4.

Brighton, on England's south coast, is a dynamic and diversified city that has grown in
popularity as an international tourist destination. Brighton offers something for everyone, with
its historic buildings, stunning beaches, and active nightlife (Hernborg, 2022). In the past few
years, Brighton has become a favorite spot for international business travelers which has
helped in expanding the city's conference tourism sector.

Brighton has concentrated on marketing itself as a compact conference location, attracting

more foreign business visitors, and strengthening its position as a business tourism hub (Gilbert,
1975). It provides a variety of conference locations, ranging from small conference rooms to
huge event halls, to satisfy a variety of corporate demands. Because of the city's small size,
most conference facilities are within walking distance of hotels, restaurants, and other services.

Due to Brighton’s closeness to London and its huge international airports, it serves as a great
location for international business travelers. Brighton is considered as a creative and innovative
city which has made it popular for arranging conferences and different events by organizations
(VisitBrighton, 2023).

4.2

Brighton has become a popular destination for people from around the globe. Last year,
Brighton received nearly 9 million visitors, but this number decreased by 27% compared to the
previous year (Brighton and Hove City Council, 2022). While in previous years, Brighton receives
over 12 million visitors in 2019 and among these over 9.5 million were day visitors only which
shows that more people are visiting the city for tourism. The tourism sector contributes around
£976.4m to the economy. Most of the overseas who visit Brighton from other countries are
from Germany, Netherlands, and USA (Hernborg, 2022).

154,000 visits to Brighton are attributed to conferences. As the tourism sector in Brighton and
Hove recovers from the global epidemic of Covid-19 and the number of tourists are increasing,
an innovative Tourism Recovery Strategy is currently being introduced to capitalize on this
success, which contribute to the recovery, and market the city as a secure and pleasant year-
round destination (Hernborg, 2022).

4.3

Brighton is viewed as an appealing destination by both business and vacation travelers because
it provides a broad range of activities and recreational opportunities. The city boasts a thriving
cultural environment, with various museums, galleries, and theaters, as well as a busy nightlife
and an extensive market for shopping (UK, et al., 1983).

Along with these recreational activities, Brighton offers a flourishing conference tourism sector.
The city has a variety of venues available, ranging from small conference rooms to
huge conference halls, as well as the facilities needed to host these kind of events. For example,
The Brighton Centre of Brighton can arrange an event of almost 5000 attendees. Further, the
city has creative conference places including the BAi360 and a 162-meter tall observing tower
that arranges the event at its top (Midgley, 2018).

The city's dedication to sustainability is an intriguing feature of conference tourist industry. The
city intends to grow into a "sustainable destination" therefore it is planning to minimize the
environmental effect of its tourist business (Visit Brighton & Brighton and Hove City Council,
2018). This includes motivating attendees to use sustainable transportation, decreasing
pollution and emissions of carbon, and urging local companies to switch to environmentally
friendly policies.

While Brighton's focus on sustainability and creativity is commendable, there are also
challenges associated with conference tourism in the city. One of these challenges is the
availability of suitable accommodation, particularly during peak conference seasons (Visit
Brighton & Brighton and Hove City Council, 2018). The Brighton & Hove Visitor Economy
Strategy 2018-2023 acknowledges this issue and notes that there is a need for more hotel and
serviced apartment development in the city.

Another challenge is the competition from other destinations (Brighton and Hove City Council,
2022). As the conference tourism industry becomes increasingly competitive, Brighton will need
to continue to innovate and differentiate itself in order to remain a top choice for event
organizers and delegates.

5.1

Traveling of individuals or group of people with the aim to attend conferences, gatherings,
meetings or any other type of event are often known as conference tourism (Law, 1978). It is a
highly valuable segment in the tourism sector since it creates substantial economic advantages
for host destinations, which can increase expenditure on accommodation, transport, food and
beverage, as well as other services (Edelheim, et al., 2017).

Conference tourism is increasing as more number of meetings are held worldwide. Europe
serves as the most attractive destination for global meetings and conferences (ICCA, 2019).
Although conference tourism can provide substantial economic benefits to the countries that
are hosting conferences, yet there are challenges faced by this industry. One of the most
significant concerns is the environmental effect of traveling and meetings, which includes the
release of carbon dioxide from transportation, consumption of energy, and garbage generation
(Han , et al., 2019). Conference tourism sustainability is now becoming a crucial topic, and many
venues are making efforts to minimize the environmental effect of their conferences and
meetings.

