Stikkord: Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge

Kategorier
Destination development

Destination development – Nome Cultural Festival

Gruppe 11. Foto: Privat

Skrevet av: Marjolein Schram, Jasmin Saleh, Aryan Sarvarsen og Avto Saginadze. Destination development gruppe 11, høst 2019, Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge avd. Bø.

Nome Cultural Festival

Name of concept/idea

We’ve decided to call it something easy, such as “Nome’s kul festival” – we find it describes the festival in good way, by also setting the “cultural” aspect in focus also eventually lure in tourists with cultural preferences or with a cultural experience in mind. We’re thinking that the location should be around Lunde, but some parts of the festival will also be part of Ulefoss. 

The concept/idea

The concept is an inspiration of the Skalldyrfestivalen in Mandal. We’re thinking of a traditional festival that holds the cultural heritage as the core. We want to put the locals, and their heritage, experiences and cultures as a core factor – we’re thinking of a constantly evolving festival where locals and others outside Nome meet up and experience the festival together. We want to engage conversations, we want them to talk TO EACHOTHER not AT EACHOTHER, it’s something many people don’t do anymore. To connect and converse. 

How it relates to local identity, cultural heritage and “the DNA of the region”

Local identity is a vital component in the urban development and acts as an important aspect to the quality of the festival. Identities are formed by the various elements from the region, it creates a bond between the surrounding environments, and other local cities, and its citizens. A farmer’s market could be a fine example. The locals have inherited skills, when it comes to craftmanship, booths that will present these “products” – examples could be… honey, pastries, local commodities, local grown vegetables and so on. Local farmers would be a part of this idea to bring their “DNA of the region” to the festival. 

Available resources in Nome that supports the concept/idea

Øvre Verket. Foto: Maren Sandbakk

We want to eventually set up booths, or some small sized markets in Lunde – also maybe some booths around the Telemark Canal – the restaurant there is already attracting customers, so with booths up there would increase even more visitors.  Øvre Verket is a collection of protected worker housing from the 1850s, linked to Ulefos Jernværk. Øvre Verket offers restaurant, exhibitions, galleries/workshops, an antique shop and a gift shop. An exhibition is also an idea we’ve looked at, have things out for display – an outside museum if you will, this would be set up at summers or when there is good weather.  

Stakeholders

It would be better to name both internal and external stakeholders in order to better understand who they are and effectively work on how to interest them in our project. In our case, internal stakeholders are us, students who are working on the project. Our main goal is to attract as many external stakeholders as possible in order to create a sustain festival and increase its popularity. When it comes to the external stakeholders, we must consider the following questions: What would encourage them to support our project? Should they participate in our festival? What motivates them most of all? According to this it would be the best option to include Nome Kommune (government), USN, the ironworks, Øvre verket, Villa Lunde, Lindheim, local farmers and producers.

We think festivals are the best way for communication between two parties. Producers/entrepreneurs have possibility to meet their customers face to face and show what they do and how they do, update them and increase product/service awareness among them. In addition to this, the companies can gain new customers and penetrate to new markets. 

For consumers, let’s say, for those who will spend their free time on our festival, will be the best option to communicate to the producers directly. They will have possibility to get to know to the new products/services and trends that are on market, they can purchase desired product/service at a more reasonable price and simply enjoy the event, because the festival will not only be “revenue based”. There will happen many other interesting things besides that.

Target group

Demographic segmentation would be the best fit for our festival. Our main target groups are local and regional tourists. According to the Dyrsku’n experience, there have been some tourists from Sweden, Denmark and Lithuania. What we want to say is that our segment is local tourists, but it does not exclude tourists from outside Norway. Any kind of traveler or interested person can come and enjoy the festival.

Moreover, in addition to the traditional segmentation, we think of creating a family-friendly festival. What we mean by that? As we mentioned before, it is not only the “commercial based” festival. The mentioned festival is based on different activities where both singles and married couples with children will have chance to experience something new, interesting and spend a fantastic time together.

National and International Trends

The following trends can characterize our festival: Farmers market, booths, exhibitions, local heritage/cultural heritage.

  • Farmer’s market – is becoming more and more popular among visitors. At farmers’ market, local farmers, growers and other food producers or vendors come together to sell their products directly to the public. Farmers market offers small farmers the chance to market their produce, incubate their businesses, and supplement their income. However, farmers’ markets are also helping to create robust local economies and more vibrant communities, bringing buyers to long-neglected downtown areas and other traditional retail centers.
  • Booths – seems like a great place to go, if you want to taste some of the region’s best.
  • Exhibitions – are a powerful marketing tool that allow to our participants to promote their products/services to a group that may have little or no knowledge of their businesses. 
  • Local heritage / cultural heritage – plays the most important role, because it is the best way to experience local and cultural heritage in the region, get to know new information about the customs and better acquainted with them.

How could VR/AR be integrated in the idea?

VR/AR can be used by the different consumers in order to show to the visitors the process of producing, working environment and so on. It is the best way as well to show different attractions and cultural buildings in a virtual way. Visitors can get possibility to see how the particular building was looking couple of years ago. By using VR/AR we can improve customer engagement, provide a personalized experience and improve their satisfaction.

How could the concept/idea be marketed?

We are thinking of using the following sources: social media, local papers, brochures.

  • Social media – is the most popular and fastest source of information nowadays in Norway. At the top in the list is Facebook then following YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and so on. Therefore, the main focus will be on Facebook, but we are planning to use all the social medias, because they are free and fast to deliver the message to the target group and easy to use. 
  • Local papers – despite of the popularity of the social media, newspapers are still popular in Norway. So, it would be better for us to reach our target market both through newspapers (papiraviser) and online newspaper (nettaviser). Aftenposten and VG are the most popular according to MedieNorge. For that reason, we are thinking of using mentioned two newspapers and TA, Varden and VTB. 
  • Brochures – are budget – friendly tools for marketing that can reach the audience in many ways. It works as a real marketing ad imparting credibility regarding the company and highlighting its various aspects. No one can deny the importance of digital marketing, but brochures still play an important role in marketing. Many surveys show that 7 out of 10 tourists, as well as visitors, tend to pick up brochures, 95% visitors that obtain brochures become aware of a business/event and 80% of people consider visiting the business/event they saw in brochures. These stats clearly show that brochures are nothing less than a novelty in today’s paperless world.
Kategorier
Destination development

Destination development – Golf World

Gruppe 10: Pia, Julien, Don og Emil. Foto: Privat

Skrevet av: Pia-Roxanna Römmer, Nopphadol Kuphimai Olsen, Emil Hammerbekk Pedersen, Julien Tangui Nicolas Russier. Destination development gruppe 10, høst 2019, Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge avd. Bø.

