ALTON'S Promotion and Marketing Forum is considering the best way forward in order to raise the profile of the town both in East Hampshire and to a wider market.
At a poorly attended first meeting of the new electoral term held at the town hall on Monday evening, newly elected chairman Peter Whitmarsh, proposed sending out a questionnaire to all the organisations either not represented on the forum or whose representatives had not attended.
It would go to all the tourism, industrial and retail organisations to "find out what their requirements are and decide the future direction of the Forum," he suggested.
"I don't think we can develop an overall strategy for the town unless we know what people's needs are."
Meanwhile assistant town clerk Gregory Burt and Jane Hodgkins, of East Hampshire District Council's economic development department, are to meet to work out various options of ways forward to be put to the forum in September.
The underlying need was to work out ways "to market Alton not just as a visitor destination but as a viable place to live and work", Ms Hodgkins said.
Among the problems, Mr Whitmarsh suggested, was a "feeling in the town that it is not best served by East Hampshire when it comes to tourism.
"It took us several years to get public toilets built and to get coach parking.
"I have to say there is a gut feeling in the town that EHDC is really Petersfield's council - you are starting off with a handicap in the legacy you have inherited," he warned her.
To ask all the different organisations the questions - "where are you now, where do you want to be and what are you missing", but most of all "how can we make you more profitable" would bring answers "tumbling in", he predicted.
Mr Whitmarsh said he only anticipated remaining chairman until some of the new town councillors had had "a chance to come along and find out what happens".
The forum, which next meets on July 19, decided to wait for a better attended meeting before electing a vice-chairman.