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Term Two Newsletter #2
April 2019
It has been a very successful first year of our second term at Cambridge BID and we are pleased to showcase our current and upcoming projects in this newsletter.
Cambridge named UK’s leading retail location A new report from Harper Dennis Hobbs names Cambridge the top retail location in the UK out of 1,000 they scored. Whilst this is good news, we recognise that retailing remains tough in the city and we are very pleased to be a main contributor to the Cambridge City Council’s Future High Streets Fund application submitted in March. The application evidences some of these challenges and calls for Government support of plans to ensure Cambridge City Centre remains vibrant and relevant to the changing needs of society and recognises the role of place that Cambridge plays within the wider economic region.
AGM Save the Date July 18th Jesus College Date: July 18th, 2019 Venue: Jesus College Our 2019 AGM will include a review of our work at Cambridge BID, as well as talks about how people are using and navigating cities. There will also be a talk on our public art trail Cows about Cambridge happening in 2020 and how this will bring together the whole city community and benefit the high street.
Cambridge BID appoints new Chairman. We are pleased to announce Roger Allen, Centre Manager of Lion Yard Shopping Centre, has been appointed Chairman of Cambridge BID. Roger has 20 years of experience in managing shopping centres, both in the UK and overseas. He joined the Lion Yard team in July 2017, where he oversees a £1.2m budget and 144,000 sq ft of retail space. “Cambridge is an amazing city,” comments Roger. “I'm very proud to be working here. I have always managed 'community' shopping centres and I'm keen to get involved in all aspects of the Cambridge community and its businesses, assisting Cambridge BID in any way I can to make Cambridge an even better place to visit."
Cows about Cambridge Cambridge BID are thrilled to be working alongside Wild in Art and Break to deliver one of the most spectacular and ambitious public art projects the city has ever seen. In Spring 2020, Cows about Cambridge will arrive in the city. Over 50 cow sculptures, each one individually designed by an artist and sponsored by a business, will form a free, fun, familyfriendly trail of discovery for local people to explore and enjoy. It is a fantastic opportunity to bring the city together and connect businesses, artists and residents through the power of creativity and innovation. The project will leave a long-lasting legacy that will inspire civic pride across generations, delight the whole city and drive Cambridge's feel-good factor. For more information, visit www.cowsaboutcambridge.com
Love Cambridge Restaurant Week Over 40 of the city's best eateries signed up to take part in the first ever Love Cambridge Restaurant Week, which ran from Monday 1st April to Sunday 7th April 2019 and offered special set menus priced at £5, £10 or £15. The aim of the week was to celebrate the city's vibrant food scene by inspiring residents and employees to dine somewhere new. This was the first time so many Cambridge restaurants and eateries came together to offer a whole week of menus at such affordable prices. As we go to print, we have already had over 30,000 views to the restaurant week page on our website, with over 2,000 voucher downloads. At Cambridge BID we recognise that restaurants and eateries have a particularly significant part to play in encouraging people to shop locally, rather than online. They help to deliver an 'experience', through the ambience that they create and the food that they serve - and so we're keen to help them thrive and are delighted that Love Cambridge Restaurant week was such a success.
Purple Flag Accreditation Cambridge BID, in partnership with CAMBAC (Cambridge Business Against Crime partnership) are working towards a Purple Flag accreditation submission in June 2019. Purple Flag aims to raise the standard and broaden the appeal of town and city centres at night. Purple Flag status is the benchmark for good night time destinations. There is a national Purple Flag weekend in October and subject to being successful with our submission we will be looking to celebrate Purple Flag status for Cambridge during this time. Keep updated with our Purple Flag submission on our website www.cambridgebid.co.uk/purple-flag
Cambridge BID Mystery Shop & Awards Our 2019 Mystery Shop Programme is currently underway and we have over 170 participating businesses this year. The majority of these businesses will receive two mystery shops during 2019 and be invited to attend a de-brief session with Storecheckers, who carry out the mystery shops on our behalf, after each round of mystery shopping. We have also set the date for this year's Cambridge BID Awards which will be held on Thursday 26th September at St John's College. The Awards evening will crown this years winners - those businesses that are providing exceptional customer service within our 14 categories. As part of the project Cambridge BID also issues Gold, Silver and Bronze accreditation certificates to those businesses that achieve the required scores.