Golf World

We are a group of 4 people from 4 different countries. We chose to work with Norsjø Golf because we all like sports and think that golf is fun.

Norsjø golf is one of Scandinavia’s best golf tracks, in 2017 it was voted the best golf track in Scandinavia. In 2018 it was voted the third best golf track. In 2019 it was voted as Telemarks best golf track. We came up with an idea of adding VR golf in the existing Norsjø golf. This is something Nome has never seen before, a golf park you can visit whenever you want, even in the winter. What if Norsjø golf decided to make something really big, that will attract tourists from all around the world to come and visit Norsjø golf.

Norsjø golf park has several partners, such as Bø Hotell, Aarnes Kafeteria, Esso Ulefoss and Sport 1 Ulefoss. Together they can provide new special offers for the golf customers. For example, a package with lunch at the cafeteria and a night at the hotel.
What can Nome municipality do to attract more tourists? Nome has been struggling a lot with tourists, there are only a few people that goes there, and most of the tourists just pass by in the canals. What can we do to encourage them to stay longer in Nome?

We suggest a building with new indoor golf area located at Norsjø golf park, as seen in the picture below. A building that allows you to bring your whole family on a golf session. It will be a golf track with several options, an option for the adults and an option for the kids with three mains points. 

Our golf building will have a VR golf game for children, with 3 unique locations, in Fantasy, Prehistoric and Sci-fi.
It will have a small indoor Mini golf park, with 10-12 holes. Children can play the VR game before a real minigolf with their family. It’s perfect in order to learn golf basics and have fun. Children can really love this new experience.
Next, it will be an indoor golf game. The Indoor Golf simulator is a “Ready to Play” software. In VR golf you can play on whatever field you want, even if its 1000 miles away.
Maybe we can contact Golf Simulator’s companies and ask for a possible customization. We can include Telemark’s landscapes and in that way, we can feel Telemark’s DNA in the game.

Pictures below explain our plan. As we can see, there is a lot of space for parking. At the first floor, it will be all golf activities. Upstairs, we put our cafeteria where customers can sit inside and outside. During your lunch, you can be able to enjoy the Norwegian weather and its landscape. The kitchen is upstairs in the right corner. 

Norsjø Golfpark wants to become a leading golf park in their business. They will be at the center of all decisions and negotiations. Norsjø Golfpark has to set up a plan with all other stakeholders. 

From a regional point of view, the county and Midt Telemark can do a lot of marketing of this new innovative destination. Then, Nome municipality can help to find a building to create these new activities. Nome municipality can make special discounts or initiatives to promote the Golfpark. Nome must involve local communities to the Golfworld Project, together with Norsjø Golfpark. 

Residents, as well as tourists are potential customers of our project. Both the locals and tourists are very important for us because they will be our main customers, the locals might invite their relatives to join them in a golfing session.

Their relations towards the tourists can be positive if Norsjø Golfpark works well with other stakeholders.  After sharing facilities and activities, they can help tourists by giving them information and a strong welcome. Next, publishing internet content and reviews can be a positive point for Norsjø Golfpark in order to be more visible. Making locals participate at the beginning of the project can lead to multiple positive points

Norsjø Golfpark has to propose initiatives to promote this project. With the Nome municipality, they can organize a free event open for everyone for trying all types of golf. Similarly, Norsjø Golfpark can set up free visits for schools once a semester. In fact, the success of these proposals would achieve the following objective: to obtain the support of the local community. We want Nome Kommune to make special discounts or initiatives to promote the Golfpark.

With TaylorMade and other golf brands Norsjø Golfpark can think about a new small sales area located in the future building. Customer can find specialized golf stuffs here. 

Also, Norsjø Golfpark has several partners such as Bø Hotell, Aarnes Kafeteria, Esso Ulefoss and Sport 1 Ulefoss. It is necessary to inform and communicate through marketing and special innovative offers. Indeed together, they can propose new special offers for golf customers. For example, a package with a lunch at the cafeteria and a night at the hotel. Another example can be discount from Sport 1 Ulefoss, so members of The Norsjø golf club can get discounts on golfing equipment.

Norsjø Golfpark could try to set up a new type of indoor golf tournaments with Porsgrunn Golfpark and other golf parks. Other tournaments exist in the golf field, so it seems to be a good idea to extend these possibilities. 

Norsjø golf park will sell merch, like small metal figures which could be made in the iron factory, which could be sold in Norsjø Golfpark merch store, Ulefoss county house, as well as many other places. They should also look into cooperating with Villa Lunde, maybe the painter can paint some postcards, which could be sold at the same places. The merch store will also sell different memberships, drop-in, events and a lot more.

We hope to see you at Norsjø Golf soon!


Kategorier
Destination development

Destination development – Craft Hotel

Gruppe 8. Foto: Privat

Skrevet av: Tommy Gao Kverndal, Seselja Lydvo, Eilen Flathus Slaaen, Hilde-Kristine Lundestad, Petter Mjanger Kvidbergskår. Destination development gruppe 8, høst 2019, Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge avd. Bø.

Craft Hotel

We want not just to make something brand new, something separate from all the other initiatives in Nome. Since KRAFT/CUPIDO is all about collaborating, we wanted to merge all of Nome in to something. Nome has few places where you can spend the night as a tourist, thus we came up with the idea: A small boutique hotel that comprises 8-15 rooms, each with individual concepts/themes.

