20IN2T4ER/SPRING W S NEW
S I S S E N I S U B R YOU
Dear Levy Payer
2024 is well underway, the evenings will start to get lighter, the days warmer and we are looking forward to a busy year. We hope you enjoyed the festive celebrations in December and planning is already underway for this year’s events. Sadly, the last few months have again witnessed international unrest, with the continued war in Ukraine and the Israel Gaza conflict, all of which have an impact directly or indirectly on many of us. Nationally, we could be looking towards a general election before the end of the year and any changes that will bring about.
We are seeing the famous green shoots of spring with indicators of interest rate rises easing, however, we cannot be complacent. Energy bills are still high, there are still challenges for some sectors of hospitality and retail to recruit high quality staff and the cost of living is still hurting many families. The positive signs include the growing cruise business, with increasing numbers of ships arriving or departing from the port this year. Our opportunity is to keep those thousands of passengers from each ship in the city for a longer time, enjoying the arts, heritage, hospitality and entertainment. 02380 003637 GO! Southampton
S S E N I S U B OUR
The time and money they spend will make a significant difference to our economy and raise the city’s profile. GO! Southampton is working with ABP and partners to welcome visitors off the ships and direct them to our great attractions and businesses. The appearance and feel of the city are important for local residents, and visitors, whether it is keeping graffiti under control, brightening up walls with public art, or livening up streets with live entertainment. For all of this effort, the city centre also must be and feel safer for those working, living, studying or passing through Southampton. GO! is working with a range of partners, including the City Council, police, universities and Southampton Forward to deliver this better visitor experience for all. If you are interested in being involved in shaping the city experience, please get in touch. We will work with you and for you to attract new businesses, investment and visitors to the city centre and look forward to seeing you at one or more of our networking events. I wish you a very successful and enjoyable year. Best wishes, Stephen Manion (Executive Director)
info@gosouthampton.co.uk
@Go_Southampton
www.gosouthampton.co.uk
GREATER CITY CENTRE EXPERIENCE
SaBA Day 2023: Combating Banned from one, banned retail crime in the city centre from all: the return of Southampton’s Red Card Scheme
Following discussions at the previous Licensing Link meeting, we’ve reintroduced the Red Card Scheme, also known as the exclusion list, to keep those who work, live and visit the city safe from offenders and prevent repeat offences in the evening and night-time economy. If someone commits an offence, they will be given a warning (depending on severity). Serious or repeat offenders will be given a Red Card and banned from entering the city’s night-time venues for one to five years.
In October, we hosted the fourth Safer Business Action (SaBA) Day, reinforcing the city’s commitment to safety and crime reduction in the city centre. During this event, significant efforts led to the apprehension of four individuals. One of them faced charges for violating court bail, while another had violated a Criminal Protection Notice.
Working with partners including Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, Welfare Wardens, Southampton City Council and local businesses throughout the day highlighted the remarkable results that can be achieved when the community comes together. Our next SaBA day in the city centre will be in mid-March.
The Red Card Scheme is managed by our Southampton Business Crime Partnership (SBCP) which monitors and updates the list of banned individuals as well as building cases against offenders who should be added to the Red Card Scheme. This list of banned individuals is currently available for BID members to access for free via our DISC reporting portal. Read more about the Red Card Scheme at www.gosouthampton.co.uk/redcard We are delighted that our SBCP has renewed its accreditation in January, meeting the national standards set by Secured By Design, the official police security initiative.
Promising start to new Facial Recognition trial Our three-month Facial Recognition trial launched in December in the city centre. This pioneering scheme in partnership with Reveal Media, is the first of its kind in the country and uses body-worn cameras with live facial recognition technology to detect those who are on the SBCP’s Red Card Scheme and banned from the Licensed premises in the city centre.
We are pleased to see the trial already proving successful in supporting venues and door staff. On the first night of the launch, the cameras identified one of the city’s top high-harm offenders who was attempting to enter a venue. Within the first month of the trial, six people on the Red Card Scheme were identified and subsequently refused entry to the venues. Door staff used our radio scheme to alert other venues and the police that the individuals were in the city. There are currently seven cameras 2
in the city as part of the trial, but this is hoped to be extended based on its success. We are optimistic about the potential benefits this technology will bring in our ongoing efforts to ensure public safety in Southampton.
