TheMARRIAGE project –a closer · PDF fileThe Project is part-financed by the European Union (ERDF) PLANCO Consulting GmbH 3 • Back in 2010: Interest in a new (international) project

The Project is part-financed by the European Union (ERDF) PLANCO Consulting GmbHPLANCO Consulting GmbH 1

The MARRIAGE project – a closer look

Jens Masuch, PLANCO Consulting GmbH

BPO Seminar: Tourist / leisure and fishery ports

Rønne / DK, 3 Sept 2014

The Project is part-financed by the European Union (ERDF) PLANCO Consulting GmbH 2

Contents

• Origins & basics of the MARRIAGE project

• Background, scope and results of the activities in more detail

• Joint promotion of “South Coast Baltic”

• Competence development in marina management

• Exchange / new impulses for marina network consolidation

• Conclusions & outlook


• Back in 2010: Interest in a new (international) project on water

tourism / marina development, especially in Poland

> in continuation of SuPortNet I+II and MariTour

• (New) marina infrastructure & networks in place > new topics, esp.

• Cost efficient operation / management of marinas

• Closing network gaps in times of decreasing EU funding

• Development / operation of marinas in PPP

• Marketing / attracting boaters (from foreign countries)

> Combined with a strong interest in learning from others andjoining forces across border

Origins of MARRIAGE (1)


• “South Coast Baltic” appeared as appropriate arena for joint actions



...because cooperation within this area…

• …made sense in view of the subjects to be addressed:

• Proximity and interesting “mosaic” of destinations makes it a marketable cross-border boating area

• Comparable natural, market & institutional pre-conditions led to analogue paths in marina network development

• Boating market & networks in Scandinavian countries are very specific and too different from DE, LT, PL (& RU)

• Chronological step ahead of DE in comparison to PL and LT is a good starting point for knowledge exchange & transfer

• …coincided with funding opportunities:

• South Baltic Programme 2007-2013 called for tourism projects



• Funded from: South Baltic CBC Programme 2007- 2013

• Total budget: 1.3 mill EUR (1.1 mill EUR ERDF co-financing)

• Duration: Oct 2011 – Dec 2014

• Lead Beneficiary: Economic Develop. Corporation Vorpommern / DE

• Consortium: 12 Partners & 10 Association organisations

• From Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Russia

• Mainly: regional (umbrella) organisations

• Regional authorities, development agencies & tourism associations

• Associations of local authorities

• Only a few: local authorities / marinas (operating or planned)

MARRIAGE project basics


Region Partner Associated Organisation

Vorpommern

Economic Development Corporation

Vorpommern (LB)

Min. of Energy, Building & Regional

Development Mecklenburg-Vorp.

Tourism Association Rügen Meckl.-Vorpommern Tourist Board

Municipality Ostseebad Heringsdorf im-jaich (private marina operator)

Municipality Ostseeheilbad Zingst Hanseatic City of Stralsund

Zachodnio-

pomorskie

Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship

Szczecin Municipal Government

The Port Authority of Kołobrzeg

Pomorskie

Gdańsk University of Technology Pomorskie Tourist Board

Association of Sea Cities & Municipalities National Sailing Centre in Gdańsk

Krynica Morska, Łeba, Ustka

Kaliningrad region Min. of Reg. Dev. of Kaliningrad Obl.

Klaipėda regionKlaipėda Tourist & Culture Info Centre

SE Klaipėda State Seaport Authority

Partnership / consortium (1)


Partnership / consortium (2)


Project design / thematic foci

Joint promotion of the

Competence development in the

field of marina management

Exchange / new impulses for

marina network development &

consolidation


• Diagnosis / potentials

• Well-promoted cross-border boating areas at sub-BSR level attract

boaters (> both resident & guest boaters)

• Successful example “Baltic Sailing” association (DE / DK)

• Cross-border tour opportunities make home marinas more attractive

• Good guest boater potentials within the region (34.000+ permanent berths in DE, 2000+ in LT, PL but rapidly growing)

• No. of boaters sailing along the South Coast Baltic started to increase

• Lessons from previous (INTERREG) projects that were considered

• Completely new products / “umbrella only destinations” are hard to

establish and maintain (e.g. “Sail Baltic” / Maritour)

• Better to build the promotion on existing regional products / destinations (e.g. Usedom island, Curonian spit) as much as possible

Joint promotion of “South Coast Baltic” (1)


“South Coast Baltic” in the context

of other boating brands in the Baltic Sea


• “Lean” umbrella marketing measures for the entire area

• Cross-border brand developed & established

• Print materials, advertisements & articles in boating media

• One-stop booth at boating fairs (Hamburg, Berlin, Warsaw)

• Stakeholder / multiplier events

• Website / smart phone application with information for boaters



• Backbone: Integrating & coordinating marketing activities in the region, e.g.