The themes in the hotel rooms will be inspired by the different initiatives around in the municipality: Ulefos Jernværk, Norsjø Golfpark, Øvre Verket, paintings by Elisabeth from Villa Lunde, volcano, Ulefos Hovedgaard, Romnes Medieval Church. Our aim is to make people want to explore Nome even further than they planned.

Mette Sanden who runs the museum Øvre Verket in Ulefos pointed out in her presentation that they are missing accommodation in Ulefos, which makes it a challenge for tourists to come and visit. As stated by Heidi Elise Kvale who is the head of the cultural department in Nome, most of the housing options in Nome are caravan parks or camping sites. By building or making a hotel the tourist will stay and visit more attractions and sites in Nome.

The name

Why did we choose to call it ‘Craft Hotel’? We were inspired firstly by the KRAFT/CUPIDO Project, then we realised that the word in English also related to our idea – art: ironworks, paintings, the church, etc. Power, art, and competence is what we are all about.

Trends

“[There is an] Increasing regional focus to tourism and travel.” – Alastair M. Morrison.

Nome has great potential when it comes to tourism, but only one bed-accomodation offer. To be able to compete with Bø and other cultural heritage destinations Nome needs more beds.

One of the reasons we chose this idea for the KRAFT/CUPIDO project is due to these days’ social and cultural trend of getting an authentic cultural experience. Tourists have a craving of experience and not just a bed for the night, thus the themed boutique hotel. We see that there is a huge trend in ecotourism and sustainable tourism in general, hence the collaboration with local stakeholders. Our idea of utilizing VR in collaboration with other initiatives in the local area (Nome), which we will come back to later, supports the technological trend within tourism.

There are plenty of ‘tourism market’-trends we could play with connected with our concept: greater concern with environmental sustainability, and short-break travel are some of them. As mentioned, the goal is for people to stay two or more nights and not just a drive through.

Stakeholders

The collaboration comprises both making the VR-experience/videos, and the making of each hotel room. The stakeholders will join in on the planning and decorating of each their room, contributing with pictures, art work, and other decorations. The idea is to have small apartment-like rooms spread around Nome. It will be a multi-located hotel where the stakeholders could help cooperating the rooms. As mentioned, the rooms will have individual themes inspired by the stakeholders, so for example the room Øvre Verket would cooperate will be inspired by decorations sold in the shop and probably end up with a “old Norwegian farm/home”- feel to it. One main office will cover the marketing, accounting, and such; all the stakeholders will share the profits of the hotel to be able to invest in their own businesses, and to develop Nome. In the main office there would be space for VR-equipment.

Integrating VR

Foto: Kim M. Olsen

Since VR is a huge trend nowadays, we wanted to integrate it in to the hotel. Craft Hotel is all about collaborations, thus, we want to work with some of the mentioned stakeholder to make VR-experiences from different attractions in Nome. The plan is to have a room in the main office on the city centre of Ulefoss where we place the VR-experience. We would collaborate with the stakeholders in making VR-movies like:

  • Norsjø Golfpark:        Play golf
  • Volcano:                     Walk around the volcano like it was many years ago
  • Ulefos Jernværk:        Experience how the factory was back in time
  • M/S Victoria:             How it was in the early 1900s, through the locks

Local identity and sustainability

We want to work with local businesses, to create the rooms in the hotel, as a part of keeping the local identity and accentuate what Nome has to offer. This way each room will have its own theme, with elements that represents each business as in what they are. The businesses work with the hotel on creating a room that represents the business in what they do and what they stand for. E.g. in a room inspired by Ulefos Jernværk could be one of their beautiful antique ovens as a source of heat or just as a decoration. It will show some of the history and legacy of Ulefoss and Nome.

We will work on recycling on all levels, increase the opportunities for recycling and teach employees to think eco-friendly as well as buying recyclable products for the hotel, and cutting the use of unnecessary plastic products. There is a potential of becoming ecotourism certified or another kind of sustainable label.

Marketing

The concept ‘Craft Hotel’ is probably most suited for people aged 50 and up. Our segment is people with a deeper cultural and historical interest, and technological knowledge. We want to focus on the national marked at first, then move slowly out and abroad.

Craft Hotel is a major collaboration with several stakeholders involved. Our focus is on local history and supporting the local community. With the inspiration from all the arts and craft in the area, the idea of a boutique hotel started to form. People need to stay in Nome and not just drive through, they need to experience all the beautiful culture, history and legacy Nome has to offer. We want to make that happen with Craft Hotel.

Kategorier
Destination development

Destination development – Glamping Nome

Foto: Martin Robles, unsplash.com

Skrevet av: Pwe Klu Moo Heing, Irmelin Gjærum Holmberg, Ida Dragnes Hustad, Nathalie Johansen og Kevin Duke Diga Sidro. Destination development gruppe 6, høst 2019, Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge avd. Bø.

Glamping Nome

The invention of a concept and its evolvement

Our concept is based on the need for accommodation in Nome. After the presentation we were presented with, we found out that an accommodation offer is strongly desired and that there is a need for this in Nome. During the brainstorming phase, it was always important to us that this concept could attract new customers and not just the already existing customers. It was also important that this concept was something that was available and just as relevant in winter as in summer. Our first idea was to build small cabins of glass placed in the top of trees that could blend in with nature, but after some feedback from the lecturer we realized that this concept was a little too ambitious. Then we chose to narrow the idea, but still focus on meeting the need for a place to stay the night.

Our concept now consists of creating a collaboration between current companies in Nome and an already established glamping company. Here, there are opportunities for the already existing companies to work together and with Glamping Norway to raise awareness about Nome and attract guests. So, our concept is to be able to set up Glamping tents around Nome where it should be possible to set them up.

Local identity, cultural heritage and the DNA of the region

Topaz arctic shoe is part of Nome’s culture, so maybe it would be nice to have a small shop next to the “Glamping Nome” or right beside the reception. With the Topaz artic shoes shop next to “Glamping Nome” would be a great thing to the tourists. The tourists can buy “Topaz artic shoes” from the store and bring it to their home as a memory from Nome or they can rent it while they are in “Glamping Nome”. Topaz artic shoes shop does not need to work alone. Maybe they can work together with other local companies too. 

