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Bournemouth Town Centre BID looks back on an impactful year at its 2018 AGM
Following its successful renewal in 2017, Bournemouth Town Centre BID takes stock of its work over the past year and looks ahead to future plans at its Annual General Meeting.
From Lansdowne’s hugely popular Metropole Market to the stunning spectacle of the Upside-Down House at the Triangle, it has been a year of innovation and inspiration for Bournemouth’s Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID), the Annual General Meeting heard.
Open to all levy payers, the AGM at Bournemouth Library on Wednesday, November 14, provided an opportunity to review the BID’s wide-ranging activities and projects over the last year, all aimed at supporting the growth of local businesses, and making the town centre an ever more inviting prospect for visitors and investors. The BID was also pleased to welcome two new board directors: David Squire from Yellow Buses and Ian Saul from Naked Coffee.
Major projects included working with the UK’s first ‘upside-down house’ attraction in the Triangle, and the renewal of the incredibly popular Metropole Market at Holdenhurst Road in Lansdowne, which has been recognised with a Place Management Award nomination in the National BID Awards 2018.
Another innovation this year has been the bringing together of new ‘Business Quarters’ – specific sub-sectors within the town centre which so far include the Lansdowne Quarter, the Triangle Quarter, the Westover Quarter, the Richmond Quarter and the Horseshoe Quarter. Local groups at the helm are providing new opportunities for businesses to shape and improve their trading environment while developing and defining their Business Quarter’s unique character.
And a programme of seminars, free of charge to levy payers, covering topics such as marketing, networking and making the most of Christmas, have brought further tangible benefits to businesses.
Looking ahead, the BID continues to work towards its key objectives – increasing visitor numbers, supporting businesses to grow, reducing the number of empty shops and developing the unique identity of different areas within the BID area.
A four-pronged approach encompasses organising events and festivals, effective marketing and promotion, keeping the town centre safe and secure, including with the popular ranger service, and making sure it’s ‘clean and green,’ with enhanced litter cleaning among a raft of initiatives ensuring the town centre always looks its best.
Martin Davies, Town Centre BID Chairman, said:
“We are now part way through year two of our second five-year term, having been voted in again by town centre businesses in 2017, and it is exciting to see so many of the ideas and innovations set out to our levy payers now coming to fruition.
“The AGM was a welcome opportunity to review some of the impressive and impactful work being done to make Bournemouth town centre a must-visit location. The upward trajectory of our footfall figures, which continue to buck the national downward trend, tell the story of the Town Centre BID’s success. We look forward to building on that over the next 12 months.”