the cheese museum: blog

“Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.”

George Lois

the inspiration academy

A creative training project from
School of Drama and Creative Industries
Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh

“Contributing to the knowledge economy – through knowledge transfer, innovation and other commercial activities, developing expertise, skills and opportunities to deliver services to an increasing range of customers, thereby increasing income.”

From Queen Margaret University College Mission Statement

the inspiration academy
Business Plan/Project Proposal

Gordon Dickson, Project Officer
November 2005

Vision

1.0 Executive Summary
This is an exciting new initiative from within the ‘learning community’ of Queen Margaret University College (QMUC), which commercially exploits the talent and expertise of the School of Drama & Creative Industries (SDCI). Supported by the Faculty of Business and Arts (FBA) and other institutional colleagues, the inspiration academy will create public environments and personal experiences which will inspire learning & creativity.

the inspiration academy will deliver a high quality and diverse range of training products which will be both innovative and stimulating; providing QMUC’s corporate publics with inspirational learning experiences for Personal, Professional & Organisational Development. This service will be available pre-designed and tailor-made; delivered by an expert group of professional practitioners, teaching staff and students.

This unique and exciting endeavour exemplifies QMUC’s commitment:

“To enhance the quality of life and serve communities through excellence and leadership in vocationally and professionally relevant education, research, and consultancy, as a university which is outward looking and committed to innovation, participation and lifelong learning.”

the inspiration academy is an innovative cultural enterprise which is publicly orientated; both internally and externally collaborative; and delivers its participants an inclusive and diverse experience.

1.1 Mission
• Successfully deliver a profitable commercial creative enterprise based on knowledge transfer from QMUC to business; and develop entrepreneurship skills within SDCI.

• To engage a diverse group of QMUC’s corporate publics with the activity of the SDCI through the provision of training.

• To engage staff and students in the design and delivery of this activity, working with outside practitioners and/or other elements of QMUC.

1.2 Objectives
• To increase the income brought into the Faculty of Business and Arts through its commercial activity, by

• Delivering training, which exploits the wide range of skills and talents, associated with the School of Drama and Creative Industries (SDCI).

• To continue to successfully deliver the Gateway Arts Industry Network (GAIN) project, funded by Scottish Arts Council (SAC) as a distinct and separate project.

1.3 Keys to Success
• This exciting new cultural enterprise will succeed if its work is supported and encouraged by the active engagement by QMUC staff and students.

• The delivery of this project will require resources beyond its capabilities, and will need to seek innovative ways to operate and organize itself.

Organisation Model

2.0 Company Summary

2.1 Company History/Start-up Plan
• This activity was previously delivered separately by the Business Inspiration Scotland (BIS) project and GAIN.

• This business plan is the result of a re-evaluation of the work carried out by BIS, and sets out the future development for this project.

• This will see the inspiration academy delivering both the distinct GAIN programme and the work formerly delivered by BIS.

2.2 Company Locations & Facilities
• Based at the SDCI’s Gateway Campus with access also to all the resources available from QMUC at its 2 other Edinburgh campuses – Clerwood and Leith.

3.0 Management Summary

3.1 Organizational Structure
• The administration and delivery of the project will be the responsibility of a Project Officer, managed by the Head of School.

• The work of the inspiration academy will be project-based, with teams managed by the Project Officer.

• Individual Project Teams may be drawn from any of the following areas: -

• SDCI Staff and Students
• Other QMUC Staff and Students
• Outside Freelancers and Organizations

• The Agora is a voluntary advisory group set up within QMUC, which will provide further expertise for the development of products and services, as well as wider business sector links. It will also be formed as the staff development committee supported by QMUC Human Resources Team and will meet quarterly.

• Open Source is the student feeder initiative into the ‘academy’ which will introduce business planning and entrepreneurship skills to teams of students from across the university college to develop training products for the inspiration academy. This will take the form of a business plan competition supported by the Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) funded Interns and YOMP Business Plan game.

3.2 Management Team
• Director – Head of SDCI

• Project Officer – From SDCI.

3.3 Management Team Gaps
• By connecting in an engaging way to the academic schools and institutional support services, a greater quality and quantity of work can be produced, which will attract a larger client base.

• Through The Agora, any gaps in business links and ideas for products should be identified.

• Through the Open Source initiative the enterprise skills of students will be developed and will produce a more engaged group of individuals to contribute to the supply of products.