• Regional boating brochures showing cross-border tour opportunities and presenting part-destinations in connection to the “South Coast Baltic” brand

• Series of regional fam trips for foreign journalists (separately in e.g. Vorpommern, Zachodniopomorskie, rally Gdansk – Kaliningrad – Klaipeda)



• Results / preliminary appraisal

• “South Coast Baltic” finds interest of customers & multipliers

• Events / offers / materials attract wide interest of boaters & journalists

• Image of Poland & Lithuania changed especially in Germany (after EURO 2012), word-of-mouth recommendations (new infrastructure!) emerged

> brand / promotion comes “right in time” to use an opportunity

• Participating regions / partners are satisfied and see further potentials

• Decision to allocate further funds & to continue the joint campaign in 2014 / 2015 was taken in June 2014, including e.g.

• Further joint fair visits (e.g. Boot 2015 / Düsseldorf)

• Further materials / info offers (e.g. boating guide, website upgrade)



• Diagnosis / potentials

• Partly little knowledge on strategic marina management in PL & LT

> the operators are often municipalities and newcomers

• Lack of incomes can create problems to maintain quality

• esp. if marinas are owned by small municipalities

• Yielding a profit > hard with only 2 months high season

• Responsive management can be key for high profitability

• Potential: Knowledge transfer DE operator – LT / PL operators

Competence development /

marina management (1)


• Approach / course of action

• Expert / reference group with LT, PL, DE marina experts ensured acceptance and relevance for target group & arena to “train the trainers”

• Handbook compiled practical experiences of German & Dutch operators

> Serves as accompanying training material / common curriculum

• Regional training programmes in national languages disseminate the

knowledge to marina operators, managers, staff in Lithuania & Poland

• Special feature: practical seminars (“Marina testing visits”)

• German marina operator “tested” voluntary marinas in PL & LT

• On the spot: discussion of improvements with the operator & training participants on the example of the hosting marina

Competence development / marina management (2)


• Impressions / appraisal

• Very satisfying attendance of the workshops

• Trainings with practical focus met interests & demands of target group

• Especially the direct dialogue with German operator was appreciated

> to be continued with “reverse” testing visits / study tour in Germany

Competence development / marina management (2)


New impulses for marina network

development & consolidation (1)

Diagnosis / potentials

• Densification is slowing down recently, last gaps hard to fill

• “Vacant places” have often low income potentials but high investment & operating costs (e.g. outer shore locations, complementary harbours in between full service marinas)

• Public funding for marina infrastructure is decreasing

• Maintaining a high quality marina network and closing network gaps in the near future may require

• Mobilising private capital and skills

• Lowering investment and / or operating costs

• Good examples can be found (along the South Coast Baltic and beyond), e.g.

• PPP operating arrangements in Germany

• Sopot island harbour at the pier / PL, “Wasserwanderrastplätze” / DE


Approach

• Creating new impulses for the debate / marina network consolidation

process in DE, PL, LT by cross-border exchange

• Disseminating alternative marina designs (e.g. “island marinas” at outer shores, complementary “guest-only boater stops”)

• Exploring PPP potentials for marina development & operation

• Ambition level: Seeding, not yet harvesting

• No new marinas, but concepts that accelerate their development

• Pilot actions absorbing approaches from another country and demonstrating transferability of approaches

• Mutual learning process (West – East / East – West)




• Implemented activities / status

• Baseline study: Case studies on PPPs in marina development & operation

• First exchange workshop / study trip (Sopot, 4 June 2013)

• Pilot actions (e.g. PPP models for Šventoji, Heringsdorf; small boater stops Szczecin waters) in progress and to be finished in autumn 2014

• Next event: 2nd exchange workshop in Szczecin / PL on 21-22 Oct 2014

• Presentation of the results of the baseline study

• Experience reports from the pilot actions

> Participants from outside the project are very welcome!




• Joint promotion of the “South Coast Baltic” is successful and to be continued

• Geographic scope works well in practice

> slight amendments may add to product (> integration of Bornholm)

• Scope & focus of the marketing focus should be extended

> So far: domestic markets only (DE, PL, LT, RU)

> Future options: e.g. Scandinavia, Netherlands

• More direct involvement of marina operators to strengthen the initiative

• Exchange on marina management, operation & design marked only a first step and could be proceeded in different directions, e.g.

• Dialogue with further Baltic Sea countries may give new inspirations

• Use of (former) small / fishery ports for tourism purposes is a further interesting topic for (some) MARRIAGE partners

Conclusions & outlook


Thank you very much

for your attention!

www.project-marriage.eu

Documents

TheMARRIAGE project –a closer · PDF fileThe Project is part-financed by the European Union (ERDF) PLANCO Consulting GmbH 3 • Back in 2010: Interest in a new (international) project