Empowering staff in the night-time economy
We worked with Night-Time Economy Solutions to develop free online training courses for our local businesses. These courses, funded by the Safer Streets 4 Fund, delved into topics such as antisexual harassment, vulnerability and safeguarding, and preventing drink spiking in licensed premises. The training was designed to enable venue staff to identify and respond effectively in situations involving vulnerable customers. If you or a member of your team would like access to the recordings from the training sessions, please email sbcp@gosouthampton.co.uk.
Update on night-time economy strategy We continue to support the Evening and Night-Time Economy (ENTE) by facilitating quarterly Licensing Link meetings which involve key partners and representatives from the trade.
This successful partnership also includes submitting our interim renewal for Purple Flag status- a national award for a safe and vibrant night-time economy. The ENTE working group will continue to progress the recommendations suggested in the strategy to ensure Southampton’s nightlife remains a safe and prosperous environment.
Providing a fresh start for young people
Our Youth Outreach project, partly funded by the Safer Streets 4 fund, has continued to support young people aiming to deter them away from crime and anti-social behaviour, and into diversionary activities. Since April 2023, the Youth Outreach workers, facilitated by No Limits, have engaged with over 550 young people. There are now three outreach workers in the team who spend time in the city several afternoons a week interacting with teens who may need further support.
Southampton streets shine bright for Christmas
This Christmas we worked with Southampton City Council and Gala to install lights into the city centre. In addition to the lights on lamppost columns, we added twinkly lighting in Carlton Place, whilst refreshing the lighting in Oxford Street, providing an extra festive feeling for customers enjoying the pedestrian night-time economy zones. 3
GREATER CITY CENTRE EXPERIENCE
Transforming Southampton’s streets Our dedicated cleaning team has been tirelessly maintaining the cleanliness of Southampton’s streets, striving to create a pleasant environment for everyone. From hotwashing storefronts to tackling graffiti and clearing fly-tipping, our team is committed to eliminating nuisances, allowing your business to focus on its priorities. In 2023 they:
✔ F ixed over 1066 cleaning issues reported via our Ranger
✔ Removed over 530 graffiti/flyposting ✔ Completed over 215 hotwashes
✔ 263 street cleaning reports actioned ✔ 34 needles/sharps removed
Safer streets, stronger city As crime remains a concern for businesses, our dedicated security team go above and beyond, providing steadfast support not only in maintaining safety in the city centre but also in facilitating stock recovery.
Since January 2023, our team has recovered over £80,000 worth of stolen stock for businesses (once it had left the store). 200 warning letters have been issued to individuals for shoplifting or anti-social behaviour, whilst 23 daytime exclusion notices have been issued to repeat or serious offenders. Our team has attended 727 live incidents (this is when they are called up over the radio or whilst out on patrol) and has made 140 arrests for offences such as theft and assault.
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Time to spruce up
We believe that maintaining the artwork in the city is as important as creating new works of art. At the end of 2023 local artist Kev Munday revitalised his work on the bins and utility boxes across Guildhall Square. Employing his distinctive style involving bright hues and vivid lines, he infuses a fresh perspective into his designs to brighten up the surroundings. Exciting developments also took place at Central Station in December. We’ve collaborated with Southampton City Council, Network Rail and other local partners to bring a brand-new piece of art to the station. Designed by local artist Poppy Ash and hand-painted by muralist Callum Young, the artwork brings a new lease of life to the south side of the station and offers a vibrant and warm welcome to the city when visitors arrive. 5
BETTER MARKETING
SO here is Christmas!
