Mid year report 2019

RO Y A L t u n b r i d g e w e ll s

d e ce m ber

2019

Mid Year Report

introduction

T

he Business improvement District (BID) was launched on 1st April 2019, following a ballot that took place in Autumn 2018. The BID will exist for

5 years with the intention of enhancing, improving and building an increased vibrancy in the town centre area – a map of the BID boundary is opposite. Businesses in the BID boundary area contribute a fixed levy towards BID activities. All the details are set out in the BID Business Plan which can be downloaded from our website.

Around 320 BIDs exist in UK towns and cities. Many of these BIDs are into their 3rd or 4th terms – BIDs are tried and tested models for delivering what businesses want in their regions.

It is a fact that we are competing with other destinations to attract visitors and businesses to our town. A business consultation prior to the BID ballot identified 4 priorities for the 5 year BID term, as follows:

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Working Together for a Better Town Events Marketing and Promotion Accessibility

This report provides all levy paying businesses with an update on the work that the BID is doing on their behalf.

Working Together for a Better Town

Recruitment

The BID is working to ensure that the town remains a

We represented local businesses at the Jobs

great place to come to do business. In our Business Plan

& Training Fair at the Assembly Hall Theatre

we talked about cost savings, recruitment and skills

in September bringing along 35 vacancies

initiatives, networking events, safety & security and

from levy paying businesses. Over 250 job-

lobbying. A lot has happened in the last six months:

seekers attended the event. We will continue to represent businesses at these events.

The Ragged Trousers moved their waste contract to Greenbottles – they have made a

33% saving

Waste Collection Savings We know that waste collection savings are a priority for levy payers. The BID is working to reduce overhead costs for businesses and is working with Green Bottles, a local, independent waste and recycling contractor.

Businesses can save around 20% on their current commercial waste costs by signing up for this service. A number of businesses have signed up to the service so far – waste audits have been carried out and real tangible savings are being made. Contact Emma Watkins at Green Bottles at emmawatkins@greenbottles.co.uk

Business Briefings and Networking Events The BID, along with partner organisations has held a number of networking events for businesses.

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Business Rates Briefing with TWBC Calverley Square Briefing with TWBC Tunbridge Wells Local Plan Briefing with TWBC Dementia Friendly Communities Event with Cooper Burnett

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Elysian Information Event (Former Cinema Site)

Safety & Security Royal Tunbridge Wells is one of the safest

Improving Skills We teamed up with Studio 44 and Social Media

More than

50

local businesses have used BID skills and training

First, local businesses, to deliver SEO, analytics and social media training, enabling SME’s to learn how to engage with customers and analyse what their online presence delivers for them. Two courses have been run so far with more planned.

Food Hygiene and Allergen Awareness

towns in Kent but this doesn’t mean that there is no crime. Retail theft and loss will be targeted in December with a high profile operation that will be carried out by the Safe Town Partnership. The BID is providing funding for this operation to assist local police and security staff. In addition, the BID is helping the Community Alcohol Partnership with their launch in November to eradicate alcohol related anti social behavior in the run up to Christmas.

Retail Forum Meetings

In September and October, we worked with the

Following a suggestion from Jeremy’s Home

Council’s Environmental Health team to deliver free

Store, the BID now holds bi-monthly retail

of charge food hygiene and allergen awareness

forum meetings – an open event for all retail

training to hospitality businesses, 4 courses were

focused businesses to learn about work the BID

run with local independent restaurants, pubs and

is doing, exchange ideas and aim to drive up

takeaways attending.

footfall in the town centre.

Food & Drink Events September saw over 22,000 people descend on the town as part of September food and drink month. Thanks to BID investment in marketing and promotion the number of events was substantially increased this year with higher visitor footfall and local businesses did a brisk trade. We also launched a new website dedicated to promoting our local restaurants and producers. The website is a permanent fixture and can be adapted for future promotion of all things food and drink related.

Events & Cultural Strategy

EVENTS

We have commissioned a report to help us

Events were confirmed as a core priority in the pre BID consultation –

take a more strategic approach to support for

there was an appetite amongst businesses for events, perhaps even an

events in the BID area. We recognise that the

arts festival that would ‘put Royal Tunbridge Wells on the map’.

events we organise or commission need to suit

The BID has formed a working group of businesses and individuals

the town, its residents, visitors and businesses.

with expertise in events who oversee grants and events expenditure.

The report has provided the BID with a clear direction and themes, the report can be seen on the events page of our website.

