‘Christmas in Worcester’ & ‘Small Business Saturday’ Opportunities for BID Businesses
Christmas 2016 Information for BID Businesses
The Worcester BID ‘Christmas in Worcester’ marketing campaign is in full swing and our partner’s local events are creating a festive cheer – the festive lights have been switched on, Father Christmas has arrived and the Victorian Christmas Fayre is now up and running. And there is plenty more coming up, so make sure your business is making most of it!
To help you plan your business’ activities, give you ideas for involvement, provide information about our BID marketing campaign and assist with a quick reference guide for all things ‘Christmas in Worcester’ we have prepared a dedicated page for businesses. Here you can also download the ‘Christmas in Worcester FAQ’ document, which was circulated at the BID Traders’ Meeting on 18th November.
Questions answered include:
- Is there a Santa’s Grotto / Story Time with Father Christmas in Worcester?
- Will there be a Nutcracker Trail this year?
- Will there be any Reindeers or Facepainting?
- When do Late Night Shopping Thursdays start?
- What are the Christmas opening times?
- Is there a gift wrapping service?
- Are there any other Christmas events?
- How can BID businesses get involved and support the Christmas in Worcester campaign? (see excerpt below)
- What and when is Small Business Saturday? (see excerpt below)
- Are there any opportunities to get involved in Small Business Saturday? (see excerpt below)
- Are there any Christmas parking promotions this year?
How can BID businesses get involved and support the Christmas in Worcester campaign?
- Follow our Christmas in Worcester Facebook and Twitter accounts and share our posts
- Tag/mention us in your posts and we will share these throughout our social media accounts
@ChristmasinWorc; @WorcesterBID; #Christmas #Worcester
- Email us your festive events, seasonal offers (Christmas, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday), Christmas menus, gift ideas, opening times, festive or success stories you would like us to feature on the website and in social media posts. Please email details including quality jpeg images to info@worcesterbid.com
- Provide free sampling opportunities for Christmas shoppers and event visitors (on street/in store), hand out leaflets with offers for repeat visit or treat your customers to a mince pie or free hot drink
- In-store competitions promoted via social media accounts and the Christmas website
- Integrate the official Christmas in Worcester artwork in your own promotions, on social media and use the poster template for your own messages. You can download FREE logos, templates and more from our Toolkit folder on Dropbox
Dates for your festive diary…
Sat 3rd Dec
Small Business Saturday at independent city centre businesses (see details below)
Sat 3rd, 10th & 17th Dec & Sun 18th Dec
Face Painting at CrownGate Chapel Walk*
Sat 3rd Dec to Thur 5th Jan
Festival of Christmas Trees at Worcester Cathedral*
Mon 5th Dec to Sun 8th Jan
Cinderella at the Swan Theatre (£)
Thur 8th Dec
Lantern Parade from The Guildhall to the Hive*
Sun 18th Dec – Reindeers at CrownGate Chapel Walk*
Thur – Sun until 24th Dec (Christmas week also Mon to Wed) – Story Time with Father Christmas at CrownGate Friary Walk*
Daily until Sat 31st Dec – Nutcracker Trail at CrownGate Chapel & Friary Walk*
Mon – Sat until Sat 7th Jan – Crafted for You at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum*
* Free events and activities. / £ = Ticketed event/admission fee applies.
For full schedule dates, locations and details visit
www.christmasinworcester.com
-the new one stop Christmas website for visitors, created in partnership between Worcester BID, Worcester City Council and CrownGate. The Story Time with Father Christmas and Nutcracker Trail are supported by Worcester BID.
What and when is Small Business Saturday?
Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and support small businesses in their communities. The day itself takes place on the first Saturday in December each year, but the campaign aims to have a lasting impact on small businesses. In 2016 Small Business Saturday will take place on Saturday 3rd December.
Are there any opportunities to get involved in Small Business Saturday?
- On Saturday 3rd December local Worcester businesses can take advantage of having a stall at the Upmarket event in High Street and Angel Place to showcase their businesses.
Stalls are offered at a special reduced rate of £10 for local businesses. The Upmarket is operated by local market operator LSD Promotions.
- Application form
- Market T&Cs & Arrival Information:
- In-store competitions, activities, special offers, etc. on Saturday 3rd December – promoted via social media accounts and the Christmas website. Please email details to Nadja – info@worcesterbid.com
- Register and advertise your business on the Small Business Finder for free! *
- Download the Small Business Saturday logos to use on your website or social media! *
- Send off for, or download (and print at home) the free Small Business Saturday marketing pack *
- If you’ve got any plans for the day, be sure to tell the Worcester BID team (Nadja – info@worcesterbid.com; 01905 731612 option 1) and Small Business Saturday team* about it, so we can give you a shout out via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Use #Worcester and #SmallBizSatUK or tag @WorcesterBID.
More resources can be found on (*) https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/
If you need some inspiration for activities, promotions and offers, take a look at the Totally Locally website:
Useful contacts to discuss your ideas:
Nadja von Dahlen-Andrews (Marketing & Events Manager, Worcester BID) – 01905 731612, nadja.vondahlen@worcesterbid.com
Janet Yates (Economic Development Officer, Worcester City Council) – 01905 722106, janet.yates@worcester.gov.uk
Dermot McGillicuddy (Director, LSD Promotions / Worcester City Markets) – 01384 877336, dermot@lsdpromotions.com
(This information was distributed at the Worcester BID Traders’ Meeting on 18th November and as an E-Bulletin on 25th November 2016)
