Royal Parks creates first-ever roster

The Royal Parks is putting together its first-ever marketing services roster, which will draw on a range of external design skills.


The organisation is an executive agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and administers eight London parks, including Hyde Park, St James’s Park and Richmond Park. This week it is sifting through more than 100 respon ses from design, digital and marketing groups to a public tender contract notice, according to The Royal Parks procurement officer Sarah Blyth.


The framework, which will include collateral design and production, direct mail, signage and interpretation, design and supply of exhibition stands, e-communications, copywriting and photography, will have a budget of about £600 000 a year, for three years. There will be a possibility to extend this for a fourth year, according to Blyth.


‘The marketing needs of The Royal Parks have changed,’ says a spokeswoman for The Royal Parks. ‘We are approach – ing the stage where demand for our services will outstrip capacity. We need to increase our output through a reduction in the time spent doing adminis tration on procurement.


We also need to increase our capacity through the use of a third party,’ she adds.


The first phase of the public tender process – during which consultancies will be asked to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire – will conclude at the end of November. Details of the final roster are expected to be announced next March. There are currently no major brand or strategic overhaul plans, says The Royal Parks marketing manager Simon Higgins. He says that the body’s corporate and marketing objec tives will not be set until The Royal Parks enters into its new financial year next April.


There are, however, plans to develop The Royal Parks website, he says. A scoping exercise will be comp leted by Christmas, and the contract will be awarded next year.


London consultancy Chacha has worked with The Royal Parks on its annual rep orts, its What’s On brochures and print collateral for its Grow in the Parks app renticeship scheme, and completed a signage proj ect as part of a consultation exercise for The Hub sports centre in Regent’s Park.


Moon Communi cations designed the original logo, which was reworked by Forster in 2003 (pictured above).


WHAT THE THE ROYAL PARKS DOES


• The Royal Parks oversees Bushy Park, Green Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent’s Park, Richmond Park and St James’s Park
• The Royal Parks markets walking tours, events, entertainment and environmental programmes, as well as community and education projects
• Cafés and other spaces across The Royal Parks, including Hyde Park’s The Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens’ The Dell Café and the café inside The Hub sports centre at Regent’s Park, each have their own separate marketing function
• The Hub is marketed by The Royal Parks as a sports facility

Start the discussionStart the discussion
  • Post a comment

Latest articles