A new project, the first of its kind in the UK, will see Cupar businesses enhance their reputation by improving the provision of access information. The project will put the town on the map as an accessible destination and is the latest development from OOVIRT, a Dundee-based company that produces virtual experiences with a specific aim to help make venues more inclusive to all.

There are close to 14 million people in the UK with a disability of some kind. That fact is fueling a significant drive towards making places more inclusive – and rightly so. And, according to the latest access survey by Edinburgh based Euan’s Guide – seen as ‘the TripAdvisor for the disability sector’ – 94% of people try to find access information before they visit a given destination.

How it will work …

Recently, we published a Blog on much of the background to this unique initiative. In short, each Cupar business will be engaged to benchmark the access information and support they currently provide, helping to raise critical awareness of how important these details are to enable customers to access products and services.

From the information gathered and accompanying research, the OOVIRT platform for Cupar will be developed giving visitors the ability to navigate their way around the shared accessible resources across the town. This will include Cupar’s two ‘changing place’ toilets, public accessible toilets, electric vehicle charging points and various parking facilities.

The accessible overview will allow every business to improve how they share information across their customer journey, allowing Cupar’s visitors to plan their trip with confidence from the comfort of their homes.

The accessible pound – crucial to our economy

The demand for improved accessibility grows rapidly. Richard Meiklejohn, co-founder of OOVIRT, explains: “It has never been more crucial for businesses to ensure they are properly connecting with their audience. OOVIRT’s innovative and transparent approach will enable businesses to showcase their venue and tap into the UK’s 250 billion accessibility market.”

The project is a collaboration between Scotland’s Towns Partnerships (STP), who are helping to drive innovation across Scottish destinations. Phil Prentice, Chief Officer of STP says: ‘More destinations need to adopt a place based approach. All those responsible for providing services and looking after assets in a place need to work and plan together, and with local communities, to improve the lives of people and support inclusive growth and create more successful places.”

By engaging with OOVIRT, Cupar will be able to build on CuparNow’s Digital Improvement District pilot. The project sees all businesses promote and share communication through this Blog as well as through managed social media channels – providing a centralised, strategic channel for marketing the destination. Businesses and customers also benefit from free Wi-Fi and the increased connectivity and insights that this brings.

Richard Meiklejohn adds: ‘Research has shown that disabled people, their families and friends, believe many venues could do more to help disabled people access the information they need. This project benefits wheelchair users, pregnant mothers and young families, older people and those living with autism among others to know exactly how accessible a venue or destination will be for them. We use first hand experiences to provide the quality accessibility information that will make their visit more enjoyable, whether it’s to a retail space or tourism venue‘.

If you require more information, please contact OOVIRT via this link, call them on 01382 737273 or email contactus@oovirt.com

 

Thanks for reading!