Church Visitor Experience and Management Planning

Client: Diocese of Winchester
Planning Solutions Consulting was commissioned by the Diocese of Winchester to work with the Church Wardens and Volunteer Stewards to develop a visitor experience and management plan for a church within the diocese.

The church is Grade I listed, it is a historic landmark and is facing pressure from increasing visitor numbers. The visitor experience plan had to take account of the primary purpose of the church, as a place of worship – it also had to respond to its heritage setting and the limited human resource available. The commission included a site visit, engagement with the Church Wardens and Volunteers, a review of background data held and wider market trends which could impact on the visitor experience plan.

The visitor experience and management action plan focussed on five key areas: Building volunteer resilience, enhancing the visitor experience, generating income, monitoring and building up an understanding of visitors and opportunities linked to marketing and partnership working.

Client testimonial: “Richard and the team at Planning Solutions Consulting carried out a detailed review of one of our churches’ visitor experience offer. They combined thorough research into the church’s current tourism provision with valuable insight into the wider market, then used their expertise to produce a practical action plan for the church to strengthen and enhance their visitor experience.

We found PSC excellent to work with – they were collaborative, communicative, and professional throughout. They produced a comprehensive report which was carefully tailored to specific audience requirements, and they encouraged comments and suggestions at every stage of the project. The final product will prove extremely useful to the church as they develop their future tourism plans.” Libby Davis, Church Buildings Support Officer, Diocese of Winchester

How can we help?
If you have any questions about preparing a visitor experience or business plan for a church please don’t hesitate to call Richard Linington on 07866 742628 or email richard@pslplan.co.uk