Description of the goods or services required
Invitation to Tender
Freelance contract to deliver Land of Legends: Wales’ literary tourism online hub
Context
Wales has the highest calibre literary canon. From Roald Dahl to Tolkien, Dylan Thomas, medieval tales of Arthur and the Mabinogion, Philip Pullman, Owen Sheers, Gillian Clarke, Beatrix Potter, George Eliot, Lewis Carroll and William Wordsworth – all are legendary, globally adored and inspired by Wales.
Wales offers something special: our literary heritage is bilingual and thriving. It can be unexpected, irreverent and mischievous. And it is always about the experience – from the breath-taking hike to Mordor in the Black Mountains, to the coracle drifting past Dylan Thomas’ Laugharne, to the horse hoof pounding surge of the hunt in Pwyll’s Dyfed.
Literary tourism is big business: from place based branding such as Austen’s Bath, Brontë Country, Joyce’s Dublin, Rankin’s Edinburgh and ‘Celtic’ Ireland, to more abstract celebrations like Burns Night and Roald Dahl Day. Shakespeare's England estimate that visits to Stratford-on-Avon generate more than £335 million of annual local spend, supporting over 8000 jobs.
Welsh Government recently invested in the centenaries of Dylan Thomas and Roald Dahl, and Literature Wales has run annual literary tourism programmes since 2009. Despite this, too much of our literary culture still remains inaccessible and disconnected - we need to capitalise upon it in a sustainable, comprehensive and realisable manner.
Literature Wales, in partnership with a consortium of Wales’ national heritage and natural environment bodies, will deliver a new hub for exploring Wales’ literary heritage. This will comprise a website hosting tangible literary tourism itineraries interwoven with the existing, wider tourism infrastructure already in place (i.e. Welsh food, drink, hotels, attractions, landscapes) – tailored for Independent Explorers from Wales and the UK who are planning their own trips.
Literature Wales will provide the literary knowledge, and are looking to employ a tourism professional to research the market, develop the brand, and deliver, pitch and launch this product to the industry.
Used by Wales and UK visitors from 2017 onwards, Wales’ literary tourism hub will draw together all three Welsh Government themed years - Adventure, Legends, and The Sea.
About Literature Wales
Literature Wales is the National Company for Literature, based in Cardiff and Ty Newydd Writing Centre in Gwynedd.
We believe:
- that literature is for everyone
- that the best results are achieved by working with others
- that children and young people have a right to make their voices heard and tell their stories
- in empowering people, groups and communities
- that literature is good for us and can improve our lives
- that arts organisations should deliver value for money
- in an innovative, dynamic and open-minded approach at all times
Literature Wales works collaboratively and bilingually across Wales to make literature a voice for all. We deliver and support activity which uses creativity with words to improve life skills, employability, health, well-being and social engagement. We particularly focus on projects for socio-economically excluded and/or vulnerable people. We also work with Wales’ writers to develop and support them throughout their writing journey, including profiling Welsh literature on international and digital stages.
Our activity extends across five strategic areas:
I. Writer Support (e.g. Writers’ Bursaries, mentoring schemes, employment opportunities, information and advice)
II. Participation (e.g. Writers on Tour, regional literature development initiatives, Ty Newydd Writing Courses)
III. Children & Young People (e.g. Young People’s Writing Squads, Bardd Plant Cymru, Young People’s Laureate for Wales)
IV. International (collaborative projects e.g. International Literature Showcase, literary exchange projects)
V. Digital Creativity (e.g. Her Can Cerdd, Digital Literature Conference)
Over the past five years Literature Wales has transformed the traditional concept of the “hop-on hop-off” academic study tour, taking people on literary adventures by train, boat, footpath, bus and horseback. In turn we have created new, enduring and thoroughly accessible cultural experiences shared by tourists and locals alike. We are now Wales’ established provider of a range of literary tourism events and projects which offer unforgettable and unique visitor experiences within the settings that have inspired the writers of Wales.
The Tender
The contractor will be tasked with:
• Project managing and delivering Land of Legends, including:
- Liaising with partners
- Co-ordinating and delivering three content ideas sessions with: project partners; academics and artists; and Welsh tourism sector
- Co-ordinating and delivering three focus groups with target market segments
- Consulting with UK tourism industry experts
- Creating a target market report outlining demands, interests and nature
- Developing best fit content
- Developing best fit branding with a PR Company
- Developing website style and form with web designer
- Securing digital advertising revenue
- Creating and inputting web copy
- Soft launching website
- Promotion
• Generating regional, national and international media coverage
• Attending regular meetings with funders Visit Wales
• Overseeing project budget
Knowledge, skills and expertise
Literature Wales is inviting expressions of interest from individuals who possess the following expertise, skills and attributes:
• Experience of developing cultural tourism products aimed at the UK market
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of Visit Wales’ Independent Explorer market segments
• Excellent knowledge of, and contacts within, Wales’ tourism infrastructure (e.g. hospitality, food, visitor attractions) and the wider UK tourism sector
• Experience of R&D within projects, including running ideas sessions and focus groups
• Experience of digital working, including website development and social media usage
• Experience of promotion and copy writing
• Some advertising sales experience
• An efficient and proactive working style, with excellent attention to detail and a willingness to conduct some administrative duties (e.g. inputting web copy)
• Excellent organisational skills, attention to detail and the ability to deliver on target and under pressure
• Experience of managing a budget and report writing
• Experience of liaising with, and working alongside, project partners, clients and wider stakeholders
• Experience of successfully working to and meeting targets
• Willingness and availability to travel and to work flexibly
• Commitment to equal opportunities and bilingualism
Timescale and location
It is envisaged that the contractor will start in early November 2016 and the contract will end 31 March 2017 when all project deliverables must have been achieved. It is up to the contractor to manage their own time, as long as targets are met and the agreed tasks are fulfilled.
The contractor will primarily work from home, although they will be required to work from the Cardiff office a minimum of once a fortnight. The contractor will also be requested to regularly attend meetings relating to the contract in Wales and occasionally in the wider UK.
Fee
The total price for this contract is: £14,400 (inclusive of VAT)
Additional travel expenses will be paid up to a maximum of: £1,200 (inclusive of VAT)
(No additional costs or expenses will be covered).
It is envisaged that the fee will be paid in four to five instalments, to be discussed with the contractor.
How to apply and deadline
If you are interested in this opportunity, please send a CV and covering letter, clearly stating how you meet the criteria above and the strengths you would bring to this contract. Please also include supporting materials or hyperlinks to demonstrate relevant projects you have previously delivered. We will consider applications from suitably qualified tourism consultancies.
The total budget for Land of Legends is £36,500 (including the contractor fee and expenses).
Closing Date: 5.00 pm, Monday 31 October, 2016
Interviews: Friday 4 November, 2016
Submissions, clearly marked ‘Land of Legends – Contractor Application’, should be made to:
Literature Wales
Chief Executive: Lleucu Siencyn
Cambrian Buildings, Mount Stuart Square
Cardiff CF10 5FL
post@literaturewales.org / 029 2047 2266
Literature Wales is supported by the Arts Council of Wales and the Welsh Government. Land of Legends is funded through a 2016-2017 Visit Wales Tourism Product Innovation Fund grant.
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