3.4 Personnel Plan
• The work of the Project Officer is large and wide-ranging, and a priority must be given to seeking funds to resource an admin assistant who can support the delivery of both this project and the work of GAIN.

• The initial work will have to be phased in and will rely on student placement/interns and institutional support to be successful.

• As the project develops, the internal developmental aims of the inspiration academy and the enterprise skills training for students will help support research possibilities for QMUC – attracting further funding for the project to provide additional support staff.

• As a future centre of enterprise and creative excellence within QMUC the inspiration academy can contribute to the learning experiences of students and staff; be a commercial training provider which delivers learning to the corporate and public sector; develops exciting partnerships with the creative industries; and be a research centre further developing the unique proposition of this innovative project.

Products and Services

4.0 Products and Services
4.1 Product & Service Description
• the inspiration academy will deliver a high quality and diverse range of training products which will be both innovative and stimulating.

• Providing QMUC’s corporate public with inspirational learning experiences for Personal, Professional & Organizational Development.

• The packages will be available pre-designed and tailor-made; delivered by an expert group of professional practitioners, teaching staff and students.

• Areas covered will be –

• Personal & Public Communication
• Creativity & Innovation
• Confidence & Well-being
• Team Development & Leadership
• Ethical Engagement & Community Development

• This will be delivered through such products as –

• One-to-One Voice/Coaching
• Voice/Coaching Workshops
• Role-Play, Performance, Forum Theatre & Film-making
• Research and Consultancy

4.2 Competitive Comparison
• Within Scotland there exist a number of small companies and individuals providing voice and forum based work to business.

• Some are more established than others, but there is no one dominant provider.

• Their relative success comes from an ability to create strong links in distinct regions or areas of the Scottish public and corporate sectors.

• Within the UK, each of the drama schools operates a programme of knowledge transfer, commercial training through voice and communication skills.

The offering from the inspiration academy will be recognized for its quality and relevance, with some projects potentially provided in partnership with others in the market.

4.3 Sales Literature
• Due to budgetary constraints all sales literature will look to utilize the available QMUC material, with a greater emphasis placed on web-based material.

• Funding will be required to develop promotional material and course brochures.

4.4 Sourcing & Fulfillment
• The project based nature of its delivery will further aid product development alongside sound evaluation processes and the valuable contribution from the voluntary advisory group, the Agora.

• Supported by the expertise of SDCI staff the product quality will be of a recognized high standard as befits the reputation of the School itself.

• And will be achieved by a sound commissioning and selection process managed by the Project Officer, with support from the advisory group.

• The ‘free market’ nature of Open Source will allow risk and experimentation in the product offer, clearly distinguishing the inspiration academy from its competitors.

4.5 Technology
• The Project Officer has access to QMUC resources.

• Access to the wide range of resources within QMUC should reduce the need to hire in additional equipment for the delivery of any project.

4.5.1 Website Marketing Strategy
• Any site will be the main medium of communication with customers, and must fully reflect the innovation and creativity of the work of the inspiration academy.

• To this end it must be fully interactive; and feature animation, film clips and audio.

• Consideration must be given to this being a stand-alone site and the costs associated with it.

4.5.2 Development Requirements
• As the project develops its activity, it will increasingly call for its own equipment, such as a laptop and digital video camera.

• With a dynamic and interactive web-presence, a stand-alone website may be required and as well as additional training to support it.

4.6 Future Products & Services
• This will be continually developed as part of the project and with support from the Agora.

• Future areas to pursue will be Events Management and Public Relations and Marketing activity.

• A strategy towards developing the project as a research centre should be given consideration, and may deliver the longer-term institutional benefits of the activity to learning at QMUC.

5.0 Market Analysis
5.1 Market Segmentation
• Drama Based Training is supplied by Individual Freelancers; Small Companies; a small number of Theatre Companies; and Scotland’s two Drama Schools.

• The offerings include voice-coaching; role play; forum theatre; conference and event work.

• There is some evidence of ‘more sophisticated’ offerings including ‘murder weekend’ team-building events and innovative uses of performance theatre in a training context.

• Due to Scotland’s large public sector all companies work across both areas of the economy.

5.2 Target Market Segment Strategy
5.2.1 Market Needs
• Government and business alike recognize training and development as important areas for the Scottish economy.

• As such there is a large market for training, coupled with a diverse and competitive provision.

• This does mean that this dynamic market is established and highly sought after by a wide range of businesses and sectors alike.

5.2.2 Market Trends
• With competition strong, there is an increased need to distinguish one’s offering from one’s competitors.

