The Age of the E-Brochure Has Arrived

We are extremely excited about a brand new service available to clients of LDS Tourism Services. No longer will we merely distribute printed materials to busy outlets but - from this point forward - we will convert published materials into e-leaflets, e-brochures or e-just-about-anythings!

How is this done? Well, basically, we take the hard copy of a document (or a PDF sent via email) and turn it into an interactive digital publication, which marries the best qualities of both the printed and online formats.

Using page-turn technology, we can transfer a publication into an online format in a way that is cost-effective, simple to use and environmentally friendly. The e-leaflet can then be enhanced with embedded hyperlinks, audio and video to provide the reader with an interactive experience and can be updated with fresh information whenever required. If you would like to see what we can do for you, simply send us a leaflet, magazine or PDF document and we’ll come back to you with a free working sample. You can see an example of a fairly basic digital brochure right here.

Should you wish, this service can be built into a package combining social media marketing and/or leaflet distribution. Please feel free to contact us for further information using our online form or by ringing 01244 671859.

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Image © 2evolv ltd

LDS Tourism Services Thank VIP Hosts

‘Silly Season’ has officially begun. For the last few weeks everyone at LDS Tourism has been working flat-out accepting deliveries of leaflets, servicing holders, talking with clients and generally making preparations for Valentine’s Day and the half-term break. Next up: Mothering Sunday and Easter!

As regular readers know, we like to highlight the many wonderful local businesses that host our Visitor Information Points (VIPs). Although our time is limited, we patronise these establishments as frequently as possible and feature them here following a visit.

One establishment we can highly recommend is Bellis Brothers Farm Shop & Garden Centre in Holt, near Wrexham. Diana and I popped in there last week to do some shopping and found their shelves bulging with home-grown and regionally sourced fruit, vegetables, dairy products, cooked meats and baked goods - not to mention locally brewed beers in the Wine Department. The gardening section was well stocked with quality plants and we were able to browse through a range of greeting’s cards, items of clothing and fascinating knick-knacks before retiring to the Strawberry Fields Restaurant for a spot of delicious, home-cooked lunch. In addition to this, the staff were all friendly and helpful, without exception, and the light and airy open-plan feel of the store made shopping a positively pleasant experience.

We also found time to visit the Glan Yr Afon Inn, a 16th century pub in the small village of Dolphin, near Holywell - which is currently celebrating its 450th anniversary. Here we were greeted warmly by the staff and enjoyed a tasty meal in their attractively decorated restaurant next to a roaring log fire.

Moving on to clients, our congratulations go to Knowsley Safari Park following the announcement that they pulled in their greatest number of visitors for 35 years, despite the recession and poor weather of 2009. Over 530,000 people flocked through the gates last year, making it their best annual attendance since the attraction opened in 1972. You can read all about it in a recent article published on the St Helens Star website.

We hope everyone is busy over the coming weeks. If you would like your leaflets and brochures displayed in our VIPs over Easter, please get your stock to us as quickly as possible. You are invited to contact us on 01244 671859 if you need to discuss your campaign.

Shop at Bellis's Country Market

Garden Centre at Bellis's Country Market

The Glan Top and Tails

Main picture: Homedade Quiche at Bellis's

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Images © LDS Tourism Services Ltd, 2010

You'll Never Walk Alone - LFC Stadium Tour

Last week Jenny and I were lucky enough to be invited to the official launch of the all new Liverpool Football Club Stadium Tour. Arranged through The Mersey Partnership, we were able to see behind the scenes at Anfield, sit in the famous Kop and meet Liverpool legend Alan Kennedy.

Liverpool FC have made some exciting changes to the tour, it now includes new areas, extra tours and better availability. Perhaps the biggest change is the involvement of Dave Kirby as script writer. He is a local playwright and is well known for the popular Scouse comedy Brick up the Mersey Tunnel and more recently for the film Fifteen Minutes that Shook the World, based on the 2005 Champions League Final in Istanbul. His style guarantees that the is tour engaging and entertaining.

Our tour started in the Legends Lounge before we moved on to sit in the Directors' seats. We visited the old boot room (now a press room), took a peek in the dressing rooms and reached up to touch the 'This is Anfield' sign as we made our way back out towards the pitch. Throughout the tour we were given an insight into the history of the club and each section had a different guide with fascinating snippets of information to keep us amused. We even got to see the Champions League Cup, which was gifted to Anfield as a thank you for winning in 2005.

As a football fan I knew I would enjoy the day, but even Jenny (who doesn't follow football) found it interesting. We finished off the experience with a look around the Museum; a good chance to see some memorabilia - old and new - and reflect on the amazing history of one of the region's best known football clubs.

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Images: Anfield, © LDS Tourism Services Ltd, 2010