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Read on for Frequently Asked Questions and Top 10 tips concerning the Growth Fund.
- What is a ‘tourism group’ and how do you form one?
- Can groups collaborate across the country to apply for funding?
- How much funding can our group apply for?
- Where can the rest of the match funding come from?
- Can the group appoint an individual or agency to manage the project?
- What constitutes ‘new’ activity?
- Can I repeat the activity in a subsequent funding application?
- Can the funding be used for marketing activity outwith the UK?
- Are you required to use VisitScotland branding on promotional materials?
- Do all members of the group have to be in a Quality Assurance Scheme?
TOP 10 TIPS
- Form a group for greater impact
Carolyn Gemmell of Unique Venues of Edinburgh did just that: ‘Five of us pooled our resources to become a working group for the project. It has been a fantastic exercise working with a team that are in effect competing for business.’
- Get together and get thinking, think your plans through in detail
Maureen McKenna of Visit Arran suggests “Its worth spending time in the early stages planning in details far enough in advance to avoid nasty surprises or delays.”
- Save time - contact your Local Advisor first
Jonathan Garratt of Scottish Racing commented: “I would recommend to anyone seeking funding to contact their Advisor at an early stage and maintain contact and seek feedback throughout the process.”
- Remain Customer Focused
Graeme Oliphant from Callander Jazz and Blues Festival says “The festival has proved a very positive experience. It provides a great networking system to meet people who share a common interest in music and festivals.”
- Pick a project team or leader
Nicky Murphy from West Coast Whisky says that “Our associate members are so busy it’s good to have someone to keep things moving along and meet deadlines.”
- Allow enough time for everything
Graeme Oliphant from Callander Jazz and Blues Festival suggests “One thing that is worth noting, in our first year we placed orders too early, before our funding was confirmed. Its worth thinking things through more to avoid similar situations.”
- Keep ahead of deadlines
Nicky Murphy from West Coast Whisky warns “Our project was supposed to be launched in September/November ’06 but the official launch ended up being April ’07. As a result we were late spending the money and only had a few months to spend it by.”
- Firm up details and finance
Marian Austin from Scottish Snowsports Marketing group advises “Planning and thinking ahead is vital, particularly with regard to cashflow.”
- Keep strong goals in mind
Jonathan Garrett from Scottish Racing “We decided early on in the first application to apply for other projects and envisaged two further steps to the process. The secnd and third project ideas were all agreed at the same time as the first.”
- Make the most of networking opportunities
Jacqueline Elmslie of Scotland’s Best B&Bs learned: “At the photocall for the fund awards, I met an Edinburgh visitor attraction representative, who was looking to enhance his attraction’s website. We swapped business cards and we are now looking at creating links between our respective websites”.
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