South Bank Marketing Group

South Bank Marketing Group is a highly active sub-group of SBEG and counts among its members the key attractions in the area.

The Group is committed to promoting the area as a visitor desination with a focus on increasing dwell time and spend as well as tackling seasonality.

The Group promotes South Bank to local residents, Londoners, domestic and overseas visitors. Typical activities include marketing the destination website www.southbanklondon.com, running PR campaigns, creating useful printed guides, maps and posters. The Group is linked effectively with the tourism bodies and closely networked with neighbouring destinations.

Funded by: Subscriptions from members of the South Bank Marketing Group

www.southbanklondon.com

www.southbanklondon.com is gateway into South Bank. It promotes the area as a must-do destination and meets the needs of regular visitors as well as those planning a first trip.

South Bank has an almost overwhelming range of things to see and do, whilst also sometimes being difficult to navigate.  The new site features the latest listings, easily searchable by specific attraction, interest or date, whilst interactive and downloadable maps create a sense of place and provide detailed street level information. Users can explore a mulitude of options for eating & drinking and accommodation too.

The website won Gold at the 2007 Visit London Awards, for Best Visitor Information Initiative.

Funded by: South Bank Marketing Group

Signage & Wayfinding

Wayfinding is a critical element of managing visitors to the South Bank, ensuring that they can easily find their way between the various attractions as well as to and from the transport nodes. 52 fingerpost signs, supported by map posters, ensure that visitors can feel confident exploring the area by foot.

The signage system was originally devised as part of an overall strategy to promote a single identity for the area. The high quality stainless steel signs are just one part of a range of bespoke street furniture, ranging from street lights and cycle racks to litterbins, which creates a distinctive, coherent identity for South Bank and improves the quality of the public realm.

The signage system is currently under review.

Funded by: South Bank Employers' Group, Central London Partnership, London Eye Section 106

Tourism Agenda

The members of the South Bank Marketing Group represent some of London 's most popular and exciting destinations. The area attracts over 17 million visits each year and these figures are set to rise substantially over the next five years.

Tourism therefore represents a crucial element of the local economy. South Bank Marketing Group ensures representation of the area within the capital's tourism agenda and works closely with Visit London, London Development Agency, Greater London Authority as well as with local neighbours such as Better Bankside.

Concierge Training

Front of house staff at both the hotels and attractions are a vital source of information for visitors to the area. To ensure that customer-facing staff can respond to queries in a confident and knowledgeable manner, South Bank Marketing Group provides regular inductions to new starters.

Top-up sessions are organised throughout the year to ensure that staff have a complete overview of what's on, from plays and exhibitions to festivals and new restaurant openings. Teams are also provided with A4 street-level maps which enable them to efficiently give directions.

Engaging with Employees

More than 50,000 people work in South Bank and we actively engage with their employers to encourage them to make the most of the area on their doorstep.

Content, from listings to competitions, is fed through to the intranets of the area’s large organisations whilst relevant marketing materials, such as the South Bank Summer Guide, are distributed in their receptions. Southbanklondon.com is an essential source of information, with the eating and drinking directory being particularly popular as staff plan a work lunch or night out.

The team also provides familiarisation sessions for companies and staff which have recently located here.

Walk This Way

The Walk This Way series of five walking guides encourages Londoners and visitors alike to explore the history and architecture of the river on foot.

Commended by the Mayor of London in the London Tourism Action Plan, the printed guides were extremely popular with visitors. Currently only Walk This Way South Bank is in print, however all the titles are available to download at www.southbankwalks.com.

Funded by: South Bank Marketing Group, Cross River Partnership, Waterloo Project Board