The Telemark Canal can be a useful thing for the tourists. We can use the Telemark Canal to bring the tourists to “Glamping Nome”. If there is no chance for the Telemark Canal to bring the tourists to “Glamping Nome”, maybe it would be great if theTelemark Canal can bring the tourists to the nearest stop next to “Glamping Nome”.

Nome has a very beautiful nature. While the Tourists are here at “Glamping Nome”, they can go on hiking, fishing, bicycling, canoe or kayak in Nome.

Stakeholders in destination management

First and foremost, what are stakeholders in the destination development setting?

“Stakeholders are groups and individuals who have a direct or indirect interest in the management of a destination for tourism.” (Morrison, 2019, p. 24-25)

According to Alistair Morrison’s book we divide the stakeholders into five main groups. These five main groups are tourists, tourism-sector organizations, community, environment and government.

In the tourist group:

  • Leisure or pleasure
  • Business
    • Topaz – Arctic Shoes
  • Visiting friends and relative
  • Other

In the tourism-sector organizations group:

  • Destination Management Organizations (DMOs)
    • Visit Norway
    • Visit Telemark
  • Hospitality
  • Attractions
  • Transport
  • Travel trade
  • Media
  • Employee Organizations

In the community group:

  • Community organizations
  • Resident associations
  • Øvre Verket
  • Business associations
    • Glamping Norway
    • Ulefoss Ironworks
  • Special panels or task forces
  • Others

In the environment group:

  • Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
  • Conservation societies
  • Environmental agencies
  • Others

In the government group:

  • National
  • Regional
  • State or provincial
    • The municipality board
  • Local
  • Other agencies

Constant communication with these groups is needed to form strategic decisions about tourism.

Target groups within tourism and national to international trends supporting the idea

Since Nome holds a lot of cultural heritage that would appeal to the older generations mostly, we would want to focus on attracting young adults and families to our glamping sites. By doing so Nome will increase the number of visitors, and further increasing its popularity. Telemark is filled with beautiful landmarks surrounded by breath-taking landscapes, and Nome is no exception. This will undoubtedly attract people with an interest in nature, and with our sustainable glamping experience we would also support people who are passionate about the environment.

By providing different glamping sites near the Telemark Canals different stops, we would be able to accommodate more people, where they can choose for themselves which glamping site they would like to book. With different options for different price ranges, we would be able to appeal to people with various financial backgrounds. We would have some exclusive tents for those who wants the most glamorous experience possible. We would also provide more affordable options in different sizes, for people who would like to visit without having to pay for the extra extravagance.

When it comes to supporting national- and international trends, we believe that glamping has become popular for a reason. People want to experience nature, and the feeling of camping, without losing the comfort of a “home”.  In addition to this, glamping is also a sustainable option of accommodation. The fact that the focus on the environment’s wellbeing has skyrocketed lately, makes glamping a viable option for those that cares for the environment.

Kategorier
Destination development

Destination development – Park Nome

Skrevet av: Marlies De Vooght, Eimund Eknes, Karl-Oskar Grimstad, Karina Gustavsen og Meloni de Zilva, Destination development gruppe 5, høst 2019, Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge avd. Bø.

Park Nome

Park Nome will be an adventure park in Nome where you can enjoy indoor skydiving with a VR experience simulating a jump from the skies above Nome.

For us, the DNA of Nome is its natural surroundings and wilderness. They have the Telemark Canal, amazing lakes, beautiful forests and much more. We want to put nature in the spotlights by creating an adventure park where people can challenge themselves while being outside and enjoy the fresh air. The idea is not to have one big attraction such as for example Bø Sommarland, but rather many smaller activities run by independent companies, all connected to the concept of Park Nome.

Bilde hentet fra pixabay.com

There is no doubt Nome is unable to fund a large project like this, which is the reason our plan is based on attracting local and national companies to Nome. We are focusing on the VR experience with indoor skydiving, but the goal is to work together with many stakeholders and make Nome an attractive destination that attracts new stakeholders like restaurants, hotels/hostels and other activity providers. We do not only want to focus on creating a park for tourists but also attract locals from the nearby regions and make Nome a more attractive place to both settle down and with opportunities within tourism based business.

In the beginning of the project, the main question we asked ourselves was: ‘What can we create to attract more young people to Nome?’ We started thinking about things we like as young adventurous people and we also looked for trends in the Norwegian tourism sector. We did some research and ended up with extreme adventure, solo-travelling, sustainability, customer centricity etc. but we also wanted to include VR in our new product.

We mixed everything together and started brainstorming with the ideas we already had and so we came up with the idea of indoor skydiving with VR. It is something we would all like to do and we are convinced that people would love to experience this. They can enjoy a unique experience in the beautiful environment without causing harm to it. Indoor skydiving is also less time consuming, excessive, costly and dangerous which will encourage more people to try it. Skydiving with VR does not exist in Norway today and will give the visitors a green experience of skydiving. In addition to the indoor skydiving, we will lay the foundation for a local skydiving club, where the airstrip and local plane community can create a business.

Our target group is the following:

  • Young adventurous people who are willing to challenge themselves.
  • Sportive people who love nature and being outside.
  • People who travel alone or in group and who are ready to enjoy a special experience in Norway.

Adrenaline junkies will definitely find what they are looking for at our Park, but also less sportive people are welcome at Park Nome to have a new, challenging experience.

Our main idea is creating a meeting point in Ulefoss that will be the “Park Nome visitor center”. We were thinking that this centre would contain our main attraction which is the indoor skydiving with the possibility of using VR. There are also lots of opportunities for other stakeholders to cooperate and become a part of the project. People can get information about Nome and different activities that Park Nome, and Nome has to offer inside this centre. 

Bilde hentet fra pixabay.com

Our main stakeholders are the local stores where tourists can stop by, the local restaurants, the transportation companies etc but as mentioned earlier we also focus on potential stakeholders like ho(s)tels, B&B’s, new restaurants, activities providers etc.

Luckily, we can use the available resources like the bus stops to bring people to Park Nome. We will also use the hiking and bicycle trails so people can combine all of the activities and the existing infrastructure for the local inhabitants.

