptions from his correspondence, work as a journalist and works of fiction, all demonstrate his enduring love of Kentish countryside and coast. Furthermore, he chose to honeymoon at Chalk near Gravesend, spent many summer holidays in Broadstairs; and used Kent as a setting for much of the action in both ‘David Copperfield’ and ‘Great Expectations’. Incidentally, it was recently announced that a new movie adaptation of the latter, to be produced by Stephen Wooley and Elizabeth Karlsen,  is scheduled to start production in London in 2010.

Dickens returned to Kent in later life, to live close to where he had grown up, finally succeeding, in 1856, in buying Gad’s Hill Place, a red brick Georgian mansion atop the North Downs above Rochester, long after first admiring it as a child, while accompanying his father on long country walks from the family home in Chatham.

Read ‘A Christmas Carol’ for yourself, and you will find Ebenezer Scrooge being taken by the Ghost of Christmas Past to a ‘little market town’ and then a school, from his boyhood, which from the descriptions sound remarkably like Rochester and Gad’s Hill Place, which remains as a school today. Here’s a wonderful later description by Dickens of Gad’s Hill, taken from ‘The Uncommercial Traveller’ (186o):

‘I have my eye upon a piece of Kentish road, bordered on either side by a wood, and having on one hand, between the road-dust and the trees, a skirting patch of grass. Wild flowers grow in abundance on this spot, and it lies high and airy, with the distant river stealing steadily away to the ocean, like a man’s life. To gain the milestone here, which the moss, primroses, violets, blue-bells, and wild roses, would soon render illegible but for passing travellers pushing them aside with their sticks, you must come up a steep hill, come which way you may.’

Dickens lived through times of great change, experiencing first hand the effects of the industrial revolution;  and how the coming of the railways revolutionised long distance transportation, and had a positive effect on property prices.  Were he alive today, I’m sure he would have been excited by the communications opportunities presented by digital media. Expect to see lots of innovative methods being used to engage new audiences with the life, works and legacy of Charles Dickens, in 2012 and beyond.

Visiting Dickens festivals in Kent

Dickens would still be able to recognise many of the places he knew well in Kent, particularly Rochester, Canterbury and Broadstairs. Those seeking the ultimate Dickensian experience should time a visit during one of the Dickens festivals: Dickensian Christmas is held every December in Rochester, and summer festivals are held annually in both Broadstairs and  Rochester in June.

Until next week…