Please read on for information about:
· Eat Festival on East St
· Energy bills
· Christmas and Halloween marketing initiatives
eat:FESTIVAL - COMING TO EAST ST
This BID backed new event is a food and drink festival will showcase local businesses along with market stalls and entertaiment to create a focus on East Street, this Saturday.
eat:Festivals have been developing events that act as placemaking focus for the past 10 years. The road will be closed on Saturday and around 60 local food and drink stalls will complement the existing East St offer. The layout has been well planned to ensure free and easy access through the stalls to businesses with pockets of entertainment - like music, strolling entertainers and buskers. The event is planned to run from 10 - 4pm
Hospitality businesses are encouraged to think about the "after party" and promoting #eatBedminster on their social channels.
Energy Bill Relief
You have probably seen the government has unveiled its Energy Bill Relief Scheme, designed to support businesses and other non-domestic energy customers with soaring energy costs. The scheme covers Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Please see here for government guidance on the scheme.
Through the scheme, the government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers, with the support equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee for households.
The discount will apply to fixed contracts signed on or after 1 April 2022, as well as to deemed, variable and flexible tariffs and contracts. It will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 21 March 2023 – running for an initial six-month period. The savings will first be seen in October bills, which are usually received in November.
Businesses do not need to apply to take any other action to access the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, with the discount automatically applied to bills.
Upcoming Marketing Initiatives
Halloween Trail
As trialled last year, our Halloween Trail map can be completed by children by collecting stickers from shops around Bedminster, encouraging locals to visit local businesses in the area in a fun and playful way, and indicating local businesses as a great option for picking up your seasonal Halloween supplies.
There are 20 spaces available for local Bedminster businesses to participate in the Halloween Trail by handing out stickers - these will be provided by Bedminster BID. We would love for you to be involved in this community event. Spaces will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. Please click here for an example of the Halloween Trail map from 2021. To register your interest in participating in this year’s Halloween Trail email sophie@weareplaster.com or flossie@weareplaster.com.
‘Complete Bedminster’ Voucher Booklet
This is in place of the Christmas Gift Guide, where local businesses can take part by offering modest discounts and purchase offers. This year’s Voucher Booklet aims to engage the local community in shopping within their area and supporting the independent businesses on their doorstep, especially during such a busy shopping period. The Voucher Booklet will be distributed in the Bedminster area and neighbouring areas such as Totterdown to encourage more visitors. The discounts and purchase offers will be valid for locals to redeem from November 2022 until December 2023 - we think this will give the booklet some staying power well beyond Christmas. You can include an offer that is valid for the whole period or for an occasion as best suits your business.
If you would like to participate in this year’s Voucher Booklet, please email sophie@weareplaster.com or flossie@weareplaster.com to confirm your discount/purchase offering, including any terms and conditions you’d like to include by the 10th October. We hope you like the idea - any questions please feel free to contact us.
If you have any ideas you think the BID should help businesses pursue – remember we have a marketing meeting on the first Monday of each month at The Steam Crane at 6pm. Come along!