• Increasingly, customers are more sophisticated and demanding and seek distinct and creative responses to their own particular needs.

• Greater emphasis is becoming placed on individuals to design and take responsibility for their own development.

• Organizational decisions are too being devolved through to team leaders and managers.

5.2.3 Market Growth
• Training agendas are shifting to give greater emphasis to personal and communication skills – valuing ‘developing’ individuals and teams over a traditional ‘training’ model.

• The delivery of training is moving from class-based instruction to a participative, collaborative experience; focusing on the particular needs of each person and how to make themselves and their relationships with others more effective.

5.3 Industry Analysis
5.3.1 Industry Plan
• The drama-based training industry relies on a small handful of people, where even the small companies are based around only 1 or 2 people.

• Most providers rely on a very small number of key people to deliver their product out with their core team.

5.3.2 Distribution Patterns
• Most providers are based in the Central Belt, supplying mostly to that region.

• Few offer a pre-arranged course of workshops on set dates, but do have pre-designed offerings to choose from.

5.3.3 Competition & Buying Patterns
• All competitors are established with previous clients to recommend them and add credibility to their offering.

• Customers mainly come from Government and Local Authorities, Banking and Legal Services, and large companies with strong customer service priorities (Privatized Utilities, BT, and Ford).

Activity

6.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary
6.1 Value Proposition

“To enhance the quality of life and serve communities through excellence and leadership in vocationally and professionally relevant education, research, and consultancy, as a university which is outward looking and committed to innovation, participation and lifelong learning.”

From Queen Margaret University College Mission Statement

the inspiration academy is an innovative cultural enterprise which is publicly orientated; both internally and externally collaborative; and delivers its participants an inclusive and diverse inspiring experience.

6.2 Competitive Edge
• the inspiration academy is uniquely drawn from across the learning community of QMUC and beyond from the Scottish creative industries.

• Due to its project-based nature it can deliver a diverse product range of quality, which responds directly to the needs of its customers.

6.3 Marketing Strategy
6.3.1 Positioning Statements
• the inspiration academy is backed by talent; a talent for teaching drama and creativity; as well as a talent for understanding business and enterprise.

• the inspiration academy brings together a team of hand-picked, talented individuals to inspire you and your colleagues.

• the inspiration academy can help improve business performance by developing each individual’s talent.

6.3.2 Pricing Strategy
• Must fully reflect the true costs of each product and allow for the project over time to return a profit for QMUC.

• Pricing must stay competitive and distinguish the offering as one of quality delivered from a recognized life-long learning institution.

6.3.3 Promotion Strategy
• Must to be innovative and exciting, so as to be a credible sell of inspiration and expertise.

• Reflect the offer from the inspiration academy by utilizing the talent and skills at its disposal. For example, a promo video made by students or web-design from QMUC.

• Enhance and encourage ‘word-of-mouth’ recommendations from participants (inspiration graduates) and training-providers (inspiration academics).

6.3.4 Distribution Patterns
• Mostly e-marketing if little/no print budget.

• Supported by a fully interactive and innovative web presence.

• Utilizing the large network of contacts and organizations associated with the project both within and outside QMUC.

6.3.5 Marketing Programmes
• To grow interest and engagement with products and services through ‘bite-sized’ offerings to the most diverse range of customers. This will focus on ‘conference work’ and seek strategic partners such as Arts & Business and the HE sector as a ‘shop window.’

• To develop products with appeal to large public sector and corporate organizations; to create lasting relationships with major employers. Allowing a more sophisticated and customer centered offering to develop.
6.4 Sales Strategy
6.4.1 Sales Forecast
• A cautious starting point must be considered as a new brand and product is established.

• The existing workload of the Project Officer must also be taken into account.

6.4.2 Sales Programmes
• Growth in sales will be linked significantly to customer recommendations, so brand awareness will be very important.

• Detailed product information available to potential customers via the website will grow interest and sales.

• A funded course brochure for mailing would be an early marketing tool.

6.5 Strategic Alliances
• Opportunities exist to seek funding for this project due to the key elements of student participation and commercial enterprise activity.

• If this route is pursued, consideration must be given to the effect this has on the purely profit-driven objective of the project.

This was the business plan proposal for the creative-based training programme to be delivered out of QMUC’s School of Drama and Creative Industries. Unfortunately it didn’t progress beyond this developmental stage.

Please comment on it’s structure and content – I’d love to hear your thoughts.

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 UK: Scotland License.