Warwick Castle

Warwick rook Robert Craven and Stuart put up Warwick go the finest mediaeval castle in England. INTRODUCTION The Stratford-on-Avon and District Hotels and Caterers stand (SCATA) publishes a brochure which has described the move as follows This magnifi centime old-fashioned castle, situated at the actu wholey centre of England, is a treasure abide of great beauty and splendid, r ar quality collections of pictures, furniture, furnishings and an bang forwardstanding collection of mail and armour which bear witness to the power and influence of the Earls of Warwick down by dint of the centuries.The beautiful grounds landscaped by Capability Brown, where peacocks roam freely, be a delight in e truly seasons. . . Excellent catering facilities are for sale intimately(prenominal) year round to suit every sacking and disposition, as well as several gift shops Warwick rook is little than two hours by road from London with easy access from all major cities by throu ghway, road and rail. This excellent infrastructure allows the stadium to be man of the itinerary of any visitor to the UK.The County of Warwickshire is lyrically described in the SCATA brochure Stratford-an-Avon and Shakespeares Country. When you think of England, and the very best of England, you are probably intellection closely this fascinating region. Here in this most locating of English landscapes, the broad rolling sweep of the Cotswolds, the classic half-timbered vill eras of the Vale of Evesham and fan-leafed Warwickshire, there is an unparalleled variety of attractions.The birth head of the worlds greatest dramatist, William Shakespeare the finest mediaeval stronghold and most-visited dire home at Warwick Englands most magnif chalknt palace at Blenheim and the worlds most famous theatre in Stratford THE CASTLE The Castle is partially of the Tussauds Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pearson plc, which in addition owns the Financial Times Group and lofty Doult on among new(prenominal) varied interests.The Tussauds Group runs entertainment centres that include Madame Tussauds, the famous waxworks in Baker Street, London the London Planetarium and Laserium the Royalty and Empire Exhibition at Windsor Alton newspaper columns, the UKs only world- grazed leisure park and Chessington World of Adventures and Zoo. The Castles General Manager, Martin Westwood, works in the stately home, from a majestic suite of offices overlooking the grounds.He is enthusiastic about the Castle both as a mental synthesis steeped in invoice and as a business. In the relaxed atmosphere of his office, where he is surrounded by portraits and old paintings of the Castle, he refers to it as a brand leader in stately homes for it is in the top quintet most visited historic sites that flush door fees (see tabulate 1). bow 1 Historic sites attracting to a greater extent than 300,000 paid admissions 1 Tower of London 2 Roman Baths and Pump Room, Bath 3 verbalise Ap artments, Windsor 4 Stonehenge, Wiltshire 5 Warwick Castle 6 Shakespeares Birthplace, Stratford 7 Leeds Castle, Kent 8 Hampton apostrophize Palace, near London 9 Tower Bridge, London 10 Blenheim Palace, woodland stock, Oxford 11 Beaulieu, Hampshire 12 Cutty Sark, Greenwich, London 13 St Georges Chapel, Windsor 14 Anne Hathaways Cottage, Stratford 15 HMS Victory, Portsmouth 16 Mary Rose, Portsmouth 17 Royal Pavilion, B properon 18 Chatsworth House, Derbyshire 19 Hever Castle, Kent 20 Fountains Abbey, labor union Yorks.Paid admissions (000s) 2298 950 855 703 685 604 540 525 528 517 493 411 372 365 340 333 314 306 303 300 As you pass through the ticket office from the outstanding car park you catch your first view of the Castle. The view actually depletes your breath away and fully warrants the description given by Sir Walter Scott in 1828 the most noble sight in England. MARKETING Marketing Manager, Sarah Montgomery, is a nonher(prenominal) enthusiast of the outstanding beauty o f the Castle.Discussing the marketing of the business she considers that the Castles unique marketing site must be that carried on all the promotional fabric Warwick Castle the finest mediaeval castle in England. But she does not neglect the Castles unique state of preservation, the breadth of attractions it offers, its location on the banks of the River Avon or its thousand-year broom of history. In the year 1068 the first castle was built at Warwick and since that beat it slowly developed into a mighty stronghold and later a grand mansion befitting the station of a high rank nobleman. . In November 1978 the present Earl sold Warwick Castle and its contents to Madame Tussauds of London. The Castles marketing aggroup recognised that the Castle attracted a diverse audience, each segment of which precious different things from a visit. So in tar blend ining audiences the team had to decide whether it was nerve-racking to sell the Castle aspect, the stately home aspect or th e gardens. It was matte up that all lead areas attracted different audiences and conjured up different expectations.Research had established that from the publics point of view castles were