Project partners Finnøy kommune
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Key words ...
Main problems to be solved (analysis) The project in Finnøy has focused on important values and qualities for Finnøy (including 16 different islands), and how marketing these values and qualities for the inhabitants, the business, and people outside Finnøy. The project will end up making a strategy plan for the future (marketing and branding Finnøy). Today the municipality doesn’t have such a strategy.
Especially in the north part of Finnøy, its four islands who not are connected by the fast land. It’s more difficult to increase the population and the economical on these islands, because people have to travel by boats.
The municipality of Finnøy don’t have any plan or materials for marketing these islands or for marketing the municipality at all. Its more or less accidental marketing going on. The web-site need to be update, the profile and slogan is old, and information about qualities, tourism, business, free houses etc. is absent
The population increases, especially after the tunnel came, to two of the islands (October 2010). It’s important to be aware our identity, quality and make new companies for new and “old” inhabitants. Its important to offer people works and different kind of quality of life, near where they lives
Policy frameworks to be dealt with/fitting in
Aim of the project More transparency, clearly and strong marketing strategy for marketing Finnøy as a municipality for living, working and to be tourists in. Strength the cooperation between the municipality, local companies, organisations, stakeholders, political, entrepreneurs, organisations etc.
(Expected) Results 1) Increase the inhabitants proudness for for living and working in Finnøy, 2) increase the population, especially for the islands north in the municipality, 3) increase for different new business (smb). Today Finnøy has a lot of agribusiness (33 %). 4) A strategy plan for marketing Finnøy (2012-2022), implemented in the plan for the municipality of Finnøy (long term plan) 5) From 2013, start up the work for marketing and brand the municipality Finnøy. Activities from the strategic plan will be taken out and be presented for the political level for supporting, in February/ March 2013.
(Expected) outcome within the WP The municipality has developed a strong strategy for promoting Finnøy. The strategy is based on identity, key words and activities. The activities will do it more interesting to be living, working and visiting Finnøy. Activities from WP 3 will also be implemented in the strategy.
Planning 2009-2012
Costs 199 000 euro
Financing Vital Rural Area, the county of Rogaland, the office for Agriculture and Rural Developement in Rogaland, and the municipality of Finnøy.
Implementation of the project (cf. CAA)
Which stakeholders were involved?
Major and the political level. The organisation of companies in Finnøy. The district centre in Norway The leader and regional development (business) in Rogaland The regional agriculture centre Islands groups and leaders. A branding group settle down by local ambassadors
The project established a steering committee, with members from the political level in Finnøy, the County of Rogaland, local companies, the major of Finnøy, and an employer from the office og Agriculture and Rural Development in Rogaland. The steering committee have been following the activities from the beginning (2009).
For mobilizing the inhabitants and local companies, it has been arranged a lot of meetings and seminars during the project period. It was important for the project to involve people and different stakeholders from the beginning.
The project used the manual “Seven steps of regional branding” from step one.
In January 2012 we arranged a regional conference for spreading results from the project so far.
After a while the activities we had arranged got some attention (positive) from other municipalities in Rogaland, and from the district centre in Norway.
KEY QUESTIONS LIST
1 Which successes were achieved so far in the pilot project? Involving the inhabitants in the project has been a success. The inhabitants “feel” they own the project. The project so far has not cost a lot of money, because we have used our own inhabitants to tell the project who Finnøy is, and who “we” want to be in the future. We have not “paid a lot of expensive consultants to tell us that”. From year 2013 we will start marketing Finnøy”, and some of the activities will cost money from the municipality budget. The politicians have therefore been an important group to involve, and for priority the further activities for “branding Finnøy”. Two television team has been at Finnøy to make reportage about activities in the project. One of the reportage was shown on the national television. Also the attention from the County of Rogaland and other municipality in Rogaland, has been a success. Finnøy get attention for being a municipality who works on, and organize important identity and promotion work. A lot of municipality do spend a lot of money for logos and slogans, but they forget to do the work: “what’s behind the logo and slogan” The need for a stronger profiling of the municipality has also been a success.
2 What are the expected boundary conditions for the project to be implemented? - In terms of policy frameworks On the political level, the project has informed about the activities from the start of the project period. The politicians have also been invited to meetings and seminars. It has been important to inform and involve the political level for giving them the ownership to the project, and to get their support, from day 1. The region government has also supported our project, and the support from them is also important for further working. - In terms of physical circumstances The involvement of people, partnerships, politicians, companies, the county of Rogaland etc. It’s very important, and the project is based on the involvement.
3 Which related projects can be studied or consulted (other innovative best practice examples) before starting to think on implementation? The Norwegian District Centre has their own website for good examples in Norway, www.distriktssenteret.no
4 What is the applicability / transferability of the project? a) as derived from the project results - in terms of critical mass (physical, social, budget) - in terms of the needs of the region or location - in terms of the starting point for implementation - in terms of participation and organization - in terms of time needed for implementation - in terms of expected outcome (spin off for other fields: physical, social, economical)
Many municipalities and regions struggle with the same problems. They have a lot of separate structures. Making a strategy for marketing Finnøy can be transformed to others municipalities. The manual “7 steps of regional branding” is an important tool, who can be used everywhere.
b) as derived from testing or implementation the project or the project results elsewhere. What were the results there? We arranged a seminar for the municipalities in Count of Rogaland, January 2012. The results from the project (wp.2 and 3) was presented. All municipalities was very positive to our project, and the results from the seminar went like this: one day a year the municipality of Finnøy, together with the County of Rogaland and the office og Agriculture and Rural Development should arrange a district seminar for all the district municipalities in Rogaland, focusing on the main goal in Vital Rural Area (branding, businesses, local development and health activities. The project has also resulted in an education (local and social development), who is planned at Finnøy in September 2013.
5 Which tools does the project bring in to alleviate / help starting up implementation elsewhere? “7 steps of regional branding” has been an important tool for us. The results of using this tool will be our new strategy for marketing Finnøy.
6 Sustainability a) How is/can the project be sustainably implemented? What is needed to reach this? - in terms of organization - in terms of regional / local networks/partnerships / people - in terms of budget
The results from the project will be implemented in the long term plan for the municipality of Finnøy. See also 4b.
b) what are the benefits of the project seen from the Profit, Planet, and People side?
The municipality Finnøy has been a small partner in the Vital Rural Project, but the activities who has been done, has mobilized a lot of people, stakeholders and the political level. The municipality doctor says: “this project has been a success for Finnøy, and the comments from different people say the same.