We want to work together with the local inhabitants, they know the region and they can share their knowledge with the tourists and give them a unique experience. To expand our park and make our vision possible on a limited budget we want to work together with other companies in the tourism industry like Norsjø Cabelpark, the canoe rental company etc, the bungee jump company in Rjukan. We want to make Nome (and Bø) municipality a region that is known for its adventurous and challenging experiences.

As we want to attract young people we want to use social media as a marketing instrument. We want to share our customers experiences on our social media channels like Youtube, Instagram and Facebook. We will also be working with influencers from our target groups.

Park Nome is located really close to University of South-Eastern Norway, campus Bø. We want to give a student discount to the students so they can spend their free time at Park Nome with their friends. We also hope that Visit Norway, Visit Telemark and Visit Bø will pick up our concept and share it with their visitors.

To sum it up: Park Nome will be a network of activities connected by hiking and bicycle trails, roads and the Telemark canal. We will give new life to existing stakeholders as well as attracting new businesses. We will give the locals a region full of activities and opportunities, and encourage people to settle down. And last but not least: we will make Nome municipality the center of extreme and outdoor activities on the east coast of Norway.

See you soon at Park Nome! 

Kategorier
Destination development

Destination development – Catch, Cook & Consume

Gruppe 4: Nanthawat Butsri og Maxime Charlois. Foto: Privat

Skrevet av: Nanthawat Butsri og Maxime Charlois, Destination development gruppe 4, høst 2019, Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge avd. Bø.

Catch – Cook & Consume

The concept/idea and how we came up with it

Norsjø Lake plays an important role in the DNA of Nome. We came up with the concept/idea by brainstorming on how we can use the Norwegian culture to our advantage for our concept. The first thing we agreed on was, it should be something you can do during free time. We researched on activities you could do in Nome, but there were little to none, which might be the reason why not many people knows about Nome. So we directly thought about fishing for fish like trout in this lake, and we came up with an original concept in order to attract more tourists : Catch – Cook & Consume. Finally, with the excursion day in Nome, we have seen with our own eyes that all (or most of) the needed infrastructures were already there: mainly a harbor and a restaurant. So we decided to keep this idea and try to make it doable.

Relation to local identity, cultural heritage and «the DNA of the region»

What is it that makes Norway so special and why do people visit Norway? We’ve got friends from another countries and when I mention why they want to visit Norway, their answer is first the northern light. Next comes the environment and landscapes.

Our idea is mainly focused on the landscapes and environment of Nome. We want them to see and feel the nature of Nome and Norway. With our idea, this can become a reality. By catching the fish yourself, it shows the culture of Norway. When you think about food in Norway from a foreigner perspective, what is Norway known for? It is fish. With our idea you can fully immerse yourself with the culture of Norway.

Available resources in Nome that support the concept/idea

For our idea to be able to work, we would need fishing boats, fishing rod, a place to have the restaurant and a harbor to park the fishing boats. All of it can be found in Nome. Luckily, we found a perfect spot to have the restaurant and it is right beside the harbor. Unfortunately, there are already a restaurant located there. Possibly, they could work with us and find a solution to be able to help us achieve the Idea. For the fishing boat and fishing rod, the fishing association in Nome would be a possible partner. They could lend us their fishing boats and possibly cooperate with us.

Ulefoss gjestebrygge. Foto: Privat

Which stakeholders are being involved?

This topic is uncertain, because this is potential investors/stakeholders for our idea. We think that our concept can be supported by Nome municipality, because our project is supposed to attract tourists in this area. We also think the university USN is a potential stakeholder because they are a part of CUPIDO project, and their competence on fresh water. The same with Visit Bø, which is the local tourism marketing association and the fishing associations, the same with the restaurant.

Who would be the target groups/tourists that we would want to attract?

We want to attract tourists both inside and outside of Norway. It is a seasonal event and attraction, and most of the international tourists comes in the summer, which is suitable for our idea. Our target group for this attraction are mainly: families, couples or groups of friends. We mainly focus on groups, because this attraction will be on the expensive side and it will be cheaper for each individual. The more customers, the cheaper the cost for each individual.

What national/international trends support the concept/idea?

Our concept will be a sustainable tourist activity and it’s also directly linked to the natural environment of Nome. Why we think our idea is sustainable? First, Norsjø will have fishes in the sea. Second, it is an attraction which is linked with the nature. Within the national/international trends, we have come up with a new Idea, maybe not a new trend. We make the customer do things by himself/herself with the help of professionals. We offer them the satisfaction of catching their own fish and cooking their own meal.

How could VR/AR be integrated in the idea?

We have chosen to not integrate AR/VR in our idea. The reason behind this is because, it is not appropriate for our concept. The reason why is that you cannot feel it, only see it throughout a screen inside the goggles. It is not the same feeling as being there in the exact moment at the same location. It is not worth investing on something that is not important for the concept and the idea.

How could the concept/idea be marketed?

In terms of marketing and communication, there a lot of possible options, such as:

  • Video advertisement: We think that the best way to attract tourists is to have video advertisements which will show the experience of the different steps. The fishing activity, the cooking moment and finally the result. The video will be edited in three parts, each of the parts presents step by step without relation (except with Nome environment). At the end, we show that you can experience that three specific activities in one : the Catch – Cook & Consume concept.
  • Posters: Attractive posters with one photo for each activity and the name of the idea. We can use this posters design and create flyers in the same way. The flyers would be distributed in the different tourism places in Telemark (Hotels, restaurants, museums…)
  • Social media: By creating social media accounts, with a particular hashtag (for example #CC&C) we can post photos/videos about the concept and the experience to improve our visibility.
Kategorier
Destination development

Destination development – Nature Trend Days

Destination development gruppe 3. Foto: Elisabeth K. Brodal.

Skrevet av: Kristina Bore, Christina Berstad, Maria Barcons, Espen Stensrud, Elisabeth K. Brodal. Destination development gruppe 3, høst 2019, Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge avd. Bø.

