A Marketing Study of Thurles
Students from MIC, St Patrick’s Campus, Thurles have provided new thinking in tackling the challenges facing Irish towns today according to Seamus Hanafin, Chair of Templemore Thurles Municipal District, who was speaking at the unveiling of A Marketing Study of Thurles, prepared by first year Business students at MIC, Thurles.
The event, which took place at Thurles Library and was attended by over 100 persons, was part of a collaboration between Business students in MIC Thurles, the Economic Development Office of Tipperary County Council and the Thurles Town Centre Forum.
The first-year students presented their ideas for the development of Thurles, from the perspective of third-level students living in the Town. Each of the 16 projects looked at one aspect of Thurles which the students’ viewed as having the potential to enhance some aspect of life, business or tourism in Thurles. The ideas presented include, promoting Thurles as an Education hub, organising music and family festivals, enhancing the accommodation choices on offer in Thurles, building on Thurles’ GAA heritage and promoting Thurles as a place to live.
The students devised each project as a response to a Marketing Brief, presented by the Town Centre Forum. This Marketing Brief required that each project address key elements, including a SWOT analysis of Thurles, identification of Stakeholders, Branding and an Action Plan.
According to Dr Rebecca Purcell, Lecturer in Business, MIC Thurles: “This project represents ‘Experiential learning’ in its’ truest sense, whereby the students applied their knowledge to a real-world and authentic question. The question in this case was,’ How can we support the development of Thurles?’ What makes this question so powerful, is that it required students to think about how they could enhance and improve aspects of the Town in which they live, and go to College”. Continuing she said that: “By displaying these projects to the Thurles community, it is hoped that the ideas presented will prompt discussion and debate on the ways in which Thurles, and other rural towns, can both seize opportunity, and meet the challenges they face”.
In attendance at the event was Seamus Hanafin, Chair of the Municipal District, who recognised the need for 'new thinking' in tackling the challenges facing Irish towns and praised 'the holistic approach to problem solving presented across all 16 student projects'.
While Kathleen Prendergast, Economic Development Officer, Tipperary County Council, outlined how “the Economic Development Office and the Thurles Town Centre Forum are delighted with the outcomes from the students work", and especially noted that "the ideas put forward would give great focus to efforts of the Forum and the fact that action plans are included in each project will provide the Thurles Town Centre Forum with a blueprint for how to move forward the ideas that they select".
Student Elisha Dore commented on the feedback from the people of Thurles in relation to their work saying: “I believe the event was a fantastic way of getting students involved in the local community and a great way to demonstrate the positive effects that the students and the local community could have on the town when they collaborate and share ideas".
A Marketing Plan for Thurles remains on view in the Thurles Library until Sunday 22 April.
Further information on programmes on offer at MIC Thurles available www.mic.ul.ie
