NEW April and May Tuesday Training courses are now available for booking

Are you a BID Business? Join Worcester BID for Tuesday Training and let’s make Worcester safer together.

Tuesday Training is a 2022 initiative aiming to bring useful and free training courses to Worcester BID members. We want Worcester to feel safe for everyone in both the day and night. We believe it is imperative that health-based training is offered to create a safer community, a safer city and to make your staff feel trained and ready.

We will be running training throughout 2022 for you and your staff to utilise. You may now sign up to the new following free training programmes for April/May:

[AED] Defibrillator Training
First Aid
Food Hygiene (Please register interest - dates to be released soon)
Conflict Management Training and Physical Intervention
Health and Safety With Risk Assessment

To find out more about how we can support your BID business press here to open the interactive .pdf and explore what we have on offer and what each course entails. Dates and times for each course may also be found in the document attached.

To book, please forward your chosen courses and dates to gloria.hawthorn@worcesterbid.com.

by BID Team

FREE Digital Marketing Training - Book Now!

Join Worcester BID and the Worcester City Council for FREE digital marketing training for all businesses

As part of the Welcome Back funding to support the recovery of the High Street and to future proof our businesses Worcester BID and Worcester City Council are pleased to announce a series of digital marketing training. Supporting businesses to develop skills, strengthen SEO, raise awareness and engage with larger audiences.

Training is available to any business member within the City Council district. This training is open to all businesses as part of the Welcome Back Fund.

What courses are available to your business?

All training will run 9.30 AM - 12.30 PM (variations may occur depending on the course taken).

7th March - Social media that works for you / 1-2 hours

Social media, the importance and how to make it work for you. Creating content, building communities and making a plan.

8th March - Benchmarking your analysis / 1-2 hours

Why analytics are important, how to analyse them and why you need to understand your importance to improve your overall profile.

14th March - Digital advertising made easy. / 1-2 hours

Pay per click advertising, display advertising, social media advertising and paying to reach new audiences.

15th March - Creating a digital strategy / 2-3 hours

Digital marketing strategy involves an assessment of specific goals that are achievable through online channels, we will use the time to create one for your business.

21st March - Content planning and scheduling / 1-2 hours

How to plan your content, create calendars, using local events to your advantage and prepare for it.

22nd March - SEO and why websites work / 2-3 hours

Getting started with on-page SEO, application of technical SEO, keyword research and using Google business listing to be seen more.

28th March - How to rank for the web and secrets of growth / 1-2 hours

How to write for the web, understanding landing pages, keyword application and the power of blogging, beating Google.. or at least getting close.

29th March - SEO strategies made easy / 1-2 hours

SEO strategy is a detailed plan to improve a website's search engine rankings in order to capture more organic traffic, we will use the course time to create one.

4th April - Practical Marketing / 1-2 hours

Marketing strategies, trending techniques, measuring success and applying immediate marketing actions.

5th April - Everything web and your digital storefront / 2-3 hours

SEO content strategies, how to improve your digital storefront, optimisation for small businesses and creating a stronger website.

11th April - Digital marketing and PR let's break it down / 2-3 hours

Raising your overall PR perspective, utilising local channels, local events and utilising the community to raise your profile.

12th April - Tik Tok, new audiences and you / 1-2 hours

Why TikTok is one of the most powerful social media platforms, how to utilise it and what the next steps are to reach new audiences.

18th April - Top-ups and deeper learning based on what people found difficult / 1-2 hours

We will use this time for extra learning, anything that course attendees struggled with or want more detail.

19th April - Wrap up questions and how to manage it / 1-2 hours

Within this course we will wrap up the entire course, what has been learnt and follow up questions and getting ready to keep growing your business.

To book onto any of the course options available please email our Business Administrator, Alice Ingleby-Faulkner, at: Alice.Ingleby-Faulkner@worcesterbid.com with the course dates, titles and times you would like to register for.

by BID Team

WORCESTER Business Improvement District (BID) has announced Sam McCarthy as their new Chief Executive

Sam McCarthy, Worcester BIDs newly appointed Chief Executive

Sam joined the team in 2015 and has since worked on managing key partnerships and
has actively developed brand awareness within the city. Sam has a strong background
in business support and engagement and will strive to build awareness and improve
business within the commercial area of Worcester in her new position of Chief
Executive at the Worcester BID.

Notably, Sam has managed the BID through a difficult Covid period and has achieved a plethora of triumphs that have benefited Worcester’s business district. Such achievements include securing funding through the Worcestershire LEP to set up peer to peer networks and the development of a key partnership with Worcester’s Big
Parade, acting to connect the community and businesses, building customer confidence and to reconnect with the city. Further engagement with the local community has been undertaken to support local businesses through shop local campaigns and the recent development of the brand Make it Worc, which has improved B2B relationships in the BID area. Sam has also overseen the installation of infrastructure within two of Worcester’s most iconic heritage streets to permanently enhance and create a vibrant space.

Sam said: “I am thrilled to be appointed Chief Executive at such a pivotal time to support the recovery of our High Street. We recognise the need to be creative and ambitious by exploring ideas to activate space and utilise our outdoor areas more effectively creating a continental dining experience. Also, with a key focus on the night-time economy, Worcester BID will be leading on delivering Purple Flag status to the city as well working with our licensed venues to achieve Best Bar None standards.”