Nature Trend Days

Our concept to the CUPIDO project is to make a program that represents Ulefoss in a summer festival called Telemarksveka. The festival is a one week festival in cooperation with TV2, with small and bigger events all around in Telemark. As we did some research, we noticed that Ulefoss is not really represented in this festival. Nome is partly represented, with Kanalrennet in Lunde. We want to represent Ulefoss in the best way to attract national tourists and also draw some attention to the fact that people could move there.

TelemarksVeka is already a concept,  the main idea around TelemarksVeka is to promote different places in Telemark, and to get more tourists to visit Telemark, to create an interest for Telemark for people who does not live here.  They make events in Bø, Lunde, Notodden and shows the places from their best sides. They are using TV2 to send it on tv, to get TV2 included they have been using celebrities so people will have a good reason to look at the show at TV, and attend the event.

After some research, we found out that Ulefoss is not included at TelemarksVeka at all, so our idea is to make an event for Ulefoss, called Nature Trend Days! We thought to include/represent Ulefoss in Telemarksveka would be a great opportunity to show TV watchers what the destination has to offer. Also prove that Ulefoss has something to be proud of, and it has potential to be an amazing tourist destination after all. In our program for TelemarksVeka we want to include both cultural and nature components and make the event in a modern way.

Øvre Verket. Foto: Maren Sandbakk

To attract the television and more people we want to use famous Team Ingebrigtsen. To show people the beautiful nature Nome has to offer, we will arrange a hike with Team Ingebrigtsen. Here people can sign up, and walk the beautiful Skarravegen, from Ulefoss to Vrangfoss. On the walk you pass Ulefoss Hovedgaard with its beautiful park and museum with old horse vehicles. You pass Eidsfoss sluice by going over the steam gates and end up at Vrangfoss sluice, which  with is five locks is the canal’s largest and most impressive building. We also want to use Jenny Skavlan to have a fashion show. This will be in cooperation with the clothing stores Cigill in Ulefoss and Victoria & Henrik in Lunde. There will be shown clothes from their stores, but locals will also have the opportunity to donate clothes they don’t use anymore, and other people can buy them after. This is a activity supporting the huge trend we have now in sustainability and also hence the name.

To illustrate the heritage and the local culture of Ulefoss, and show it so people will explore it and feel it, we would like to use AR in cooperation with MS Victoria. The visitors will be able to see how Ulefoss looked 100-200 years ago, with the iron factory and they will see how they lived that long ago. We will illustrate the old houses, and also with someone telling the story of Ulefoss so it will be put into context. This is something that could be a permanent activity in Ulefoss in cooperation with Telemarkskanalen.

MS Victoria. Foto: Maren Sandbakk

To complete the event, we need the entire local community to collaborate. And we need available resources as Søve High School, MS Victoria, Nome Municipality, Telemarkskanalen, Øvre Verket and TelemarksVeka. We need this resources to promote the local identity, so we can show Ulefoss from their best site, and include every small detail.

As stakeholders we want to use local firms, to invest and to participate in the project. Local companies should have something to offer to the visitors and tourists, they should prepare offers, sales, free entrance. We want the whole town to gain something on this project over time.

Our target group would mainly be families, but of course we want to reach out to everyone. This will mostly be people from the cities/towns nearby such as Seljord, Notodden, Bø etc. The arrangement will be mostly fitted for families, which they can participate in.

Compared to earlier years, there is now a greater desire for authentic cultural experiences where the tourists wants to experience something different. This is something we are trying to offer the tourists visiting Ulefoss/Nome/Telemark.. This goes under the trend social and cultural. There is also a significant increase in the use of every sort of technology. That is why we want to adapt the AR with the app, as everyone always has their phone with them now. Our use of Team Ingebrigtsen would also go under this category, as they are huge in social media, and will give us even greater expansion. 

We want to arrange the activities so that it is as sustainable as possible, as that is a huge tourism trend now. For example we want to attract a market that isn’t too dependent on too much travel, therefore appeal to the people in Bø, Sauherad, Skien etc. Also arrange it so that people get the best experience possible because that is what people expect, especially when it comes to customer service etc.

We also want to make Nome more competitive as a destination, we feel like they aren’t doing enough to raise the tourism market within the destination. There is a increasing trend when it comes to tourism, people are traveling more than ever and they want to experience something different, this is something we had in the back of our heads when developing our idea.

We decided to implement artificial reality while MS Victoria is taking place, visitors/tourists will be allowed to see how was Ulefoss village 200 years ago and its heritage from the river coast. They would only need to download the AR application on their mobile phone, for the ones who can not download it we would provide them tablets so that everybody could enjoy the experience.

First of all through Telemarksveka. This is marketed through TV, and also a lot on Facebook with different events that people can engage in. We would also use the popular platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. To reach out to our audience we would choose platform depending on which they use the most and where it’s easiest to reach them. To attract both locals and people from the bigger cities we want to focus the marketing on local experience and support. We know that the marketing true celebrities profiles gives a extreme range, they have a lot of followers both young and adults, so we are hoping that the celebrities who will take a part of the event, will promote it on their own social channel. We will also ask to use the social channels of Visit Bø, and local newspapers. (TA, Bø blad, Kanalen).

We strongly believe that this will bring more attention to Nome as a destination. Because of the use of nature, AR and celebrities it will hopefully reach out to a lot of people, and highlight some of the attractions Nome has to offer. 

Kategorier
Destination development

Destination development – Ironworks Experience

Destination development gruppe 2. Foto: Privat

Skrevet av: Paula Sánchez, Caroline Andersen, Mariken Andersen, Stian Andersen og Mohamad Abdul-Rahman Aziz. Destination development gruppe 2, høst 2019, Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge avd. Bø.

Ironworks Experience

Introduction

For this work, we chose to focus on Ulefoss’ industrial history. Their industrial history is relevant for Norway as it is one of the oldest industrial operations in the country. More specifically we are going to use the ironworks as a museum where visitors could buy tickets to either explore the museum by themselves or sign up for an organized tour. We are going to include other aspects to this tour to make it a unique experience.

How it came about

During the brainstorming phase of this project, we had a couple of ideas, with one that stood out: the Ulefoss and Lunde Town Festival. This festival was going to span over a weekend, and we had planned many activities so that everyone who visit would have something to do.

