MINUTES OF 13^th MEETING OF EDF ENTERPRISE SUB-GROUP ON 26 NOVEMBER 2007

 

Attendees:       Mark Sweeney, NICCI (Chair)

                        Howard Hastings, Hastings Hotels

                        Seamus McAleavey, NICVA

                        Wilfred Mitchell, FSB

                        Alan Hingston, Invest NI

Richard Kenny, DEL

                        Mark Pinkerton, DETI    

                        Noel Cornick, DETI

                        John Simms, DETI

                        Alan Clarke, NITB

                        Yvonne Curran, DETI (Secretary)

 

Apologies:        Fiona Hepper, DETI

                        Patricia McKeown, NIC/ICTU

                        Anne Tohill, DETI

 

 

WELCOME AND MINUTES OF LAST MEETING

 

1.     Mark Sweeney (Chair) welcomed members to the 13th meeting of the Forum’s Enterprise Sub-Group.  He welcomed Howard Hastings from Hastings Hotels, Alan Hingston from Invest NI, Alan Clarke from NITB and Noel Cornick from DETI.

 

2.     The Chair advised members that, due to other commitments, Mike Brennan is no longer able to regularly attend meetings, however when there are specific issues that would benefit from DFP input, Mike has indicated he, or a DFP representative, will attend.

 

3.     The Chair provided background on EDF and the vision sub-groups, and advised members that devolution brought new opportunities for the Sub-Group, highlighting the presence of three government ministers at the Plenary.

 

 

MATTERS ARISING

 

4.     The Chair reminded members that they had requested a more detailed and structured response from Invest NI in relation to the recommendations of the NICCI Exports Forum.

 

5.     The Chair directed members to Paper 2 and invited Alan Hingston to summarise Invest NI’s response.

 

6.     Alan Hingston provided a short presentation which highlighted the Invest NI actions associated with the recommendations in the NICCI Export Forum Report.  He focused on the variety of marketing tools, the diverse mechanisms for information provision, export expertise in Invest NI and through mentoring programmes and Invest NI engagement with DEL, universities and further education colleges.   He drew attention to successes to date, highlighting figures on Export Skills and Knowledge Workshops, market research enquiries, market visits and in-market support.  In addition he suggested there are plans for further promotion of exports, e.g. Invest NI’s target to encourage 200 companies to export for the first time in the coming year.

 

7.     Key issues were discussed e.g. raising awareness of Invest NI’s services within the small business sector, one to one assistance for companies exporting for the first time, the costs associated with exporting (especially for small businesses), the pool of people with export expertise and raising the profile of skills for exporting within the education sector.  Members discussed the marketing campaign for ‘Go for It’, enquiring if a similar plan was being developed for export promotion.  It was agreed such a campaign would be very valuable and would be aligned with the Sub-Group’s recommendation that the next phase of the AES should focus on growing existing business and increasing their export potential, in addition to business starts.

 

ACTION             Chair to ask EDF Plenary to endorse a Sub-Group proposal for an export marketing campaign, similar to the ‘Go for IT’ programme.

 

 

SCENE SETTING: TOURISM

 

8.     The Chair set the context for the meeting, explaining Tourism has been identified as a key driver for economic development in Northern Ireland.  He proposed a number of questions to members and invited guests:

 

• Are the current direction / strategy correct?  Where are the gaps, if any?
• What does the Sub-Group have to offer, if anything, on the issue of Tourism?
• What can the Sub-Group bring to the rejuvenated EDF?  (The Chair advised that the Sub-Group recommendations will be put forward in the expectation they will be reviewed and actioned where feasible).

 

9.     The Chair directed members to Papers 3 and 4 and invited Noel Cornick to discuss both papers.

 

10. Members were reminded of the publication of the draft Budget, the draft Programme for Government (PfG) and the importance placed on economic development, with Tourism as a key driver.  Members noted the challenging PfG goal of increasing the number of tourists visiting each year from 1.98m to 2.5m by 2011 and increasing Tourism revenue from £370m to £520m each year by the same date.  An overview of Paper 3 was provided highlighting the size, value and potential of the Tourism industry.

 

11. The role and responsibilities of a diverse range of organisations (e.g. DETI, NITB, Tourism Ireland, other government departments, Tourism Strategy Forum and Regional Tourism Partnerships), was outlined to members.  The relationships between the various organisations were discussed, as was the significance of how these relationships are managed.  Members were informed that the Review of Public Administration and the review of the Tourism Strategic Framework may lead to changes to the current structures and methods of Tourism delivery in Northern Ireland.  Members agreed on the importance of one organisation with oversight for Tourism delivery; otherwise the Northern Ireland Tourism brand will become diluted and unrecognisable.

 

ACTION             Sub-Group and Plenary Members to provide suggestions, to the EDF Secretariat, on how the organisational mechanisms for Tourism delivery can be improved.

 

12. The Chair welcomed the overview and invited comments from both Howard Hastings and Alan Clarke.

 

13. Howard Hastings talked to, a short paper which focused on three discussion areas:

 

• Will the actions match the deeds?
• Where is the budget?
• What a fantastic opportunity.

