What does Our city Want . . .?

IT IS so often true that we don't appreciate the place in which we live or work and that is absolutely the case with Southampton.

The city has so much to offer, the surrounding area has something for everyone and wouldn't it be great if everyone started shouting about it.

We have just completed work on a DVD for Southampton City Council specifically designed to show what visiting cruise passengers can enjoy in the area and that focused our attention on how much there really is to talk about.

For people considering a move to live or work in Southampton, the city provides a rich vein of employment opportunities and the huge number of attractions could occupy plenty of spare hours at weekends and in the evenings.

We should want people to say WOW! when they think about Southampton but marketing a city with such a variety of different attractions is no easy feat and takes tremendous determination from a number of parties - and a substantial budget.

But more than anything we need a call to action. One of my favourite quotes is from Ted Turner, the founder of CNN who said: "Lead, follow or get out of the way, but do something,'' and that is so true in the city at the moment.

A brief snapshot of the city gives us some idea of the task at hand.

We have one of Europe's top shopping destinations at WestQuay and with John Lewis as the flagship store, shoppers have tremendous choice.

Moving on to leisure activities, the city already boasts a host of cinemas, theatres, nightclubs and casinos to ensure that the city is always in the running for premiers, big name shows and plenty of entertainment into the early hours.

And there is no shortage of culture in the city with our own world class art gallery and local businesses including No More Blue adding modern art to the whole hairdressing and beauty experience!

For those looking to the city to eat out, the choice is growing all the time with Southampton well ahead of other city centres in offering a wide range of different restaurants.

Naturally the waterfront is a prime area to live, work and play and on-going development at Ocean Village in particular, means that the waterside will continue to be the focus of attention.

Also on the development side we have a new hotel taking shape in the centre of town and there continues to be demand for new office space, city centre homes and retail space.

Southampton also has almost unrivalled transport communications providing a hub for road, rail and air travel together with the cruise port which welcomes visitors from around the world.

In terms of sporting attractions we have Southampton FC and the city is home to Hampshire Country Cricket Club, both of which have attracted action from our international teams.

But marketing the city is a tall order and needs the help, co-operation and finance of so many people to pull together and really make people sit up and take notice.

There is no quick fix to anything like this, but with the right strategy Southampton can be an even greater city and as we all know, success breeds success.

Looking at other similar cities around the world we can see the great strides made by the likes of Newcastle and Barcelona in marketing themselves as great waterfront cities - I think it's time we looked to putting Southampton into the same league.

I understand there are already a number of initiatives under way in the city and new strategies being discussed, but the crucial thing however is to have joined-up thinking and a cohesive way forward - and that this is adopted.

TEN STEPS TO MARKET THE CITY:

1 A new corporate ID for the city is essential. Let's learn a lesson from business. Coca Cola and P&O Cruises for example, know the importance of brand in reassuring people about what to expect. We should follow suit.

2 The major powers in Southampton need to join forces and agree on goals. Does the city want business investment, more visitors or both?

3 Decide whether public or private sector should be the driving force.

4 Raise the money to achieve realistic options. It is essential to have the financial support and infrastructure to support the way forward.

5 Take advice from the marketing experts. You wouldn't trust your accountant to look after your teeth or ask your estate agent to take car of servicing your car and it's the same with marketing.

6 With advice, put together a workable plan for the city. Identify where you want to target your resources be it advertising, direct mail, PR or e-marketing to maximise your efforts.

7 Study other cities such as Barcelona to see how they have gone about becoming so funky. Look at similar cities with a waterfront, a similar business profile and comparable population.

8 Publicise what the city already offers. No one else will shout on your behalf so take every opportunity to promote the positive events and attractions.

9 Be forward thinking in all aspects of promoting the city - and be positive.

10 Most of all we need to make things happen. The talking has to stop and action should be next on the agenda.

The Daily Echo is going all out to track down and identify the elusive Wow Factor.

Let us know what you think by e-mailing us at newsdesk@soton-echo.co.uk.

You can also vote in our poll on the 'This is Southampton' homepage.