New Site for Brighton, A City Like No Other

2nd November 2008

Categories: News - Archive

New Mind's latest triumph, www.visitbrighton.com, does justice to one of Europe's most vibrant, colourful and cosmopolitan tourism destinations.

VisitBrighton, the tourism unit within Brighton & Hove Council, awarded the web development and Destination Management System (DMS) contract to New Mind in July following an intense tender process involving a number of prospective suppliers.

Initial discussions with VisitBrighton identified an extremely clear vision of how the Brighton brand should be perceived. The brief stated that the design of the site should be distinctive and cutting-edge, reflecting the free-spirited, energetic and cosmopolitan nature of the city.

The resulting site provides a perfect balance of style and substance with no compromises being made on functionality or usability. Stunning imagery, interactive features, local feeds (weather and tide times), competitions and themed ideas and tips, all powered by New Mind's innovative DMS, aim to inspire, inform and enable the visitor, whatever their interest. The 'Top 50 Things to Do in Brighton' provides a showcase of the destinations diverse attractions, for everyone from culture vultures to sport lovers.

The creation of the content alone by VisitBrighton's in-house web team proved no mean feat, given that there are over 1000 pages but the simplicity of New Mind's Enterprise Content Management System (eCMS) helped to boost the team's own expertise to provide a truly "rich" experience for users.

New Mind's combined web and DMS solution also provides Brighton's trade partners with access to multiple marketing opportunities including banner advertising, special offer promotions and featured products.

Managing Director of New Mind, Richard Veal comments "The development of www.visitbrighton.com represents a culmination of all of New Mind's knowledge about destination marketing, web usability and visitor functionality. The project has been a real team effort and the competency of the in-house team has ensured a relatively smooth process for such an extensive site. I have high expectations for how the site will perform for VisitBrighton and its Partners."

VisitBrighton Marketing Manager, John Carmichael comments "The new-look www.visitbrighton.com site has a completely fresh design to reflect the city's vibrant image. The internet is now established as an important part of the decision making process and our new website meets the needs of visitors to the city, providing a resource that is not only informative but inspiring - ensuring that they get the most from their stay."

The main site is complemented by five channel sites - Learn English, Conference, Groups, Partners and Media, all providing a host of dynamic content, giving these targeted user groups the specific information they are looking for.

The site launch strategy will involve a number of on and off-line activities including press and media activity to drive users to the site and promotions and competitions to offer reasons to build VisitBrighton's consumer database. Plans for the future include the continued development of new and innovative features, maintaining the site's usability and search engine optimisation to ensure high search rankings.