Park and garden owners from Latvia and Estonia involved in the “Garden Pearls” project gathered at Kārļamuiža on November 5th and 6th to acquire new knowledge in marketing, product development, and pricing. Participants expressed their gratitude to the lecturers and appreciated the opportunity to meet in person, which promotes experience sharing and the generation of new ideas.

Key insights and recommendations from the lecturers:

• For a product or service to be successful, it must provide a solution to the user’s problem or concerns.
• When investing in marketing, set specific goals and evaluate the results of your activities to determine the most effective methods. Today, it is worth considering digital marketing opportunities such as Google AdWords, Facebook Live, and email marketing, which may prove to be more cost-effective.
• “Increasing the number of visitors” is not the only possible goal, especially in the current context where we must collectively focus on tourism sustainability.
• Results will largely depend on the time and effort invested. It is normal for several years to pass before a business sees significant results from its combined activities.
• When developing a website, do not overlook SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which helps the site become discoverable and boosts traffic.
• If you lack the necessary internal competencies, do not hesitate to involve outside experts.
• In today’s saturated information space, it is your unique story that will help you stand out, rather than highlighting classic superlatives (“the biggest,” “the highest,” “the oldest,” etc.). Search for stories and facts in historical documents and the memories of local residents. A story can serve as the foundation for both the product itself and its marketing.
• Find the right niche audience! You can never reach or satisfy everyone with a single message and product.
• Income can be generated through entrance fees, product sales, and services (e.g., training sessions and workshops).
• When setting a price, remember to include all the time spent preparing for tours, preparing refreshments, and maintaining/cleaning the environment.
• When developing a product and marketing plan, think about the emotional aspect – how do you want the customer to feel during and after their visit?

Lecturers: design and branding specialist Maarja Pajusalu; Johnny Mattsson, representative of the Gunnebo House and Gardens complex from Sweden; Andris Klepers, Associate Professor at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences; and garden owners Heli Viedehof and Maria Palusalu.

The training content was developed based on feedback and suggestions from garden and park owners to ensure the information provided was useful and practically applicable. The seminar was organized within the framework of the “Garden Pearls” project.

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Information prepared by:
Lelde Beņķe, Vidzeme Tourism Association