Mark Hughes, Worcester BID Chairman, said: “The board of directors is delighted to welcome Sam to the role of Chief Executive. Sam has a genuine understanding of the complexities of operating a BID and we are confident in her ability to lead the team over this critical post Covid time.”

by BID Team

We are hiring!

We are hiring! An exciting opportunity to join Worcester BID as a Business Engagement & Marketing Executive has arisen.

As the Business Engagement & Marketing Executive at Worcester BID you will be responsible for delivering high profile, targeted and proactive engagement with all BID businesses. If you are passionate about Worcester and are keen to make a difference, we would love to hear from you!

You can find the job specifications HERE.

Apply via Indeed, or apply directly to Sam McCarthy with a cover letter and CV to the following email address: sam.mccarthy@worcesterbid.com

by BID Team

Tuesday Training for Worcester BID members

Are you a BID Business? Join Worcester BID for Tuesday Training and let's make Worcester safer together.

We will be running training throughout 2022 for you and your staff to utilise. You may currently sign up to attend the following free training programmes:

[AED] Defibrillator Training
First Aid
Catastrophic Bleed
Mental Health
Food Hygiene L2

You may also wish to register for the following training options:

Marketing Foundations
Website SEO Training
Conflict + Physical Intervention
Health + Safety with Risk Assessment

These can be found in our April-May date interactive .pdf. This can be found in a later news post.

To find out more about how we can support your BID business press here to open the interactive .pdf and explore what we have on offer and what each course entails. Dates and times for each course may also be found in the document attached.

To book, please forward your chosen courses and dates to gloria.hawthorn@worcesterbid.com.

Terms and Conditions:

All training is booked on a first-come, first-served basis. You may sign-up a maximum of two members of staff for each training course.

by BID Team

Park Life

As the Summer starts to transition to the Autumn months ahead, September can often treat us to an Indian Summer in terms of some sunshine and warm temperatures. It’s a beautiful time in Worcester city centre, all the more so with so much going on.

The new school term is getting underway and the holiday season (such as it is this year) is mostly over, but Worcester is still enjoying a Summer feel. Look up and around and you will notice the colours of garlands of bunting and swarms of butterflies and pop-up parks around the city, all put in place as part of the city’s recovery from lockdown.

Bunting is stung along shops and buildings in lots of bright colours. In tree branches across the city centre streets, make sure to spot vibrant butterfly decorations in different patterns and colours. Take a break in the pop-up parks installed at Angel Place, South Quay and Cornmarket, where colourful seating and artificial grassed areas offer a peaceful chill-out zone for residents and visitors to take some time out with a coffee, sandwich or a book.

Samantha McCarthy from Worcester BID says the feedback is really positive: “Delivering projects such as this to enhance the public realm, which is key to support with the recovery of our city post pandemic. Projects such as this will encourage locals and visitors to explore different areas of the city, helping spread footfall and spend. The butterflies are something new and different and we have been told how joyful it is to spot them unexpectedly in trees around the city centre.

The pop-up parks are a popular, albeit temporary addition to the city. “My favourite is the park on South Quay,” adds Samantha McCarthy. “It’s the perfect spot to relax by the millennium fountains and watch the swans glide by.”

Insider tip: Grab a take-out coffee and panini from locals’ favourite Pappas in New Street and walk down to Cornmarket to sit and people watch in the pop-up park.

Insider tip: Take the family to the Hive to have a wander round, find a corner to sit and read and then borrow some books to read at home, then walk over to Angel Place for a chill out in the pop-up park.

Worcester Business Improvement District is a business-led and business-funded body, working to improve and promote Worcester city centre as a place to live, work, visit and invest. As a democratically elected, independent body, Worcester BID enables more than 600 businesses to work collectively to influence and impact on how Worcester city centre is managed and develops. BID has been successful to secure its third term with the objectives to promote, support and enhance Worcester.

by BID Team

Love Local Business: Spend £10 to put £5m into Worcester economy

"IF every person in Worcester spent £10 at an independent business, it would inject over £5million into the local economy" – that's the message as we urge our readers to back the city this Christmas.

We are calling on our readers to show your support for our unique independents by shopping local.

Last week we launched our Love Local Business campaign to encourage people to spend their money locally in the run up to Christmas, to help businesses as they struggle with the impact of coronavirus.

by BID Team

Love Local Business: Worcester's best independent food and drink venues

As part of our Love Local Business campaign we caught up with the team at Visit Worcester for tips on the best places to dine, relax and explore in the city. Here's what they had to say.

For those enjoying a staycation weekend away in Worcester or simply an easily accessible day trip, a quiet stroll along the banks of the River Severn or a peaceful wander around Worcester Cathedral, some heritage in The Royal Porcelain Works and Museum of Royal Worcester are a must. But Worcester city is not only the home to so much history (and of course the world-famous sauce), it’s now a hotspot for independent bars and restaurants.

by BID Team

Love Local Business: Back Worcester traders this Christmas

Sam McCarthy, projects and marketing manager for the BID, said: "We see real value to this campaign as it is critical that we support our local economy by keeping the spend local this Christmas.

"Worcester is made up of over 60 per cent independent businesses who are the heart and soul of our city. Worcester retailers have made it their priority to adapt and embrace the changes to make visitor safety and the ability to shop independent accessible from the comfort of your homes as well as enjoying a safe trip to the city.

"All we ask is that you support our local businesses and respect their changes when you visit them – please wear your face mask and help us to keep Worcester safe."

Read full article.. https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/18798967.love-local-business-back-worcester-traders-christmas/

by BID Team