Strawberries & Screen Building on last year's event, we are bringing our big screen back to the Station area to show all of the BBC Live Coverage of Wimbledon! The festival will run from 1st - 14th July and will give Cambridge BID businesses, residents and visitors to Cambridge the opportunity to watch the tennis on a large screen.
Love Cambridge Independents Since starting the Advisory group in 2018 we have begun work on a number of projects that will continue to support our Independent businesses. In February we held our first workshop and networking meeting where over 30 Independent businesses got together for a presentation on Social Media from our delivery partner Digital Clicks. We also launched the Independents Map which is now available. The map is designed to demonstrate the breath of over 250 independents that we have in city and show where they are all located. The distribution of these have included direct letter box delivery to 18,000 houses in villages surrounding the city and also available through our City Ambassadors, Independent businesses themselves and also hotels and other high footfall locations. The map is also available online www.love-cambridge.com Future activity includes Independents Week in July, more training and networking sessions and some activity around Christmas. To ensure you get to hear about all these activities, please sign up to our mailing list.
NEW Love Summer Magazine You may have seen a new magazine whilst out and about in Cambridge. Love Summer magazine is designed to pull together all that is great about Cambridge into one, easy to use publication for those that live, work and enjoy the city. The distribution plan has seen over 80,000 copies delivered through letter boxes, on pick up in train stations, supermarkets, London visitors centres and Tourist Information Centres across the country. We have also got around 30,000 available in and around the city in locations such as Park & Ride, Hotels, Libraries, shopping centres and many more. If your businesses would like to take a stock of magazines, please get in touch.
The event is designed to offer a fantastic excuse to take a proper lunch break, clear your head and enjoy the sunshine. We want to encourage people who may work in the area to come out and enjoy the city and start building a real sense of community in what is still a relatively new part of Cambridge.
Outdoor Screening and Night Market Following the success of last year's events, we are working in partnership with Cambridge City Council to deliver a programme of Open-Air Screenings and Night Market events this summer. On chosen Fridays throughout May, June, July & September we will work with a local screen provider and place a large LED screen outside the Guild Hall and show two films per event. Cambridge City Council will also keep the market open late, offering film lovers the chance to experience some of the delicious treats available. Cambridge BID Businesses are also welcome to take a market stall FOR FREE at these events, could be an opportunity to showcase your businesses to a whole new audience.
The film schedule is as follows: 24th May - Coco & Mamma Mia 21st June - Peter Rabbit & Mamma Mia Here We Go Again 26th July - Incredibles 2 & School of Rock 30th Aug - Early Man & Bohemian Rhapsody
Keep in touch! New website We recently launched our brand-new Cambridge BID website. Find out up-todate information about all of Cambridge BID's projects, initiatives and events, access resources, sign up to our weekly e-newsletter and read the latest news about Cambridge BID businesses at www.cambridgebid.co.uk
Social Media Please follow us on our social media channels for daily updates on Cambridge BID priorities & projects, how you can get involved and how they benefit your business! We are more than happy to help promote and share any of your projects and campaigns on social media, if you want to send anything through please contact Kristian Foreman - kristian.foreman@cambridgebid.co.uk
@LoveCambridge_ @LoveCambridge_ @LoveCambs
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#LoveCambridge
Cambridge BID We still have our Cambridge BID channels. These accounts are intended to share B2B messages to, for and on behalf of businesses within the BID area.
@CambridgeBID Cambridge BID
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#CambridgeBID
BID Drinks Relax, network, chat and visit some of the wonderful venues we have across the city at our monthly BID Drinks. If you are a BID business the first drink is on us! For full details on venues, dates and times visit our website. Don't forget to sign up to our mailing list to receive our weekly e-newsletter. For more information about any of the projects mentioned in this newsletter, please get in touch: info@cambridgebid.co.uk