Friendly – Events and Marketing
In a rapidly changing consumer market place where online shopping has increased its share of retail spend the events and marketing projects aimed at promoting a ‘Friendly’ town centre remain a key deliverable for gyBID. The experience of visiting the town centre becomes as important as the shopping, eating and services providers that it hosts. The current BID term has built on the success of previous Town Centre Partnership initiatives in the town centre by identifying additional partners and funding streams to encourage footfall and increase dwell times through more events and experiential activities. As consumer habits continue to evolve this needs to continue to market the town centre as a more vibrant place for visitors, encouraging them to stay longer and return more frequently. A fourth BID term would continue to explore, identify and promote multiple reasons for residents within and without its catchment area to visit and enjoy Great Yarmouth town centre.
The events and marketing priorities of gyBID have evolved over the years guided by businesses through regular stakeholder meetings and consultation. With Covid-19 and its effects on town centre businesses likely to continue into at least the first half of 2021 this will very much dictate the marketing and events activities as we recover from the impact of the pandemic.
We will continue to work closely with our partners in local authorities, media, tourism and national organisations to recover from the issues created by the coronavirus and continue to rebuild consumer confidence to get visitors returning to the town centre by reviving the many annual footfall driving events that had to be cancelled during 2020.
A further impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been to accelerate the change in consumer habits and pressure on retail dependant high streets and town centres that was already evident before the pandemic. The Town Centre Partnership supported by funding from gyBID will continue to work closely on behalf of its levy payers with Great Yarmouth Borough Council on a raft of measures initiated both before and in response to the coronavirus crisis. Over the next 5 years gyBID intends to further improve perceptions of the town centre working alongside Great Yarmouth Borough Council on improvements developed as part of a masterplan for the town centre to include redevelopment of the covered market, heritage buildings brought back in to positive use, empty commercial property space converted to residential and the creation of a significant community and education hub in the town centre.
Friendly Events and Marketing Business Plan Proposals
- Support and promotion of town events and festivals throughout the year
- Dynamic and informative website to promote town centre visits
- Continued development of Click and Collect online platform
- Support and promote positive messages through use of social media platforms.
- High profile Christmas trading campaign, delivering increased marketing and events at the height of the peak shopping period
- Liaison with local and national media to support positive news and campaigns
- Various seasonal trails and competitions designed to encourage exploring of the town centre using digital Apps
As well as the provision of the above, the Town Centre Partnership will collaborate with its stakeholders and local authority partners and remain flexible and reactive to unforeseen challenges impacting the town centre.