not associated with grounds and formal gardens, and neither were they associated with the notion of universe someones home. On the other hand, stately homes were associated with grounds and gardens only were felt to be formal and museum- alike, with ropes keeping the public away from the interesting areas. So, was the most visited fearful Home in Britain really a castle, or was the Castle also a stately home? This conundrum had to be solved.The Castle commission has a deliberate policy of charging one overall admission charge for all areas of the Castle and Grounds open to visitors. In the past they had considered charging ruin admission prices for the Castle and the Grounds but this, it was felt, would confuse the customer. (See Figure 1 for price and attraction details. ) The Castle regul arly has detailed market look for questionnaires compiled by an international company. Sarah said that market research is taken very seriously by the team On average, overseas visitors represent 42 per cent of the total.Twenty-five per cent of our customers seem to get laid in groups of greater than 20 and these groups are predominantly from overseas. On the other hand, 58 per cent of visitors come from the UK, of which roughly half come from within a coulomb km radius of the site. Another interesting point is that 25 per cent of all customers are repeat visitors which we unscathed step reflects the popularity of the Castle. With UK visitors 33 per cent are repeats. Of the nonlocals, that is UK residents from outside the 100 km radius, 78 per cent stay overnight in the area and the remainder make water traveled over 100 km to visit the area for the day.With the recent opening of the M 40 motorway into London (approximately180 km it is felt that travel time may be a more impo rtant factor to consider than distance travelled in kilometres Figure 1 Admission Rates and attractions at Warwick Castle The data are collected over a period of commodious time, and the market research reports sent to Sarah include not only the profile of visitors but what parts of the Castle they visit. The popularity of various parts of the complex varies according to how mobile the site is. For instance, on a quiet day 87 per cent might visit the Private Apartments, but on a grumpy day this igure drops to 68 per cent. Likewise, during one frequently(prenominal) busy period, the visitors to the Woodland Gardens increase from 17 per cent to 20 per cent, to the Mound from 46 per cent to 52 per cent, and to the River Island from 34 per cent to 40 per cent. On average, visitors stayed on the site for three hours. Coach parties tended to visit for three hours, probably because the Castle was part of a full-day, tightly scheduled excursion that included other nearby tourist attr actions. Competition for the stipendiary tourists disposable cash was quite fierce in the area, it was felt.Other sites competing for the leisure pound were the Black Country Museum, Drayton Manor (Adventure) Park, West Midlands Sa distanti Park, Cadbury World, Blenheim Palace, Alton Towers base of operations Park, Ironbridge, Stratfords Shakespeare and Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. In the Undercroft Restaurant marketing researchers overheard an older professor in conversation with a friend he had encountered in the Castle grounds I came betimes in the morning to head off the rush. Any major historic tourist site is going to be heaving by midday in the summer and personally I hate all the queuing and tourists with cameras and all that.I got here at about 10 a. m. when the place opened this morning. I was able to enjoy the pure put-on of the building with relatively few other race around. By lunch-time the queues were what I felt to be unreasonably long, but it is August and this must sure as shooting be their peak time here. I do wonder, for instance, should they not gain ground more visitors out of season and what about allowing flock to visit early morning or in the evening to avoid the lunch-time crush? MANAGING posit Warwick Castle brochures show a wide variety of activities that supplement upset outside the peak season.According to Sarah, this literature was intended to push up the shoulders of consider either Friday and Saturday evening the Undercroft provides the setting for splendid five-course mediaeval banquets recreating the eve of the Battle of Agincourt. . A special events calendar has been published (see Figure 2). The Warwick Arts Festival uses the Castle as a venue in the evenings for a week in July. Exclusive tours of the Castle, and separately of the Gardens, are run by experts for pre-booked groups.These are available during the periods October to March, and March to November respectively, except during school half-term holi days and bank holidays. As a gather centre for the Pearson Group, the Castle is given targets that increase at a rate exceeding inflation. From these, prices are derived based on product developments, the prices that competitors are charging and cognize external factors that may affect demand (such as exchange range and elections ). The Castle expected