SUMMARY NOTES FROM THE INDUSTRY STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION

September 2007

STRATEGIC PLANS

- ought to comprise levels of planning including

- strategic (frames preferred future outcomes)

- tactical(converts concepts and ideas into actions for improvement)

- operational(implementing the tasks; doing the work)

PURPOSE – gives value and context to the concepts, ideas, and tasks; ought to be “compelling, self evident and jargon free”; critical to all planning elements

  1. PURPOSE (of the industry) – developed ideas
  2. Participation in the outdoors
  3. (Great) Outdoor experience for personal reward
  4. Creating & engaging people in personally rewarding experiences in the great outdoors (environment) (groups)
  5. Creating opportunities & engaging people in experiences in the great outdoors that are rewarding personally, socially & for the environment
  1. SAMPLE PURPOSE STATEMENTS (for the industry)

“Promoting personally rewarding and environmentally sustainable experiences in the outdoors”

“Engaging people in outdoor experiences that are personally rewarding and environmentally sustainable”

  1. CONTEXT (that the industry functions within)
  2. What has changed?
  3. Improved equipment
  4. Environmental awareness
  5. Decreased access -“institutional juggernauts”
  6. recreation a low priority on government agenda behind environment, water, crime, education
  7. increased regulation
  8. Increased awareness of environment
  9. Decreased interaction with natural environment (urbanisation)
  10. This has eroded what was our baseline level of experience in the outdoors
  11. Need to use artificial substitutes
  12. Technology
  13. Decreased participation
  14. Increased media attention on “danger”, accidents etc
  15. Liability – increase emphasis on liability, risk
  16. child protection laws
  17. Competition has increased
  18. Time (electronic activities; parental work - lifebalance)
  1. ISSUES (the industry faces)
  2. Industry needs data and more analysis of existing data
  3. Participation
  4. Incidents and accidents
  5. Review tourism data
  6. Participation rates – need to link to social benefits
  7. Health
  8. Crime rates
  9. Community development
  10. Education
  11. Perceived risk vs real risk
  12. Public perception of danger in the outdoors
  13. Need to media, PR and market “the great outdoors”
  14. Need industry driven messages including “dumbing down” the message as public baseline awareness and knowledge has been eroded
  1. CRITICAL OUTCOMES (of an industry strategic plan)
  2. Lobbying /advocacy / relationships
  3. giving the outdoor industry a voice
  4. Industry training plan
  5. outdoor leaders and educators
  6. to promote standards & guidelines
  7. better manage risk
  8. retention or attraction of staff (industry core)
  9. Industry methodology for data collection & research
  10. inform & influence decision making & lobbying/advocacy
  11. how do we add value?
  12. Crime
  13. Health
  14. Education
  15. Community development
  16. Create certainty about ongoing access to outdoor environments (creating the environmental legacy)
  17. Integrate issues such as water shortage, climate change into industry development plans
  18. Marketing – identify the 2 or 3 biggest impediments to increased participation & develop strategy to dissolve
  19. Develop a strategy to reframe the perception of value people and government places on outdoor activity
  20. supporting school programs
  21. parent groups
  22. promoting the educational value
  23. others
  24. Sustain an effective industry body
  25. Representation
  26. Cross agency communication
  27. Functional networks
  28. Lobby – Advocate – Partnerships
  29. Industry development
  30. industry quality framework
  31. Clarify functional relationships (overlaps / “boundaries” with other jurisdictions
  32. tourism
  33. education
  34. Clarify the effectiveness and structure of the industry body/government interface
  35. this may fluctuate from issue to issue
  36. IE control and responsibility may be primarily vested in either industry or government on one issue, but this may vary on another
  37. the control - responsibility dynamic may include some disagreements
  38. a proactive, strategic partnership is required
  39. Redefine ad promote the value of our product(s)
  40. Sustainable career paths
  41. Retention