On 26th June 2014, the project partners of the SmartMove consortium gathered in Burgos, Spain for a Training Seminar and project meeting. This was the first of a series of five Training Seminars to be arranged by Rupprecht Consult that will take place over the course of the project.
The main goal of the first Training Seminar was for partner organizations to gain a common understanding of the concepts of Active Mobility Consultancy (AMC) and Feeder Systems. AMC was presented as an approach to marketing that goes beyond advertising transport services on a website, posters and leaflets and expecting a potential customer to undertake their own research. Instead, the AMC approach involves actively contacting members of the public and providing them with customized travel advice. Although AMC has been proven to be very successful in increasing the numbers of people using public transport, this more dynamic approach to marketing does have its challenges. These include selecting the most appropriate target group for a marketing campaign and obtaining contact information. Project partners from the Waldviertel in Austria, Cologne, Almada and Burgos already have significant marketing experience and were therefore able to present examples of campaigns during the Training Seminar. A workshop session later in the day provided the opportunity for all project partners to discuss their emerging AMC campaign plans and debate matters such as: the geographical area and transport mode that will be the focus of AMC; the target group to be contacted; and the organizations that should be involved in implementation. Feeder Systems provide an essential element of the mobility network in rural areas, providing the link between homes and the train and bus systems that form the backbone of the transport system. Project partners the University of York have been undertaking research on the different transport modes that can provide these “First Mile” solutions. Following an introductory presentation on the subject, a Feeder System World Café allowed project partners to share information on the bus-based, car-based and non-motorised systems available within their areas. This allowed participants to gain an overview of the range of Feeder System that can be provided, as well the strengths and weaknesses of each system and whether they are particular suited to certain target groups within the population.+49 221 6060 55 13
