Rock solid business plan for National Stone Centre

STUDENTS from all over the world are aiming to boost business at the National Stone Centre, near Wirksworth, in North Derbyshire.

Forty students from 14 different countries on the University of Derby’s MA Marketing Management, MA Management and MBA Masters degree courses are working for free to boost business, visitors and schools’ interest in the centre, which celebrates the UK’s geological history.

The National Stone Centre is an educational charity established 20 years ago on a 50-acre site containing former quarries, lime kilns, lead mine shafts and a nationally protected geological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
 


The attraction contains hundreds of British rock and mineral samples, and information about centuries of industrial history. It also runs dry-stone wall construction, stone-slate roofing and sculpture courses, and a new £1.4 million Ecocentre being developed on site with Derbyshire County Council is due to open in the summer. 
 


Now National Stone Centre managers want to raise its public profile and attract more schools’ and other visitors. The site itself is self-funding with most of its income coming from the preparation of expert minerals reports for the Government and the quarrying industry. 
 


Hildegard Wiesehofer, senior lecturer and programme leader for the MA Marketing Management course at the University of Derby, said: ‘The economic downturn has meant that the National Stone Centre needs to look at alternative funding, in addition to its preparation of industry minerals reports.
 


‘The students will be identifying what those running the Centre want to achieve. Students will use a visitors’ survey designed by them, observation and interviews, to identify the kinds of things users and staff would like to see going on there.’
 


The students, who come from as far afield as Japan, China, Cyprus, France, Spain, India, Bangladesh, Poland, Jordan, Turkey, Romania, Nigeria and Malawi, will have to present a full explanation of their business ideas to centre’s managers and its board of governors.

The project is due to be completed by the end of next month (May), after which the National Stone Centre will decide which of the student teams’ ideas should go ahead.

Ian Thomas, director at the National Stone Centre, said: ‘The timing of this study is brilliant. It will provide ideas on how we can replace our very tired ‘Story of Stone’ exhibition with a show which will appeal to all and hopefully provide evidence for funding bids.’