We’re thrilled to stand by BID businesses during the festive season as part of last year’s Christmas marketing campaign. We showcased businesses across Visit Southampton, spotlighting everything from levy-payer events to retail offerings. Our campaign spanned various channels—digital, print, radio, social media, search, website and email as well as utilising digital screens throughout the city. You may have also seen our Christmas guide too, which showcased everything there is to see and do in the city. 15,000 guides were distributed to local schools, hotels, cultural venues, and local businesses, and featured over 70 levy payers. To encourage higher visitor dwell time and spend within the city, we also took on the following initiatives:
#1000Kisses
Reindeer Roundup
Throughout December our free Christmas trail led families on an adventure around the city centre in search of Father Christmas’ missing reindeer. With two routes to complete over the festive period, visitors were able to explore new areas of the city and visit 20 BID businesses to find the clues and receive their prize. 15,000 maps were distributed across the city, including over 7,000 in primary school book bags. We love putting on these free walking trails in the city centre; they serve as an excellent platform to showcase local businesses, drawing in new potential customers and bolstering their visibility. If you would like to get involved in a future trail, please get in touch!
From 19 November – 19 December, we partnered with IKEA for our #1000Kisses campaign to help spread some joy over the holiday period. It offered everyone a chance to make a free donation to the Southampton Toy Appeal simply by taking a selfie on one of our cuddle benches placed in Carlton Place and Westquay South or under the festive mistletoe in IKEA. With every photo shared on Instagram, IKEA donated a gift to the Southampton Toy Appeal, organised by Southampton City Council. It was not only a great way to rally community spirit but also helped boost engagement across the Visit Southampton channels. A big thank you to all who took part!
Reminding shoppers to #ShopKind In support of the #ShopKind campaign organised by the National Business Crime Centre, we distributed strut cards to retailers within the city centre. The initiative aims to reinforce the importance of treating store workers with respect and kindness while uniting the retail sector to combat violence and abuse against shop staff. 6
A Christmas kickoff like never before! November marked our annual Countdown to Christmas event, which expanded this year from a single day to a fantastic four-day celebration, offering free entertainment for everyone. We extended the festivities into new areas such as Oxford Street, Guildhall Square and Carlton Place which saw an increase in dwell time across the city. Christopher Biggins and rising talent Alex Lockhart, switched on our Christmas lights on the mainstage at the Bargate but the celebrations didn’t stop there! We had: • 4 days of free entertainment • 20 roaming street theatre acts • 17 local music acts performing 29 sets across the weekend • 2500 tickets booked for character meet & greets • 200 gonks made at Southampton City Art Gallery • 1 headline performance from Massaoke!
We are #SOproud of our Christmas event and it fills us with joy to see visitors enjoy themselves across the city. We have started planning for our 2024 event so if you would like to be involved, please get in touch.
• 23 BID members featured on the mainstage screen • 500 guides handed out to visitors
Building Southampton’s visitor profile through consumer research
In October, we completed our annual consumer research aimed at gaining deeper insights into visitor behaviour and sentiments. This valuable information will strengthen our overall strategy to attract more people to the city. We can now benchmark against last year’s data to pinpoint visitor demographics and track emerging trends in behaviour. From the face-to-face interviews that took place in the city centre, the top highlights include:
35% travelled by car (-5% vs 2022)
£57.19 average spend per visitor (+£9 vs 2022)
Satisfaction scores (out of 5) increased across the board
43% aware of Visit Southampton website (+23% vs 2022)
10% more participants were in 65+ age range vs 2022 and 7% decrease in 16-24 year olds vs 2022
For 69% Southampton is their primary Eat & Drink destination
Once again, we will be commissioning a Data Analyst to compare our footfall, spend and consumer data to find key trends and insights. 7
CULTURE, EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS
A spotlight on heritage
Every September, thousands of heritage sites across England open their doors to the public for free, including some of Southampton’s most iconic sites. To help visitors make the most of Heritage Open Days, we’ve worked with a-space arts to commission a map of the city’s historical sites involved including the Bargate, vaults, and God’s House Tower. Created by local artist Mandy Smith, the map was available in both print and digital formats for visitors, whilst also linking to a Visit Southampton page giving further details of our historic venues.
SOUTHAMPTON
Join us this Heritage Open Days to rediscover some of Southampton’s newly restored vaults and monuments. Be immersed in history and join our friendly volunteers to celebrate the restoration of some of the City’s ancient monuments. F o l l o w t h e t r a i l a r o u n d S o u t h a m p t o n ’ s O l d To w n t o s t o p o f f a t t h e b u i l d i n g s s h o w n o v e r two weekends of Heritage Open Days. While following the route you’ll see some of Southampton’s oldest buildings and monuments for yourself and in 3D using experimental AR images produced by the University of Southampton.
