REFLECT- MANCHESTER BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
Involved Partners: Manchester BID is managed by the City Centre Management Company, CityCo, and as such, is part of a wider membership community including corporate head offices, property firms, culture, sport and leisure venues, professional services, hotels, education, facilities, and transport organisations. CityCo also runs Manchester’s Business Crime Reduction Partnership, assisting 350 shops and night-time economy venues with a range of security services. And a thriving PA Network connecting 600 executive assistants and hospitality bookers, with the city’s leading hospitality experiences. To support our BID business networks, we work in daily partnership with public authorities Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester, and Marketing Manchester.
Manchester BID has been a retail and hospitality organisation for the past decade, but Covid proved how inter-connected the city centre is. During 2020 lockdowns, in 2021, and since, we have continued to bring together organisations to support with corporate resilience practices. We assisted with Covid grant support funding, delivered numerous impact information briefings online, shared city intelligence and operational guidance. We coordinated traffic orders and the installing of outdoor street and seating areas for hospitality levy payers. We also managed queues and crowd management ‘best practice’ around retailers.
We launched a new city centre cleaning programme to jet-wash the streets and attend to litter and graffiti removal to ensure a clean and welcoming environment.
We supported the roll-out of the city’s ‘Welcome Back’ media campaign to promote a safe and confident return.
And, in summer 2021, as the city centre gradually reopened, Manchester BID was the first agency to host a safe welcome back street festival, in the floral-themed shape of The Manchester Flower Show.
The event results speak for themselves:
Footfall (2021)
- 150,000 additional visitors to the city centre
- Bank Holiday weekend footfall LEVEL with 2019
- Footfall +23% compared to the week prior to the event
Digital Campaign Results (2021)
- +90,000 website views to visitmanchester.com/flowershow
- 2 million social media reach
- 1,345,352 paid digital impressions
- 658,781 organic digital reach
Press Coverage (2021)
- £730,000 AVE (advertising value equivalent) of coverage across 73 pieces of coverage
- Including features in all local press, The Sunday Telegraph, The Independent and a live broadcast on North West Tonight
This was followed by the return of Manchester BID’s:
- MCR Student Social in partnership with shopping centre Manchester Arndale
- Halloween in the City’s famous rooftop #MCRMonsters, Monster Parade and events
- The First Day of Christmas roaming entertainment around the Christmas Markets
- 2022 Chinese New Year celebrations and city advertising and partnership campaign
TESTIMONIAL
“The Manchester Flower Show returning in the summer of 2021, followed by Manchester BID’s series of autumn/winter activations, was yet another example of retail and hospitality sectors coming together to build back the city centre.
They demonstrated confidence, creativity and collaboration and we’re incredibly grateful to all the artists, community groups, retailers and businesses who played their part to help bring these events back to the city.
The work of Manchester BID was integral to community resilience, and spirit, during the pandemic. The multiple services, operational assistance, and briefings delivered, offered vital support to our business networks when they needed it.”
Jane Sharrocks – General Manager of Selfridges – Manchester Exchange Square