between 700,000 and 800,000 visitors in the next year and clams projections were made based on these estimates. every catering facilities are run by the Castle, recognising franchising to another company would result in lost control and down potential to participate in profitable activities. Martin Westwood commented on fluctuations in demand Staffing varies relatively little with demand. It is felt that formerly the basic positions around the Castle are attended by rung, there is little that an additional staff member can provide. Winter weekends attract more visitors than winter weekdays, such that Saturday and sunshine c ombined turnover is the same as the other five days of the week put together.In summer things are more even, a Saturday or a Sunday being equivalent to two weekdays, although Sunday is usually busier than Saturday Figure 2 Warwick castle Special Events Calendar contrast OBJECTIVES Martin is clear that the Castles prime objective is to achieve growth in winnings per share for its shareholders. At the same time he emphasizes the sense of duty the management impressions as custodians of this precious monument to work within it and use righteousness and sensitivity at all times. Hence all signs, directions and facilities take a very low profile. Flashing neon lights are not the assign of the daySarah Montgomery commented on the need to underplay the commercial side of the organisation Coca-Cola have offered us a sponsorship have it away. They will give us money for a crabby project which will increase our gross and also the number of visitors we are getting. The problem is that C oke is the epitome of offspring and fizz while the Castles target market is adults ABC 1, average age somewhere around 45 So how do we pull this deal together? It is the integrity of the business in which the management take pride. It is not any business site but a very special building that is loved and cherished by the staff.Their constant concern is how to run a business from the Castle without destroying the charm and romance of the buildings, and without covering it with obtrusive signs and facilities. All staff are very polite and courteous and, though they are available to the public, tend not to interfere with the customers visit. In fact they melt in with visitors as they wear little that suggests they are actually staff. And when the Castle is relatively empty of visitors it has a really enchanting atmosphere. PERFORMANCE valuation of the performance of the business has difficulties.On the one hand, queues are an obvious problem (see Table 2) but then the customers do not seem to mind similarly much Above all, the business is going from strength to strength, and achieving healthy profit performance. So, while the criticisms have to be noted, management has been achieving the high returns and growth that the shareholders require. Table 2 Observations of queuing and flow, Tuesday afternoon Queue to Private Apartments (number of people) 1. 00pm 130 1. 20 147 1. 40 128 2. 00 153 2. 20 132 2. 40 119 3. 00 137 Flow through doors to Private Apartments (number of people) 1. 00-1. 20 104 1. 20-1. 40 113 1. 40-2. 0 107 Flow from Private Apartments and State populate (number of people) 1. 00-1. 20 127 1. 20-1. 40 117 1. 40-2. 00 121 Queue to paries walk 0-20 people at anyone time add together of people entering Rampart Walk 1. 40-1. 50 174 Queue at top of ramparts to get down (number of people) 6 minutes 63 Martin Westwood was defensive attitude on the question of queues What popular tourist attraction doesnt have queues, and in any case, the queues he re move pretty quickly. If we get queues for one part of the Castle we simply put out a sign suggesting people move on to the next attraction, although, to be frank, that doesnt really work.You see, the trouble is, that once people see a queue they dont want to miss out so they still join on the end of it. Our marketing questionnaires (see addition 1) suggest that weve got the operation about right, but theres always room for some improvement The Professor in the Undercroft Restaurant had raised several issues machine-accessible with this The Castle really is in a unique condition of preservation. Its rattling marvellous but I wouldnt seriously consider visiting it in the peak season. I just happen to be in the area because were going over to Stratford tonight to see Twelfth Night at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.Im really looking forward to it I wonder wherefore they dont have off-peak rates for those not visiting around midday and perhaps open earlier and close later. I would be more than blissful to spend more time on the site if it werent for all the other tourists everywhere. And another thing, couldnt they do a package deal with the theatre at Stratford? Im sure a lot of visitors here also go there. In fact, I would pay a premium price to have the Castle almost to myself. For instance, Id find it simply delightful to sip a Pimms or a gin and tonic in the grounds as the sun went down.I know that I am rambling but I am sure theres a way to re-jig the prices so that the site basically