 

14. He welcomed the significant changes in recent years and remarked on the new approach to Tourism, however he highlighted the historic undervaluation of Tourism jobs and presented arguments against this undervaluation e.g. longevity and economic certainty of jobs.  He also noted issues with a risk averse culture, selective financial assistance, poor resources for data collection, supply side solutions and the role of the PAC.   He noted that some of the data was a couple of years old and the rate of growth in the Tourism industry, in recent years, may be greater than the data suggests.  Members enquired about what role could be played by the Sub-Group and it was agreed its primary role should be to keep Ministers well informed on the key challenges and advise them on how respond.

 

ACTION             EDF Secretariat to highlight these issues in the Sub-Group’s report to the December Plenary meeting.

 

15. There was a discussion on the budget for Tourism, during which Howard Hastings expressed concern about a lack of clarity on how the Tourism budget will be spent.  He noted concern that four different Departments are to manage the Tourism budget, i.e. DARD, DEL, DCAL and DETI.  He also suggested a perception exists there is a lack of integration between the Departments.  Members indicated that there would be value in examining alternative models, e.g. the Southern model or a body similar to Invest NI with a specific remit for Tourism.

 

ACTION             EDF Secretariat to highlight this issue in the Sub-Group’s report to the December Plenary meeting.

 

16. With reference to the DEL element of the budget members discussed governance issues in FE colleges and also the need to focus on market need so as to avoid a skills shortage.  The Chair explained there may be lessons to draw on from success some sectors of manufacturing industry have had in tackling the skills issue.

 

ACTION             DEL to engage with Howard Hastings on the issue of Skills for the Tourism industry.

 

17. Discussion focused also on DCAL’s involvement in Tourism e.g. the ‘Rediscover Northern Ireland’ trip to Washington, the Events Company and the National Stadium issue.  In relation to DETI / NITB the question of who is in charge / making the decisions was raised, as was the need for a redefinition of domestic marketing.

 

18. The need for further investment in infrastructure was expressed and comparisons were made with the South of Ireland in terms of road infrastructure and number of rooms available.  It was suggested that future growth in Northern Ireland will be stifled without immediate investment.  Howard Hastings also noted that government’s role was often perceived as solely a source of funding, but highlighted it also has a key role to play in addressing structural issues to make the development of Tourism  easier, e.g. structural re-alignments to give ownership, transport and access to be assessed for Tourism benefit, accelerated planning for tourism developments.  In terms of the Signature Projects it was felt that there is too much consulting / talking.  The Chair stressed the importance of making decisions by consensus, thoroughly considering all options, and implementing with a sense of urgency.  Visible leadership is required.

 

19. The Chair thanked Howard Hastings for his comments and invited further comments from Alan Clarke.

 

20. It was agreed that the Tourism industry in Northern Ireland had improved in recent years, but it was implied that this was to be expected with the Peace Process.  However members were reminded that Northern Ireland is still lagging behind the South of Ireland.  A structured and strategic approach to Tourism in Northern Ireland will be required if this gap is to be closed.  The importance of training and skills was also identified, and again it was proposed that one accountable organisation is needed to take this forward.  It was queried that without structural realignment the PfG targets may not be met.

 

ACTION             EDF Secretariat to highlight this concern in the Sub-Group’s report to the December Plenary meeting.

 

21. The Chair highlighted commonality in the themes emerging from the Tourism discussion with those emerging on the NICCI Export Forum Report.  He also noted surprise that the discussion had not touched on Tourism beyond the Signature Projects.  However members were reminded of the importance of delivering on these five projects, before focusing on additional projects.  In addition it was suggested that the knock on effects of completing the Signature Projects would be felt throughout Northern Ireland.  Members questioned why rural areas should have to wait, noting the importance of the culture and identity synonymous with rural Northern Ireland.  In response members were provided with clarification on NITB’s winning themes and were assured that ‘Culture and Heritage’ is key to the development of the Northern Ireland brand.

 

22. It was also recommended that Invest NI should consider how it can improve or enhance support for ‘attractor’ events (i.e. those like the Queen’s Festival), which have the potential to attract visitors from outside Northern Ireland.  For example it was suggested that there could be improved support for local marketing initiatives with business getting assistance to enhance their product offering, e.g. room and event ticket packages.

 

ACTION             DETI / NITB to engage with Invest NI on enhancing support for ‘attractor’ events.

 

 

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

 

Sub-group Report for December 2007 Plenary Meeting

 

23. The Chair advised members that a ‘To Note’ paper on the November meeting and future work plan was required for the December Plenary.  He invited members’ views as to what particular tourism issues or recommendations they would like to bring to the attention of EDF.  Members discussed this and agreed on the key points to be included in the report prepared for EDF members.

 

ACTION:            EDF Secretariat to prepare draft report for clearance by Chair.

 

24. The Chair requested two agenda items for the next Sub-Group meeting, (a) the Future work plan for the Enterprise Sub-Group and (b) a progress review on the impacts of their work on AES, Exports and Tourism

 

ACTION:           EDF Secretariat to table proposed items on the next agenda.

 

 

Date of Next Meeting

 

ACTION:           EDF Secretariat to contact members with a date for the next meeting to be held in February.