RTWT Grants Fund

Event

Grant Amount

Local venues, attractions and other local

The Mela 2019

£2,000

cultural organisations run events all year

Spa Valley Railway family events - Peppa Pig

£3,600

Civic Society - Heritage Open Days

£2,000

Unfest Music Festival

£2,000

Croquet World Cup

£800

Friends of Tunbridge Wells Museum

£75

Jazz on the Pantiles

£5,000

Tunbridge Wells Independent Farmers Market

£150

to ensure that an equal spread of events and

2019 Puppetry Festival

£5,272

themes are achieved. A simple application

Harvest Food & Gin & Jazz Festivals

£3,000

form for Grants can be downloaded from

Artsbox Festival

£1,150

our website. So far, in 2019, we provided the

Local & Live Festival 2019

£5,000

Total

£30,047

round, that act as a stimulus for footfall. The BID pledged to create and maintain a grants fund that local event organisers can apply to.

The events must take place within the BID boundary area and we aim as far as possible

following grants:

22,000 visitors came to food festivals in September as part of Food Promotions

marketing and promotion

To start promoting Royal Tunbridge Wells effectively, we quickly commissioned a place branding exercise with a local communications agency. Surveys were circulated and a group workshop session took place. We are very satisfied that we have emerged from this process with a strong and confident set of brand values and a recognisable consumer facing brand that can be applied to all promotional work moving forwards. If you

Town Maps We updated and reprinted our unique town maps in April. Stocks are now held at sites across the town. The map, designed and hand drawn by a local artist has proved to be incredibly popular.

wish to receive a copy of the final place branding report, you will find a copy of the brand guidelines on our website.

The new brand has been applied to recently published material and also onto the Linger for Longer parking campaign.

Shopping Guide Following overwhelmingly positive feedback

What’s On Guides

on the above mentioned town map, we have

To fulfil the requests from business for better

business to create a modified version of the

and more cohesive promotion of events,

map as a shopping guide.

taken on board a suggestion by a local retail

Royal Tunbridge Wells Together launched quarterly What’s On Guides. 30,000 of these are produced each quarter with 20,000 being distributed across the borough of Tunbridge Wells, 5,000 are distributed to local businesses for their customers and 5,000 are distributed by Take One Media across the South East to Tourist Information Centres, Motorway services and hotels.

90,000 guides distributed so far.

cHristmas in Royal

christmas in royal Tunbridge Wells

accessibility

Businesses told us that parking, transport and accessibility were key concerns and the following actions have been taken as a result:

125,000 A5 guides were designed, photographed, printed and door dropped

by Royal Mail in the first week of November.

Aimed at enticing people to visit the town for shopping, eating out, ice skating or going to the theatre, these 28 page guides feature gift ideas from more than 100 local businesses. The have been delivered to homes in Crowborough, Forest Row, Uckfield, Westerham, Brasted, Oxted, Lingfield, East Grinstead, Hildenborough and Heathfield.

Social Media Promotion

Working Group The BID Team will be meeting regularly with

How to get involved with the BID

colleagues from Tunbridge Wells Borough

We want businesses to be engaged on an

Council (Streetscene and Parking Teams) and Kent County Council (KCC) to discuss issues of concern relating to access and parking.

Highways/Streetscene Walks The BID has started to undertake regular highways walks, reporting faults and

on-going basis and have input into the BID’s more detailed annual plans to make sure that we continue to represent your priorities.

There are a variety of ways to engage including:

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Becoming a Member – download a simple form from our website

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Attending Forums, business briefings and networking events

The BID has both B2B and B2C social

problems straight to the KCC portal for

media platforms to share content, drive

resolution. We welcome businesses telling us

traffic, build brand awareness for Royal

if they spot something that needs repair or

Tunbridge Wells and individual businesses.

attention, please do get in touch and let us

save the date

We are delighted to have reached over

know so that we can report it.

Our first AGM will take place in early

450,000 users since the BID began but we are investing in growing our social media reach and continuing to highlight events and promotions across all channels. Follow us on @RoyalTWells and @rtwtogether.

Parking Initiatives Parking is a contentious subject in many town centres. Whilst parking in Tunbridge Wells is competitively priced when compared

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Contacting the BID Team

summer of 2020 and we hope to see many businesses at the event. The date will be confirmed in April 2020. Please note that only members of the BID can vote at the AGM so please join now.

to other regional town centres, the BID wants to explore a range of parking incentives and offers that will help to drive footfall and encourage visitors. The first trial has started in October – a 3 month trial of reduced cost Sunday parking. This £2 parking offer has been promoted widely across West Kent, East Sussex and South East Surrey in titles such as Wealden Times, Kent Life, Sussex Life and Surrey Homes. It has been on KMFM radio and on social media too.

l da y rk in g £2 al su nd ay pa r lo ng er fo er li ng th e w ay to el ls nb ri dg e w in ro ya l tu k/p ar kin g tu nb se e ww w.

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.go v.u

www.tunbridgewellstogether.co.uk Market Square Office

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01892 531 985

Royal Victoria Place

Royal Tunbridge Wells

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TN1 2SS