Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
12 September 2010
18:1170151Couldn't agree more Sid.
I got castigated for posting on here about increasing co-ordination between the cruise terminals and the Town Centre/Market Square, so I won't do it again.
There is a local organisation that is supposed to do this (Dover Business Support), but they now have new manager who has to start from scratch; he comes from Thanet and doesn't know Dover, the problems the Town faces and the the concerns, problems and indeed the aspirations of the local businesses here.
I had hoped the Chamber was moving in the right direction, but now I'm not so sure.
Roger
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
12 September 2010
18:5670157sid
the websites of both the town and district councils nowadays are a mine of information on local events.
having said that they could liaise better in making events known to the public that are not into the new technology.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
12 September 2010
22:0270174Out of interest how many of our forum members would go and watch the screen when you can watch the same thing on your TV in comfort. I know I would rather stay at home.
I imagine the only ones who would watch the thing would be those who like pop concerts and I bet the rights to those would be much too expensive.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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12 September 2010
22:2270179Howard, I think you may be missing the point Roger and me are making.
We, the council tax payers are coughing up for an Events Committee who don't co-ordinate or communicate anything to anyone outside th of the groups trying to put things on in the District.
The DDC and DTC websites might be mines of information, but none of it is joined up. The shambles of the annivcersarty celebrations was a classic example of how not to programme manage, no disrespect to the volunteers trying to make it come togther, but that surely should have ben the job of DDC Events Committee.
I don't agree with Roger that the CoC BSM should be chatting to the cruise people etc. That role should be held by a council funded Town Centre Manager as it is pretty much everywhere else. The role of a BSM is, to me, vastly different and would usually encompass some or all of the following:
Leading the CoC business support team and managing the Chamber's programme(s)
Management, finance and general administrative functions ensuring effective liaison with
local businesses.
Providing the local CoC management team with timely information analysis on the performance of the
Chamber's programmes, projects and products and all relevant capital and non-capital expenditure.
Contributing to the development, monitoring and review of the local businesses plans.
Ensure all Chamber programmes, projects and expenditure complies with relevant approvals and
processes.
Supporting local businesses in obtaining necessary investment approvals.
I think we must realise there are three distinct areas; Business Support, Events, Tourism and they don't make natural bedfellows if we try to merge them together.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
12 September 2010
22:2570181just trying to calm troubled waters here.
i am avoiding anything to do with the chamber of horrors and business support, concentrating on the two much maligned councils instead.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
13 September 2010
07:0370195The Business Support Manager's role was always supposed to be similar to the old Town Centre Manager's role, but the previous incumbant there was not the right person and brought it to its knees.
Calling DBS the same thing, would have associated it from the beginning, with failure - at least it took 6 months before that happened with DBS.
Supporting the Town's businesses in any way they needed it, helping move the Town forward through a range of initiatives (I had about 22 I was working on) was what I was about.
All the initiatives I came up with were my ideas and agreed with Cameron MacSween.
I also wanted to develop tourism and I had a whole range of initiatives on this, including co-ordinating (better) the Town and cruise terminals for when ships came in.
Many of those things you spoke of Sid, I believe should be done by someone at the Chamber, leaving the Business Support Manager working on the ground-floor so to speak and not get involved/tangled up, with creating statistics and figures, which would take the Manager away from the help the Town and businesses needed.
Roger
13 September 2010
07:1970198Howard - I know lots of stuff is posted on the intenet, but like managing by email, that isn't good enough. Town management - any management - is based on interacting, engaging and enthusing. You can't do that on a website. Arranging events is frankly a piece of p1$$ compared to the stuff that should go with it, like co-ordinating the other events, dragging in the town, the shopkeepers, the local attractions, and making everyone - ships included - aware and attracted. It is, after all, what we are funding them to do.