Furthermore, with the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic conference tourism industry was
affected immensely, due to which plenty of events got canceled or postponed
due to restrictions imposed on travel and concerns regarding safety and health (ICCA, 2019).

5.2

Stakeholders are individuals or groups who have an interest or stake in the success or outcome
of a particular project or industry. In the context of tourism, stakeholders include businesses,
government agencies, local residents, and tourists themselves (Alvarez & Sachs, 2023).

Destination stakeholders refer to the individuals or groups who are involved in the tourism
industry in a particular destination. This includes tourism companies, government organizations
responsible for tourism, local citizens, and visitors (Komppula, 2016).
The tourism sector depends greatly on stakeholders and destination stakeholders. The
sustainable development of destinations may be ensured by including stakeholders in the
development and planning of tourism (UNWTO, 2013). Therefore, all interested parties need to
be included in the decisions being made to determine how a destination's tourist industry will
evolve.

Effective engagement of stakeholders is crucial for the development of tourism destinations.

However, engaging stakeholders can be difficult because they might have various
different points of view and interests (Kujala, et al., 2022). For example, local citizens of the
destination, might be worried about the influence of tourism on their overall quality of life,
whereas enterprises may be interested about increasing profits. Therefore, it is essential for
destination organizers to engage in open and inclusive stakeholder practices which take into
account all stakeholders' concerns. This allows them to develop trust and teamwork while also
ensuring that tourist growth is beneficial for every member of the community.

5.3

Stakeholder theory is a concept that proposes that organizations should takes into account the
interest of all the stakeholders involved, not just the shareholders in decision-making process.
Stakeholders may include employees, consumers, vendors, suppliers, environment and local
communities (Laplume, et al., 2008). The concept acknowledges that organizations not simply
focus on how well they do financially but they must also examine the influence of their
activities on all stakeholders.

While making operational decisions, a tourism company, for example, might look at the
interests of its workers, their buyers, and the community at large. This could include paying
workers an appropriate wage along with benefits, delivering high-quality goods and services to
buyers, and reducing the adverse effect of tourism on the environment and the community at
large. Stakeholder theory is being used frequently in the tourist sector to encourage sustainable
and ethical tourism policies (Sheehan & Ritchie, 2005).

However, stakeholder theory faces some critique. Some scholars argued that it is a vast concept
and therefore it is tough to create a balance among interests of all the stakeholders (Key, 1999).
On the other hand, some scholars argued that that enterprises may be more productive if they
focus just on maximization of shareholder value (Orts & Strudler, 2002).

Regardless of these critiques, stakeholder theory has found widespread acceptance in the
tourism industry (Theodoulidis, et al., 2017). By considering the interests of all stakeholders,
tourism businesses and destination managers can help to ensure that tourism development
benefits all parties involved and that the industry contributes to sustainable development.

5.4

To offer a memorable conference tourism experience in Brighton, VisitBrighton should closely

collaborate with various stakeholders in the value chain. These stakeholders can be identified
and prioritized using the salience stakeholder model (Mitchell, et al., 1997) and Mendelow
Power-Interest Matrix.

According to the salience stakeholder model, stakeholders can be classified into three
categories: high salience, medium salience, and low salience stakeholders. High salience
stakeholders are those who have a high level of power, urgency, and legitimacy in the value
chain. Medium salience stakeholders have a moderate level of power, urgency, and legitimacy,
while low salience stakeholders have a low level of power, urgency, and legitimacy (Neville, et
al., 2011; Mitchell, et al., 1997).

Using this model, the high salience stakeholders for VisitBrighton would be conference
organizers, local businesses, and government entities. Conference organizers have the power to
make decisions on where to hold conferences, and their legitimacy lies in the fact that they are
key players in the conference tourism industry. Local businesses have a high level of power as
they provide services and goods required by conference attendees, and their legitimacy is
based on their contribution to the local economy. Government entities have the power to
regulate and influence the industry, and their legitimacy comes from their role as
representatives of the local community.

The medium salience stakeholders would include conference attendees, local residents, and
transportation companies. Conference attendees have the power to influence the success of
the conference and the local economy, but they have low legitimacy as they are not permanent
members of the community. Local residents have a moderate level of power as they are
affected by the tourism industry, but their legitimacy is debatable as they may have conflicting
views on the industry's impact. Transportation companies have the power to provide
transportation to and from the conference, but their legitimacy is based solely on their role as a
service provider.

The low salience stakeholders would be the media, and environmental groups. The media has
the power to shape public opinion but has low legitimacy in the conference tourism industry.
Environmental groups have little power and legitimacy as they are not directly involved in the
industry.

