Planning Solutions Consulting's work is solutions orientated. The approach, based on an in-depth understanding of the market place, ensures that our work robust, strategically relevant and delivers actionable results. We work on a range of tourism development projects and we offer the following core services to our clients:

Audience Development Plans
Audience Development Plans help to identify current and missed audiences – that is the visitors who you are engaging with and people who you are not engaging with. Economic, cultural, social and intellectual barriers to participation are identified and a costed action plan sets out a strategy to overcome these barriers.

Concept and product development
Often working in multi-disciplinary teams we have developed a number of products and concepts particularly in relation to coastal regeneration, the heritage sector, visitor attractions and tourist accommodation. For product and concept development projects we often develop a bespoke scoring matrix to help identify the preferred development scenario. We aim to ensure that development scenarios have a strong market focus.

Evaluation plans
We prepare evaluation plans for tourism projects which set out a framework to assess and monitor the progress and achievements of the project. Evaluation plans are essential to help identify ways to improve project performance, achieve best value for money, improve the decision making process and build upon on lessons learnt.

Feasibility studies and business planning
We are often commissioned to assess concepts and ideas for new and existing businesses. Generally our work involves a feasibility study and options appraisal. If the outcome is positive a detailed business plan is prepared to assess the proposal in more detail, this would include a market assessment, detailed financial information, visitor modeling and a risk assessment.

Funding applications
A number of our projects require some form of grant funding and our work provides important baseline information, market evidence and a robust business case which can be used for external funding purposes.

Marketing advice
We provide a retained marketing service to two major leisure businesses – Conkers, a £16 million attraction in the National
Forest, the National Brewery Centre in Burton upon Trent and a Harry Ramsden’s restaurant in Brighton. We can help to prepare a marketing strategy for visitor attraction advising on the appropriate and cost effective channels to market from traditional print media through to online initiatives.

Operational advice
With hands-on experience of directly managing visitor attractions, other leisure businesses and our sister company’s operational management team we are well positioned to offer operational advice to clients. Operation advice, for example, includes carrying out bench marking exercises, identifying cost saving opportunities and helping to recruitment key staff members.

Primary and secondary research
Primary and secondary research underpins our work and our market intelligence service helps to identify the needs of tourists and the wider trends which impact on projects in the present and future. We can carry out original research and consultation.

Tourism strategies
We have worked on several tourism strategy projects with a recent focus on activity tourism and adventure tourism, a growth sector in the UK. The strategies are based upon identifying the needs of local communities and visitors and matching these against market opportunities and funding streams. When preparing a strategy it is important to set out an action plan which enables client organisations to implement the strategy.