Ensure Business Thrives
ENSURING BUSINESS THRIVES IN WINCHESTER:
The BID Board manages the BID, and the BID Committee ensures as far as possible that all quarters of the BID area have effective representation. The BID Committee is able to direct an annual discretionary budget to deliver local actions as required. In this way the Committee has a say in directing the actions of the BID to service local need within the wider BID area.
The BID has a key role to play in ensuring that businesses thrive and a wide range of networking, services, information, and monitoring will be made use of to make sure that business success is evident and measured.
WINCHESTER BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2013
The competition is now open for businesses across the Winchester District to take part in the Winchester Business Excellence Awards.
The competition also welcomes Denplan as principle sponsor for 2013. There are 8 award categories to enter, with everyone being automatically entered into the grand Business of the Year Category. Each category winner will receive a specially commissioned trophy, a framed certificate, and valuable public profile for the shortlisted companies and winners.
Stephen Gates, Managing Director, Denplan comments: “We are delighted to become principal sponsors of the 2013 Winchester Business Excellence Awards. These prestigious awards will not only be a mark of significant achievement, but they will also acknowledge the strong business growth and contribution that the local business can make to a growing community. These awards offer an opportunity for businesses to showcase their success and nominate each other.”
Geoff Wilkinson, Senior Relationship Manager of NatWest in Winchester said “We are pleased to support the Winchester Business Awards and to recognise those businesses in our local area that have achieved success. The NatWest team genuinely understands the challenges faced by small businesses and these awards and our commitment is testament to these awards.”
Click here to view a full list of Categories for the 2013 awards.
BID COLLECTIVE PROCUREMENT
The BID has been working on two projects that it will extend and roll out further in the next phase of the BID – the collective procurement of both waste and utilities. Waste disposal is a green issue, but it is also a cost issue and the BID is working with an intermediary to bring down waste costs as part of a collective procurement project that is involving a large number of BIDs across the country.
At the same time, utilities, insurance, broadband and telecoms costs will be offered to all BID members at substantial reductions.
WORKING WITH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The BID sponsors 4 business events in partnership with the Chamber they are:
o The Winchester Business Exhibition – FREE for BID members to Exhibit and attend
o Chamber and BID Christmas Lunch
o A Sponsored Breakfast, lunchtime or evening event
o Meet the MP
WINCHESTER BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Winchester BID coordinates the Business Awards in partnership with Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and Hampshire Chronicle. The BID sponsor a category ‘BID member of the year’ to support civic pride and award a business for it successes and achievements.
LOBBYING AND REPRESENTATION
The BID has become a substantial lobbying body, which is now the voice of the business community, it is heard and has brought about positive change on items such as the Square, the High Street, and Sunday car parking charges.
The BID engages with Winchester City Council and Hampshire County Council, and it is now the key voice of the City business community.
The BID Committee has worked with the City on key projects such as the High Street Markets, and the Silver Hill development to ensure that the needs of the Business community and both communicated to the City Council and that outcomes are achieved
BID COMMITTEE PROJECT FUND
Throughout the life of the BID, businesses have expressed a desire for local decision making and the need for the BID to be truly private sector driven. Businesses have identified localised need within the BID area and are concerned that the BID levy should be directed in support of local need. A project budget is therefore available, to be directed by the BID committee to meet local needs and with the flexibility to meet changing circumstances throughout the life of the BID.
BUSINESS SUPPORT
Information, advice and guidance will be readily accessible to all businesses through the Business Centre, jointly provided by the Business Improvement District and the Hampshire Chamber, supported by Winchester City Council and the University of Winchester.
Currently advice has been given on issues such as Business Rates, business start-ups, locating in the City and the inward investment possibilities in Winchester
WINCHESTER BUSINESS CENTRE
The Business Centre, home to the BID office, also provides meeting space and wireless networking free to members. We have a meeting room that seats 12 which is Free for BID members to hire by the hour or day.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
A range of training and business support initiatives will be available through our links with the Chamber, Winchester City Council and others. The BID will also arrange a series of seminars that allow members to disseminate new thinking in areas such as Social Networking, Press and Publicity, Web for small businesses.
BUSINESS BAROMETER
The BID will provide a Business Barometer for Winchester: a survey that will measure and assess the current and expected levels of business confidence for BID members. It will use a panel of 8 - 12 local, representative, private sector business executives to provide and interpret critical information and trends such as site performance and changes in consumer behaviour using, for example, footfall, sales conversion, profit margin and till roll data.
BID MEMBERS NEWSLETTER
The BID will continue to produce a newsletter for members, but will be using an e-distribution format on a more regular basis, disseminating the outcome of the Business barometer and keeping in close touch with the members
USER AND VISITOR SURVEY
The BID makes sure that each year it can see how far the perception of those who live, work, shop and visit Winchester has changed. It identifies how far they have been affected by the radio and press activities of the BID, and whether their vision of Winchester has been affected by issues such as car parking, traffic, types of retail outlets, tourism attractions and so forth. The project makes use of 500 interviews, taking place at different locations across the City and using a questionnaire developed with South East Tourism.
FOOTFALL
A key target is to increase footfall and usage of the city centre. The BID fund 7 footfall monitors within the city centre to measure footfall 365 days of the year 24 hours a day. This data is now collected via a report to the BID Board and will be streamed to the BID website so that each area of the City can see how they are performing.
MONITORING AND MEASURING THE BID
Clearly a key task for the BID is to be able to measure its own success. A number of key indicators have been used, and some new ones are proposed
• Crime reduction %
- regular report to the Board, in newsletter and on website
• Footfall increase by area %
- regular report to the Board, in newsletter and on website
• Visitor Survey
- Annual report to the Board, in newsletter and on website
• Business Barometer
- Monthly report to board on website and in newsletter
The BID will have regular newsletters, regular public meetings, and an AGM at which it will disseminate the current state of Projects