Fo r m o re i n fo r m a t i o n g o to w w w.v i s i t s o u t h a m pto n .co.u k / h e r i t a g e - o p e n - d ays
Sponsored events 2024 Over the last year Southampton has showcased an amazing variety of events, from major festivals to community events, many of which we have supported financially or in-kind. Most recent events we have sponsored include the city’s first Black Business, Arts and Music festival (BBAM!), Music In The City and Southampton Film Week. We are reviewing our sponsorship application to ensure it’s as robust as possible and introduce micro grants of up to £1,000 that we hope can support business owners, community groups and individuals who are looking to run smaller scale events, whether that’s new or repeat. If you are interested in learning more about our event sponsorship scheme, please email Flo at flo.bevis@gosouthampton.co.uk
GO! Southampton’s collaboration with Southampton Forward As Founding Partner we have been working closely with Southampton Forward on planning and collaborating on future projects within Events, Culture and Tourism.
Part of this work includes making fundamental improvements to the Visit Southampton website to ensure it’s a key destination channel for visitors to the city. Work includes improving the SEO and updating content to be more visitorfocussed, whilst making it more accessible and mobile-friendly to all users. We are also members of the Destination Management Plan steering group, developing the city’s tourism offer to attract visitors, businesses and international tourists to spend more time in Southampton. The Festivals and Events group brings together the creative communities, businesses and venues to deliver a curated programme of exciting events throughout the year.
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The latest exclusive events for BID members Over the last six months we have organised, ran and attended a number of business events including:
City Networking
Breakfast with the BID
Business Crime Intelligence Briefings
Licensing Link
Jobs Fairs
We are continuing to develop our business event and training programme and will be sending out more information via our bulletins in the new year – watch this space! 9
STRONGER BUSINESS
Your BID. Your feedback. A cleaner space for all
For World Clean Up Day, we partnered with Decathlon to organise a community litter picking walk focusing on the area around the old Toys-RUs building. As a key route for commuters heading to and from Southampton Central Station, the area was the perfect location to create a cleaner place for all.
Thank you to all those who took part in our BID member survey. It’s important to us that our programme of work reflects the current needs of our businesses. From the results, the top challenge BID members faced was around issues with theft, anti-social behaviour, crime, and rough sleepers in the city. The second challenge was a reduction in footfall and a drop in sales. BID members asked for support to increase safety in the city and reduce business crime as well as marketing and promotion. These top issues will remain our key priorities when business planning for future years.
Looking ahead to 2024/2025 Improving city centre safety and tackling crime and anti-social behaviour will remain a priority for us as we continue to work with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, Southampton City Council and other strategic partners on these issues.
Throughout the year, we will be working on exciting new projects to enhance the city centre experience for residents, workers, and visitors alike. Projects include animating and restoring life into East Street, delivering public art and supporting accessibility and inclusivity initiatives. To complement these experience projects our marketing campaigns will showcase the very best of what the city has to offer for all audiences, targeting regional and national visitors into the city. Developing the Visit Southampton website and social media channels will play a fundamental part in our marketing plans as we drive the channels as the leading visitor website for the city. All our plans will adapt and flex to the needs of you, our businesses. Therefore, whilst our core projects will remain, we will deliver new initiatives throughout the year. Stephen Manion (Executive Director) 10
Priorities for 2024/2025 ✔ Work with partners to make the city centre a safer place ✔ Support our vibrant night-time economy with safety initiatives ✔ Maintain a good level of cleanliness across the BID area ✔ Raise awareness around diverted giving to tackle begging ✔ Contribute to the city’s economic growth and investment ✔ Improve the vibrancy and atmosphere in public areas across the city centre ✔ Welcome cruise passengers to the city ✔ Implement improvements to the Visit Southampton website ✔ Deliver an exciting Countdown to Christmas event ✔ Provide marketing for specific sectors and areas of the BID ✔ Raise Southampton’s profile as a regional and national visitor destination ✔ Offer a sponsorship programme for third- party events in the city If you would like to know more about our Year 8 business plan, including a breakdown of the budget for each of our programmes of work, please visit www.gosouthampton.co.uk/year8
OUR SERVICES Cleaning
Our cleaning team can provide extra cleaning services to our members, including jet washing and graffiti removal. Reach them at cleaning@gosouthampton.co.uk
Security
Our security team patrol the BID area seven days a week Monday – Saturday 10am to 8pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm (start times are flexible to meet the needs of businesses). You can contact them on 07725 737236 or via the SBCP radio scheme, mentioned below.