generates more income throughout the year. And even if you say they do things out of season Ive not heard about them, so whats the use of publicity if it doesnt reach the people that want to spend money? Sarah Montgomery, mindful of the need to keep a close eye on customers diverse requirements, often talked to individuals at the exit. A transcript of one such encounter is reproduced in Appendix 2.APPENDIX 1 MARKETING QUESTIONNAIRE OF RANDOM SAMPLE OF PEOPLE LEAVING WAR WICK CASTLE jump on range 0-5 6-15 16-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 66+ 7 37 27 25 34 17 20 33 Area of origination Local (within 100 km) UK (outside 100 km) Europe (excl. UK) USA/Canada S. America Australia Africa Asia Other/unspecified aloofness of stay in area Day trip 1-3 days 4-7 days 8+ days Method of transport Coach trip take in transport Hire car Public transport Other (bicycles and so on ) 37 27 25 47 3 11 5 14 2 96 50 13 5 96 74 31 20 12 Did you find that you had to queue very much? Yes 186 No 12 No comment 2 Did you have that the queues were the same as other large tourist sites?Same one hundred ninety Better 4 Worse 6 Did you visit? State Rooms and Great Hall The Private Apartments The Watergate (Ghost) Tower The Armory The Dungeon The bedevilment Chamber The Gatehouse and Barbican 191 190 31 104 193 183 87 Guys Tower, the Rampart Walk and Clarence Tower The Victorian Rose Garden The Peacock Gardens The Conservatory The River Island Foxes reflect and Cedar Walk Pagea nt Field The Mound Refreshment outdoor stage Stables Restaurant and Tearoom Undercroft Restaurant The Bookshop Did you.. .? Bring your own piece of cake Did you see the Red Knight Did you buy a brochure How long have you spent at the Castle? hours Is this your first visit? Yes No Would you visit again? Yes No Maybe Dont know 186 103 117 102 57 31 101 54 118 52 71 62 32 81 99 5 67 75 37 16 148 52 144 31 23 2 APPENDIX 2 replica OF A CONVERSATION WITH A VISITOR Christabelle Trymko, Oldbury-on-Severn, Gloucester We got here at about midday. We came up for the day from Gloucestershire. It was quite a good trip and the kids behaved themselves in the car. We had heard a lot about the Castle from some friends who have just moved up to Stratford, which is just down the road from Warwick. The Castles in superb conditionYou dont know what its going to be like until you get past the ticket office and it really is amazing. It has been kept in spic condition, and the gardens are beautiful as well as being far less crowded than the Castle. There were too many people in and around the Castle. The queues were an irritation but I parked my husband in the queue and took the kids elsewhere until he was near the front and then we join him. I think a few people got upset because we seemed to be pushing in, but Im not prepared to wait with three children in long queues in the sun.Mind you, its nothing like the queues at Madame Tussauds in London, they really are crazy. I didnt realise quite how big the grounds were. If I had known I think we would have spent longer at Warwick Castle and made a full day of it. We should have come here at about ten and then spent the whole day here. That way the queues inside the Castle would have been shorter for us. The grounds are lovely and theyve got special picnic areas which I thought was a strait-laced idea. (I wish wed brought a picnic. ) Mind you, it does seem to be more than a bit light on entertainment for the kids. Nicky loved the m an with the fantastic moustache dressed up in full Crusader changeless on the horse. He was very good with the kids. Nicky also liked the waxworks in the Private Apartments place. The queue wound its way up, down and around the place but apart from mild feelings of claustrophobia (thats my problem, I suppose) it went at about the right speed and I guess it lasted a bit under an hour. Oh yes, the Rampart Walk, they ought to warn you about just how many stairs you have to climb. I mean, I know there is a sign but you dont take it seriously, do youYou go up and up and then theres that great turbinate staircase up the inside of that tower, I wont do that again in a rush But it was worth it for the view. All in all it was a good day. More interesting than the average castle and not full of the usual touristoriented rubbish associated with tourist attractions. The commercial side is very much underplayed and I like that. You dont feel obliged to buy ice creams and tee-shirts and pencils and tea towels. Maybe some of the signs were a bit too apprehensive we had to ask where the toilets were but it makes a pleasant change. Also I like the one price for everything. At other places, I object to paying an admission charge and then paying on top of that for particular attractions. You always feel mean if you dont pay up, and then you also feel that you might be missing something. No, Id recommend the place and its so much less hassle than the tourist places in London which you almost feel obliged to visit every so often. This case is from Cases in operations Management (Second edition) Johnston, Chambers, Harland, Harrison, Slack, FT Prentice Hall 1997