Edinburgh Portal Project

The Edinburgh Portal Project (EPP) is a dynamic and technologically innovative series of inter-connected content-rich websites (clicket.co.uk and edinburghfestivals.co.uk) and related e-marketing campaigns that provide a comprehensive picture of the arts and culture on offer in central Edinburgh.

Aims

The EPP aims to provide a straightforward and trusted overview of the arts and culture on offer in the Edinburgh region that persuades, encourages and motivates people living, working and visiting the city to get out there and enjoy it to the full!

The mission for the EPP is: ‘To be one of the first cities in the world to use the web to present a unified picture of the arts and culture on offer, and to make it easy for more people to enjoy more cultural activity’.

As well as the development of the technical platform, the wider Portal Project includes a programme of training and development for all TAB subscribers to maximise the impact of new technology on driving up ticket sales, to increase access to the cultural offer, to improve levels of customer service, and to minimise the costs of selling online.

Approach

The EPP was initiated in 2004 as a result of recommendations in the Edinburgh Theatre Strategy. Since then, strategic work has been undertaken to progress the project, including:

  • a scoping and feasibility study
  • development of business and implementation plan
  • due diligence reporting, technical scoping and middleware procurement
  • technical scoping and procurement of the content management system.

TAB is developing the EPP on the principles of partnership, so not only are all subscribers actively involved in the project, but a number of key development partners are also helping to shape its success. Festivals Edinburgh has been instrumental in developing the project with staff seconded to support the technical development and launch of the first site.

Outputs

Clicket.co.uk went live in July 2011 and features on average, 550 events per month throughout the year, growing to over 5000 in the busy Summer period.
You can find Clicket on Facebook and also follow @ClicketEdin on Twitter.

Portal websites

www.clicket.co.uk
Hosting event information and ticketing for all TAB subscribers. Clicket is the front end public facing element of the portal. It is one site which is split up into multiple channels, much like the BBC model.

www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk
Hosting event information and ticketing for Festivals Edinburgh members.

Funded by the City of Edinburgh Council Theatre Transformation Funding (Cities Growth Funds) and Creative Scotland.