We were set on this idea, until we were told, by our lecturer, to cut down on the activities, the target groups, and drop the activities in Lunde, and instead just focus on our AR aspect of the festival, and thus was our lecturers idea born, The Ironworks Experience.

Local identity and DNA

So for this idea, we have as the main focus to showcase Nome’s history and culture. We will have a historical tour, that will showcase the beginnings of the industrial manufacturing. In addition to that, we will showcase the culture of the area by introducing the visitors to local produced food, and having a paintings gallery showcase by Elisabeth De Lunde at Ulefoss ironwork, and maybe have her husband, Jakob Zethner perform a little opera concert in an empty area in the ironworks.

Available resources

To make our event into reality we are depending on some available resources around in Nome. The municipality will also help us with funding and organize different stands and where we can have them. The farmers will help us provide with local products that a catering company from Notodden called «Det lille extra» will use to serve people food.

Unavailable resources

For the unavailable resources, we have concluded that we only need the help of an external company related to IT, to carry out the explanation of these virtual reality activities. And also to help and monitor that the activity is carried out devoutly.

To get financial help for the ironwork’s experience, we had thought about promoting some local businesses, making a raffle, maybe the municipality of Nome can help or cultural organizations want to participate in the festival.

Target groups

At our festival, we are gonna be focusing on the Norwegian people (people from other countries are welcomed as well), locals and others. We will be focusing on families that could be interested in the industrial history of Norway in a new modern method, AR. In addition to focusing on students (Organized school trips), we thought it would be interesting for schools if they organized student trips to Nome, so they could visit our one-day ironwork experience day. The students will then learn and check out AR, and also learn more about the history of Nome (ironworks).

Stakeholders

We have also been in contact with different stakeholders that will help us with activities and products at the festival. The famous Topaz shoes will be present in the festival and the organization will help us with prizes and stands. The famous artist Elisabeth De Lunde and her husband Jakob Zethner will have a gallery of paintings and an opera performance. This is a very exclusive for this event and we hope this will engage people. The local paper Kanalen will help with marketing and make people be aware of the festival. We will also have Topaz present their different models of shoes and sponsor us with prizes for the people who are coming.

Trends

Trends that we are focusing most on are sustainability, history, environmentally friendly impact and the use of modern technology.

By providing the catering company with local products from the farmers to cook for the visitors, we would have managed to support the locals, and we will not have to think about transport of all the ingredients and products, which is environmentally friendly. In addition to that, by having our entire program happening in the ironworks, no fuel would need to be used to move the visitors around. This will also in turn immerse the visitors more into the historic aspect of the tour.

And finally by using new technology, we manage to add a sense of immersion and making the entire experience more interesting and unique to the ironworks.

Marketing

We will be focusing on having an good communication plan with the participants, from the beginning to the end. We are gonna be using social media to market our Ironworks experience day, as well as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. At Facebook we could create an own event for the festival. We will also be creating an own webpage for the day. Since we are trying to attract different target groups, we might have to use other ways than the internet, like newspapers, posters, send out information in posts, emails, and radio would also be an option. This is because not everyone might be updated on social media and we want to reach out to as many people as we can. That’s why we have to use different kinds of marketing.

AR (augmented reality)

We intend to use AR for two main reasons, first is how user friendly this technology is, and secondly how widely available this technology is, and could fit into anyone’s smart phone. The combination of these two factors, make this idea easily implementable. If the municipality invests some money into this technology, we could hire some mobile app developers to make an app that can play a part in our historical tour. As the visitors enter the iron works in Ulefoss, we could have QR scan code posters for the app hanging around in the lobby or hall where the tour starts. This will of course require the installation of a free WIFI-signal, so the visitors have the opportunity to download the app. As the tour starts, we can have specific parts of the tours to be interactive with our app.

These parts or areas of the tour could be machinery, hallways or other areas where some sort of activity was present when the factory was working, and when the visitors would point their phone cameras on them, a visual presentation of the scene would appear on their phone screens in real time. For example, if we pick a hallway where workers used to go through to get to their work, the visitors would point their phone cameras on this hallway, and on the screen, they would see the hallway projected from their camera, and on top of that, an animation of workers from that era would be walking through the hallway. This could be done across parts of the museum that the tour organizers would recognize as important.

Kategorier
Destination development

Destination development – Iron Games Ulefoss

Gruppe 1: Sahal Mohammed Abdulle, Raissa-Ingunn Volden, Barabara Rebeca Ajtujal. Foto: Elisabeth Kastet Brodal.

Skrevet av: Rebeca Ajtujal, Sahal Mohammed Abdulle , Raissa-Ingunn Volden Destination development gruppe 1, høst 2019, Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge avd. Bø.

Iron Games Ulefoss

When you visit Ulefoss, its industrial soul, history, infrastructure and architecture stand out. The iron foundry was founded in 1657. At the end of the 17th century, the iron foundry was Norway’s largest producer of different types of iron. This activity is part of the cultural heritage and it is important to value it, keep it and pass it on to the future generation in order to conserve it.

We felt the iron factory and the history around it were at the core of Ulefoss and how it came to be what it is today. At Øvre Verket you will get a sense of how people lived from the first half of the nineteenth century after the factory entered the Cappelen family’s possessions. Additionally, you will get to see some of the objects produced in the iron factory, which is situated only a few minutes’ walk away from Øvre Verket. Given the importance it has in Ulefoss it could be much more exploited.

Foto: Rebeca Ajtujal

Today the main production of the iron factory is manhole covers. Of all the other products they produced over the years, only a few beautiful oven models from the early years of the factory are still produced in a limited number. Unfortunately, the iron factory is not open to visitors for security reasons.

Our idea is to allow people to “visit” the factory nonetheless using VR and be able to see how it works in a far more engaging and interesting way than traditional short films or just guides talking. The idea is to show the process of iron forging now with the current techniques and technology, and thereafter show how it would have been done when the factory was created, so people can see the evolution. The VR would naturally be available both in English and Norwegian, and maybe in other languages depending on where the majority of visitors come from.