In terms of the Mendelow Power-Interest Matrix, high power-high interest stakeholders such as
conference organizers and local businesses require close collaboration and management as
they have the ability to impact VisitBrighton's success (Saito & Ruhanen, 2017). High power-low
interest stakeholders such as transportation companies may require regular communication but
not as much management. Low power-high interest stakeholders such as local residents and
conference attendees require monitoring and regular communication. Low power-low interest
stakeholders such as environmental groups require minimal management or communication.

Further, to form value-chain relationships with these stakeholders, London & Partners can
leverage their existing partnerships and networks. They can collaborate with conference
organizers, local businesses, and government entities to develop marketing strategies that
promote conference tourism in Brighton. They can work with hotels and event venues to
improve the quality of conference facilities and services offered. Moreover, they can partner
with conference attendees and transportation companies to understand the needs and
improving the experiences of attendees and to ensure convenient and affordable
transportation options for conference attendees.

London & Partners, as the official promotional agency for London, can form value-chain
relationships with VisitBrighton by promoting the city as a gateway to Brighton for international
business travelers. London & Partners can also collaborate with VisitBrighton to offer joint
marketing campaigns aimed at attracting international business travelers to both cities.

Overall, effective value-chain relationships are crucial for the creation and delivery of tourism
experiences in international markets (Perkins , et al., 2022).

Conclusion

Brighton's economy is booming due to conference tourism. International business travelers

admire Brighton. The city's conference tourism sector, which promotes sustainability and
innovation, has grown in recent years. However, this industry comes with difficulties, such as
the environmental effects of traveling and events, competition from other destinations, and the
effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stakeholder engagement is critical for the long-term growth of tourism destinations, and
stakeholder theory implies that companies and other entities must take into account the
interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders, in decision-making process. By closely
collaborating with the right stakeholders, VisitBrighton can offer a memorable conference
tourism experience in Brighton. Using the salience stakeholder model and Mendelow Power-
Interest Matrix can help identify and prioritize these stakeholders, and value-chain relationships
can be formed to achieve mutual benefits. London & Partners should form value-chain
relationships with these stakeholders to ensure their support and to promote Brighton as a
leading conference destination.
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Personal Reflection

Description:

During the group work for writing a group consultancy report as a consultant for VisitBrighton
to help them for developing and promoting conference tourism in Brighton, I contributed to the
identification of key statistics of international travelers to Brighton, defining the concepts of
conference tourism, stakeholders, destination stakeholders and stakeholder theory and
identification of key stakeholders in the value chain and proposed value-chain relationships that
London & Partners could form with them. I also investigate the role of stakeholders in offering
memorable conference tourism experiences in the city.

Feelings:

I felt overwhelmed by working on such a project that could help VisitBrighton to contribute in
improving the conference tourism industry in Brighton. While forming group with my class
fellows as this is a group project I was concerned about working with them and have doubts
that if I will be able to contribute in a valuable way. However, by talking and working with them
in different meetings I was pleased to know that I grasp different concepts easily and
understands my team member’s ideas very well.

Evaluation:

I believe that I was able to effectively contribute to the group work by sharing my knowledge of
the tourism industry, by thoroughly working on the different parts of the report assigned to me
and making strategic suggestions for stakeholder collaboration. However, I also recognized that
there were areas where I could have improved my contributions, such as being more proactive
in suggesting ideas during the group brainstorming sessions and communicate my ideas and
thoughts in a clearer manner so that my team members understand them well.
Analysis:

Upon reflection, I realize that one of my strengths is my ability to think strategically and make
connections between different ideas and concepts like I made while working on this project as I
have developed a good link and connections among stakeholders in the value chain for
VisitBrighton. However, I also recognize that I could benefit from further developing my
collaboration and communication skills to ensure that I am contributing to the group effectively
and delivering my ideas in an effective way.

Conclusion:

My strength to think strategically is a gift and a blessing for me and I will make sure to keep that
strength with me and use it effectively in every group project but I lack in collaboration and
communication skills and these skills are very important in every aspect of life specially while
collaborating and communicating in team projects therefor my skills needs improvement so
that I can work effectively and efficiently in group projects and meet people with confidence.

Action Plan:

Moving forward, I have planned to seek out opportunities to participate in more group projects
to enhance my collaboration and communication skills and request feedback from my team
members on how I can better contribute to group work and communicate in an effective way.
Further for this purpose I am also planning to take classes for communication skills or watch
different videos which will be helpful for me. Also I will work on my strength of thinking
strategically to improve it more.