James Wood, Marketing Campaign Manager, Marketing Liverpool
Allow us to show you what’s on the horizon…
There’s not much we don’t know about what’s going on in Liverpool. It’s kind of our job to know. But there’s one little piece of in-house literature that always surprises and delights in equal measure, by showing us so much more.
Our VisitLiverpool Guide is the indispensable handbook for anyone looking to maximise their Liverpool City Region visitor experience. Ably brought together by our Marketing Campaign Manager, James Wood, the digital and printed seasonal guide always goes all out, to take a fresh look at what’s happening here and how visitors can get involved.
“We want to enrich people’s experiences,” explains James. “With a little expert advice, a great get-away can quickly become the holiday of a lifetime.” We caught up with James, as he devises his new visitor guide dissemination strategy to find out more about the latest edition, available to download online now and soon to be at Tourist Information Centres across the UK.
James, great work. Tell me about this season’s edition of the VisitLiverpool Visitor Guide.
“Flying high and hot-off-the-heels of our Eurovision host city 2023 success, I thought it would be great to take a deep dive into Liverpool’s live music scene and ever-lively nightlife. Because of Eurovision, music fans all over the world have witnessed what a great ‘party city’ Liverpool is, so I saw this as a good opportunity to build upon that growing reputation. Rooftop bars, late-night venues, concert halls and basement clubs – It’s a pretty immersive way to position Liverpool City Region.
I loved the in-depth feature on Liverpool’s artistic culture too.
“Yes, it’s great to have that juxtaposition with nightlife and cultural attractions as people who read the guide are more likely to start to picture themselves here and imagine what their days and nights would look like. One of the many advantages of having such a close working relationship with representatives from right across our cultural institutions, through our various partnerships, is that I feel so much more connected to our city’s cultural institutions and their activity.
Part of the latest VisitLiverpool Visitor Guide’s feature on our city region’s cultural offer.
What are you looking forward to attending in Liverpool City Region over the coming months?
“I always look forward to getting out and about and travelling across the whole of the region. It’s something we’ve been encouraging Visitors to do through this guide for a long time. The city centre is obviously amazing and naturally a real hive of activity but it’s also really worth jumping on a bus or a train and visiting Liverpool’s other five boroughs.
“Southport has a lot going on over the summer, The Southport Flower Show, The Southport Air Show, The Fireworks Championships – all great family events. I’ll also be visiting all of Liverpool’s museums and galleries with Happiness! An exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool covering Ken Dodd’s life is high on my list. I’m also really looking forward to River of Light which is a great night out in the city with friends.
No late-night raves or full-on rock music-fuelled festivals, then?
“Never say never. Well, maybe not the raves, but I’d definitely recommend Liverpool’s music festivals, live venues and guided tours. That’s the best thing about Liverpool. The scope of offer we have here means that the city region can be marketed to so many different types of people, people who are looking for totally different things to do. In this one issue of the visitor guide we also have globally impressive sport, retail and food and drink features, alongside the cultural and music features and within those areas there’s still great scope to appeal to different markets.
Who is the primary market for the Liverpool Visitor Guide?
“It’s designed to appeal to a wide demographic, but we particularly consider families, active city breakers and groups of friends. The printed version is mainly distributed outside the region. This is so we can inspire new visitors and develop our existing audience. The guide is always available online to download digitally and the idea is that anyone can take a look and be engaged and want to visit the region and I think it’s achieved this objective.
“We’re disseminating printed copies right now to TIC’s (Tourist Information Centres) across the county and we’re monitoring QR code usage to help us gauge levels of interest in different features, to help inform future issues. I find the merging of digital and printed media to be very interesting and I think this is where printed media is heading.
Part of the latest VisitLiverpool Visitor Guide’s feature on our city region’s music offer.
It looks great, really vibrant and easy to read and digest.
“Thanks. Malik in our graphic design team works really hard on it and keeps it looking fresh. I think we’ve struck the right balance of imagery and copy, with enough information, but still keeping things light enough to be an easy, casual read. It’s really a brochure for Liverpool this season so it needs to entice and really strong imagery, that sits together as a suite of material helps to give it that ‘magazine’ or editorial feel.
Finally, what else would you like to tell people about your VisitLiverpool Visitor Guide?
“Firstly, I’d like to thank all our partners who support the Visitor Guide, it’s 100% funded by the advertising and this edition’s sponsor, Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
“I’d also like to encourage all people to download the guide or pick up a copy and get a pen out and tick all the new things that sound right up their street or familiar places that they’ve been meaning to visit but haven’t quite got round to recently. We even have a section of free activities for visitors as everyone is feeling the pinch right now.
“You know, the guide is just that – a guide – it picks out a great selection of highlights to help visitors and show them what’s new and remind them about the incredible venues and attractions that are long-established too. That’s what we’re here for. To welcome people, hold their hand a little bit, be their guide and show them the way. Even a quick flick-through can totally reimagine your holiday here.”
Read the latest VisitLiverpool Visitor Guide HERE or use the QR code to get in on your phone and keep an eye out for it at your local Tourist Information Centre.
QR Code – VisitLiverpool Guide 2023