AND Sustainable Giants Membership - Core and Associate Membership

AND Sustainable Giants are a network of sustainable businesses that work together to share best practice and collaborate to support the ideal that we will become a sustainable destination. 

Find out more about AND Sustainable Giants - A Green Tourism Network - Ards & North Down (visitardsandnorthdown.com)

AND Sustainable Giants Membership - Core and Associate Membership Criteria and Benefits

AND Sustainable Giants memberships

CORE MEMBERS

Core members must:

• Be a tourism business* based or operating within Ards and North Down.
• Be committed to running their business sustainably and be working to continuously improve their sustainable practices (environment, social and economic).
• Adopt a business sustainable tourism policy which commits to meet the Giants six sustainability principles.
• Contribute to a sustainable tourism action plan that demonstrates at least initial action in all the group's six sustainability principles. For Associate members, if this is demonstrated within the first six months of membership (supported through training), advancement to Core member can be sought. Conversely where Core Members do not demonstrate commitment they will be required to reduce to Associate Member.
• Attend four meetings each year. If a member cannot attend a substitute can do so with prior notice.
• Commit to collaborating with fellow Giants where applicable. For example, in respect of community activity, business development or information sharing.
• Work proactively to deliver a group marketing strategy. Each member will commit to sharing joint messages on their individual platforms that promote the group as a whole and where applicable.
• Report individual businesses actions in respect of each of the above at the Giants' AGM.

*A tourism business is one which provides/delivers an activity or service to visitors.

Core Members Benefits

Networking Forum

Avail of focused networking opportunities with like-minded tourism businesses in the region providing the opportunity to generate mutual referrals, develop innovative visitor experiences share knowledge and ideas and build relationships and friendships.

Sustainable Tourism Training

Access to training for your business.For example, skills and tools to make your business 'greener', more sustainable and more cost-effective, marketing (digital, social etc.), photography, staffing.

Destination Marketing and Promotion

Under the umbrella brand "Sustainable Giants", businesses can work together to truly differentiate this destination by making sustainability a competitive advantage by creating content, events and sustainable messaging via collaborative working. Giants commit to cross promote each other's services and events through their individual marketing platforms. Giants should work with other partners to aid marketing opportunities. Core members will receive a write up on the Sustainable Giants page of Visit AND (the site achieving approx. 272k hits annually) along with social posts via Visit AND Facebook where applicable relating to group activity (currently 8.5k followers). A regular ezine will be distributed to all members to update on group activity and sustainable tourism overall.

Funding

Where applicable, and the Giants can avail of/draw down funding from various sources, Core members would gain preference before opening the opportunity to the wider Associate group.+

This could include mentorship, training, accreditation and experience development assistance.

+This subject to any terms and conditions associated with the relevant funding/funder.

Events

Where applicable to involve the work of the Giants within Council tourism events this opportunity will be sought to involve Giants, subject to each event criteria.

Associate Member Criteria

• Be a tourism business* based or operating within Ards and North Down.
• Be committed to running their business sustainably and be working to continuously improve their sustainable practices (environment, social and economic).
• Adopt a sustainable tourism policy which commits to meet at least three of the group's six sustainability principles. For Associate members, if this is demonstrated within the first six months of membership (supported through training), advancement to Core member can be sought.
• Attend at least two group meetings each year. If a member cannot attend a substitute can do so with prior notice.
• Work proactively to collaborate. Each member will commit to sharing joint messages on their individual platforms that promote the group as a whole and where applicable.

*A tourism business is one which provides/delivers an activity or service to visitors.

Associate Members Benefits

Networking Forum

Avail of focused networking opportunities with like-minded tourism businesses in the region providing the opportunity to generate mutual referrals, develop innovative visitor experiences share knowledge and ideas and build relationships and friendships.

Destination Marketing and Promotion

Under the umbrella brand "Sustainable Giants", businesses can work together to truly differentiate this destination by making sustainability a competitive advantage by creating content, events and sustainable messaging via collaborative working. Giants commit to cross promote each other's services and events through their individual marketing platforms. Giants should work with other partners to aid marketing opportunities. Associate members will receive a listing on the Sustainable Giants page of Visit AND (the site achieving approx. 272K hits annually) along with social posts via Visit AND Facebook where applicable relating to group activity (currently 8.5k followers). A regular ezine will be distributed to all members to update on group activity and sustainable tourism overall.

Sustainable Tourism Training

Whilst priority will be for Core members, where training course numbers allow, places will be offered to Associate members to attend. It would be expected that for a number of courses this will be the case.

Funding

Where applicable, and the Giants can avail of/draw down funding from various sources, Core members would gain preference before opening the opportunity to the wider Associate group.+

This could include mentorship, training, accreditation and experience development assistance.

+This subject to any terms and conditions associated with the relevant funding/funder.

Events

Where applicable to involve the work of the Giants within Council tourism events this opportunity will be sought to involve Giants, subject to each event criteria.

Developing to Core member status from Associate member

Should an associate member wish to become a Core member they can make this request after six months, from the date of becoming an Associate member, or be nominated by a Core member. They will be assessed by the Core members as to commitment and demonstration towards the Core membership criteria as detailed above.

*Criteria set April 2024

For more information, please contact tourism.admin@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk