The Port Tourism & Business Network

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Heritage Through The Lens

We will showcase and speak about the power of heritage through the lens from the perspective of Dr. Rita Singer, a Project Co-Ordinator for the project at Aberystwyth University. 

You will learn from hints and tips on how best to utilise the fantastic Ports, Past and Present imagery and short documentary films in your business. 

Mags Boland Murphy will give you tips about how these pieces of work can be of value and used as part of a sales and marketing strategy in your port and businesses in each port district. 

Dr. Rita Singer

Dr Rita Singer is a Project Co-Ordinator for the project at Aberystwyth University. She obtained her PhD from the Institut für Anglistik at Universität Leipzig, specialising in Cultural Studies and Literature of Victorian and Edwardian Wales. More recently, her research has focused on travel writing from continental Europe about Wales since the mid-eighteenth century and the impact of German submarine warfare on Welsh communities during the First World War. For Ports, Past and Present, she has worked with Mother Goose Films and people from around the Irish Sea to develop a series of short documentary films that highlight the heritage of the five ferry ports connected with each other in Wales and Ireland.

Mags Boland Murphy

Mags Boland Murphy is Founder & Principal at Bofin Consultancy and is an experienced sales, business, marketing professional, she is professionally qualified in business disciplines and brings over 20 years of sector specific experience to the table in a variety of professional sectors including tourism & hospitality, media, food, construction, education, and national event management. Mags works with businesses who may be struggling with specific business challenges, with marketing or are panicking over profit–to plan, package, and promote their business to more of their ideal customers. Her no-nonsense approach helps clients to focus their passion on specific ventures and opportunities which deliver powerful growth and profitable businesses. Mags is a recognized business mentor with the LEO Network, Intertrade Ireland and Failte Ireland. 

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 Develop Your Story

This workshop will allow you to learn the importance of developing a story for your business.

Mags Boland Murphy from Bofin Consultancy will cover topics such as:

• How do you create your business story.
• The importance of having a story that engages your ideal client.
• What the benefits are of developing your story for your business, your location and your region.
• What types of storytelling can be used and are there any rules that you should stick to?
• How the local community is powerful in your business story.

Hear from some of our network members – Liz Jones from Sigginstown Castle, Wexford and John O’Neill from The Jeanie Johnston and Dublin Discovered Boat Tours – will discuss their business stories.

Hear about the success story of Bragdy Cybi, established during the pandemic and have gone from strength to strength. 

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SMART Tools and Resources to Promote Your Port and Your District

Mags Boland Murphy from Bofin Consultancy will share tips on working smarter by utilising tools and resources available to you.

• You will be provided with an insight into some of the free and economical tools that you can use to help promote and manage your business into 2023 and beyond.
• The workshop will include a brief reference to social media outlining some free promotional tools, tune into our social media workshop for a more in depth conversation.
• This workshop will help you to prepare for the season ahead and you will come away with some great insight into promoting your business, your location and your region in a way that doesn’t need to cost a lot!

Guest speaker James Louis Smith (who has worked extensively on the Ports, Past and Present Project) will discuss one free tool at your disposal; the Port Places App which he helped to develop. This app allows you to explore the depth of history and heritage surrounding five active ferry ports on the Irish Sea: Dublin Port, Rosslare, Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock. This app allows the user to download their choice of curated experiences, each providing a vision of port life, creativity, history and heritage.

• See ports differently through walking tours, multimedia collections and stories.
• Cross the Irish Sea and learn about the history of your journey, past and present.
• Explore the region by linking port life to unexpected cultural institutions, attractions and sites of natural beauty that await you a short journey away.
• Connect Ireland and Wales over the sea, learning about the ties that bind across centuries.

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Social Savvy Heritage Initiative

This workshop will provide you with the following:

An opportunity to learn how the heritage media associated with the Ports Past and Present  initiative can be used to help your business online and via your online platforms and how it can support engagement from prospective visitors/guests/customers and conversion of bookings by same.

You will hear from social media specialists who will provide you with tips and tricks to help you use various social media platforms simply and effectively.

You will be invited to contribute with queries and suggestions around social media in and for your business and others in attendance.

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BUILD YOUR HERITAGE STRATEGY

Mags Boland Murphy – Bofin Consultancy

Learn how the heritage media associated with the Ports Past and Present initiative can be used to help your business online.

How can it support engagement from prospective visitors / guests / customers & conversion of bookings by same?

Barry – Holyhead Maritime Museum

You will hear from Barry at Holyhead Maritime Museum who engages their visitors through the use of heritage stories. How they present to their audiences? What value can the heritage piece bring to business?

Oonagh Messette – Celtic Routes

Oonagh from Llwybrau Celtaidd / Celtic Routes / Bealaí na gCeilteach will give us some insights into this fantastic joint project between Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion County Councils, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in West Wales and Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow County Councils in South East Ireland.

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Successful Collaboration Case Studies

Successful collaboration case studies where businesses successfully worked together to collaborate and positively package for impact and engagement.

Pitch Your Business

There will also be an opportunity for each business/entity attending to pitch their business and offering to the network.

Collaborate

Empower possible identification of collaborative opportunities within the network.

Business Bundling

The workshop will close with delivery by Mags Boland Murphy of Bofin Consultancy of a business bundling outline to support each region/port/business to move forward and progress packaging opportunities to benefit them, their businesses, their communities and their region(s)

Develop new opportunities and offerings

Learn how to showcase your location/business to key decision makers

Learn how collaboration can extend your season and fill gaps.

Receive a business bundling outline and FAM trip outline to support progress packaging opportunities.