Radio Scheme & DISC
Access The DISC portal which has updated information about offenders in the city, alerts on live incidents and other local crime intelligence. Sign up for free by emailing sbcp@gosouthampton.co.uk Businesses can hire a radio for £5+ VAT a week, which will connect you to the Citywatch CCTV control room and link you directly with our security team to support with any incidents. To find out more about obtaining a radio please email sbcp@gosouthampton.co.uk
Business Rates Consultancy
If you believe you might be paying too much in business rates or that your rateable value or property description is incorrect, please email info@gosouthampton.co.uk. We will be able to link you to an expert for a free half-hour consultation.
Business Training Hub
Businesses and their employees can access free online courses and webinars that cover a number of topics from customer service and marketing to mental health and Excel training. To get started go to www.gosouthampton.co.uk/training
Marketing
Our marketing team can help promote your business across our B2B and B2C channels. Please get in touch with us to discuss how we can support you by emailing, marketing@gosouthampton.co.uk
Photography Service
Debbi our Ranger visits businesses and reports environmental and cleaning issues around the BID area. You can contact her on rangers@gosouthampton.co.uk
Levy-paying businesses are entitled to one free half-day photoshoot with a professional photographer to help boost their own marketing. For more details, please email Flo at flo.bevis@gosouthampton.co.uk
Waste Recycling
PR Opportunities
Business Cost-Reduction Service
SO Card
Rangers
GO! Southampton works with Southampton City Council to offer savings on your business’ dry mixed recycling and to help reduce the levels of general waste reaching landfill. BID members are entitled to savings of up to 50% off their dry mixed recycling costs. To sign up, email us at recycling@gosouthampton.co.uk Levy payers can save on their core business services (energy, merchant fees, telecoms and water) via our independent cost reduction service. To get started, Place Support Partnership (working on behalf of GO! Southampton) simply need a copy of your recent bills, which will be analysed in confidence by a team of experts who will be able to advise you on saving opportunities. To find out more you can call 0333 0156 289 or email us at savings@gosouthampton.co.uk
Our ongoing PR work includes securing press trips for a variety of different journalists and influencers across the year. If you are interested in hosting journalists in your venue in return for press coverage, please get in touch with Flo at flo.bevis@gosouthampton.co.uk
Reach new and existing audiences by providing an offer, promotion or experience via the SO card, a free discount card promoted via the Visit Southampton channels. Email us at marketing@gosouthampton.co.uk
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Meet your BID team
Carol Bowers Crime Reduction Administrator
Christina Schembri Marketing Assistant
Debbi Martin Ranger
Flo Bevis Marketing Manager
Gemma Pratt Business Relations Manager
Jade McCauley Operations Manager
Martin Conlan Case File Builder
Stephen Manion Executive Director
Sunitta Sian Administration Officer
Tatenda Ndeze Administration Officer
Tom Winyard Finance and Business Manager
For our full list of BID member services visit www.gosouthampton.co.uk/benefits
SIGN UP FOR REGULAR UPDATES
To receive our regular email bulletins, please email info@gosouthampton.co.uk with your contact details. You can also follow us on LinkedIn and X. 02380 003637 GO! Southampton
info@gosouthampton.co.uk
@Go_Southampton
www.gosouthampton.co.uk
GO! Southampton • Business Improvement District • Network Eagle Lab, Portland Terrace, Southampton SO14 7SJ All information correct at time of going to print (February 2024)