Environment for Growth Monitoring and Evaluation: The Why, What and How Calvin Jones

Monitoring Requirements WEFO requires monitoring estimates of visits and direct jobs This is not straightforward – and does not speak to strengths of tourism & visitation Hence need for evaluation of E4G investments Previous experience suggests this will be easier during rather than after the projects

E4G M&E: Today Make clear the need for a bespoke approach to E4G projects Emphasize the benefits of the E4G M&E approach: –To Assembly, Visit Wales, CADW, CCW & partner sponsors –To individual projects and managers –To the wider Welsh economy –To site users and project beneficiaries

E4G M&E: Today Explain the materials, guidance and resources that will be made available to project managers Deal with specific issues that may arise around volunteering & volunteers Establish practical approaches to measuring visitor volumes & undertaking surveys A chance for you to tell us what matters

E4G M&E: Not Today Non site-based projects (e.g. interpretation) Impact of capital spending Social/Qualitative impacts but all under consideration for integration

E4G M&E: Why this Approach? E4G is unusual in EU/ERDF funding terms: –Multiple sites, sponsors &managers across 7 strategic projects –Varying focus & interest of project managers –Very different sites in very different places –Some non-site based projects Yet common WEFO evaluation criteria and a need to evaluate the E4G projects as a whole…

The Commitment from us Centralised approach to monitoring and evaluation of E4G projects to minimise cost to the public sector Remove need for projects/SPs to develop their own M&E toolkits and approaches Provide guidance & advice on M&E activity Provide site and project specific reports on economic impact & help projects that wish to move beyond economic impact… Carry on learning

The Commitment from you Provide basic information about site type and activities Measure visitor volumes at appropriate times via counts or tickets Monitor project-specific fuel use. Selected larger projects: survey (with our advice) visitors to your sites

Summary: Why is this Necessary? E4G is unusual in ERDF terms Visitor impacts in large part arise away from destinations (E4G sites) This makes them hard to capture … and makes it difficult for tourism/visitor projects to stack up against traditional interventions and win continued support