Iron games escape room

The industrial vibe and the presence of the iron factory and objects are great ingredients for escape rooms, and as Ulefoss doesn’t have an escape room yet, we think this would also work great in combination with the VR. The museum (Øvre Verket) is a good place for establishing this for economic reasons (if one or several of the existing houses can be used rather than having to build a new building,) but also because it is situated in vicinity of the actual iron forgery (2-3 minutes’ walk) making it more real for tourists. In addition, the museum contains real ancient objects from the forgery, and we think that after learning and seeing the process through VR it is important to have something tangible to look at and the opportunity to buy some minor objects as souvenirs. The escape room could be situated in one of the bigger buildings with several rooms if we want a longer and more complex escape story. In terms of the content it should build on the formation of iron, its chemical properties and other characteristics such as its role in the human body. It will also address how iron has been used from the iron age until today and how it has been produced throughout the different ages including how it is done today in Ulefoss Jernverk.

Foto: Rebeca Ajtujal

The duration of the escape room should be one hour. We think this is short enough to attract tourists staying in Ulefoss only half or a whole day. We think the escape room and the VR are likely to attract students from the region to visit also the rest of Øvre Verket.

Marketing

From a marketing perspective, package deals should be proposed for people travelling with the canal boat (boat, VR, escape room, visit of the rest of the museum) and also for those travelling by other means. For example, packages including bus tickets (from Bø, Skien…) to Ulefoss with the VR, escape room and museum. This would be especially relevant for students. We also think they should have package deals with and without the escape rooms, since the latter will probably not be as relevant for older tourists or tourists who have a short amount of time to visit Ulefoss.

In order to promote the destination in a more cost-efficient way, the municipality or Telemark museum could propose internships to marketing and Tourism students. Special deals could be offered to high schools and universities who promote Ulefoss on their webpages (English and Norwegian). This would require the collaboration of the municipality, the factory owner, the county, the bus company (Telemarkekspressen), the students who would be interested in promoting these attractions in exchange for internships and the University’s involved.

One of the challenges Ulefoss faces in the tourism sector is its lack of visitors in the low season. Both the escape room and the VR would attract people throughout the whole year. Our main target groups would be university students in the area. Companies and other organisations could be interested in using the escape room for team building, while middle school classes from both Midt-Telemark, Nome and Grenland could incorporate the Museum with the VR as part of their education program in history.

After visiting Øvre Verket, the VR or the escape room it would be good to have a sales point where people can buy small traditional objects such as miniature manhole covers, jewellery made with iron, mini “Troll-biler” and other traditional objects that are easy to transport. These souvenirs could also be sold on the Telemarkanal boats.

One of the challenges in making this project possible is obtaining the permission from the iron factory owners to enter the factory in order to film and make the VR actually possible. Although this may be complicated, we think it is in their interest as well given that we would be promoting their factory, its brand name and its products to a broad public.

Kategorier
Prosjektet

Hva er VR og hva kan det brukes til?

Vår partner Stefan tester VR på partnermøte i Sverige. Alle foto: Maren Sandbakk

KRAFT-prosjektet, eller CUPIDO som det heter på engelsk, skal undersøke om kultur og kulturarv kan bidra til å skape nye arbeidsplasser. En del av dette er å utforske og ta i bruk ny teknologi, spesielt VR og AR. Men hva betyr det?

VR står for virtual reality, eller kunstig virkelighet, og lar brukeren oppleve et dataskapt miljø gjennom VR-briller. Med brillene på kan du gå rundt i helt andre rom og landskap enn du egentlig befinner deg i.

Studentene i Destination development ved USN befinner seg fysisk i Bø, men er på vei opp Mount Everest gjennom VR-utstyret.

AR betyr augmented reality, eller utvidet virkelighet. AR er interaktive opplevelser av virkelighetens miljø, hvor digitale objekter puttes inn. Pokémon Go er et eksempel på dette – gjennom kameraet på mobiltelefonen ser du objekter som ikke egentlig er der i virkeligheten.

I Värmland i Sverige og i St. Andrews i Skottland jobber våre partnere med VR som et verktøy for å fortelle historier og formidle kultur og kulturarv.

Vår partner Alan fra University of St. Andrews befinner seg i Sverige, men utforsker ruiner fra vikingtiden gjennom VR-brillene.

En av våre tilnærminger til VR i KRAFT i Nome har vært å involvere studentene i Destination development ved Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge i Bø. Trainee nummer 2 i KRAFT-prosjektet, som starter neste år, skal primært jobbe med VR og AR.

Tor Lønnestad foreleser i IT ved USN i Bø og demonstrerer en 100 år gammel VR-brille, hvor du kan se bilder av norske landskap i 3D.

VR- og AR-teknologi benyttes på en rekke områder:

  • Utdanning: Gjennom simulatorer kan studenter øve på å manøvrere fly og styre skip, som på USN i Vestfold
  • Arkitekter: Får bedre forståelse av konstruksjoner og kan kommunisere planer til befolkningen
  • Arkeologi: Rekonstruere kulturminner. På forskning.no kan du lese om hvordan verdens kulturarv formidles gjennom VR.
  • Museumsformidling: Du kan gå omkring i et historisk miljø
  • Militæret: Kan for eksempel kontrollere droner
  • Sport: Golfsimulatorer
  • Medisin: Trening, diagnosestilling, fjernstyrt kirurgi
  • Kommunikasjon: Du kan få en opplevelse av å befinne seg i samme rom som dem man kommuniserer med
  • Turisme: Du kan oppleve destinasjoner uten være der, og dermed spare reisekostnader og miljøet. Det gir dessuten eldre og funksjonshemmede muligheten til å oppleve vanskelig tilgjengelige destinasjoner. Du kan se hotellrommet du vurderer å bestille på forhånd.

Spørsmålene vi stiller oss i KRAFT-prosjektet er:

  • Hvordan kan vi bruke teknologien til å løfte fram og formidle kultur og kulturarv i Nome?
  • Finnes det bedrifter som arbeider med dette som vi kan koble sammen med kulturaktører?