Businesses called on to support Town’s marketing campaign beyond 2015
Destination Chesterfield has called on businesses to take a more active role in supporting the Town’s marketing campaign as well as have a greater say in how it is promoted.
The appeal was made at the Celebrate Chesterfield event held at the Proact Stadium on Thursday 28th March, where more than 200 members of Chesterfield’s business community gathered to celebrate the success of the marketing campaign. At the event, Destination Chesterfield announced a number of future marketing initiatives showcasing the town’s retail, food and drink and manufacturing sectors as well as support for new businesses.
Chesterfield Champion Vittorio Risorto, owner of Calabria restaurant on Glumangate, welcomed the marketing initiatives for the town’s food and drink sector. He said: “Chesterfield’s restaurant culture is steadily growing, with an increasing range of places to eat as well as some excellent local breweries and bars. They play a critical role in the local economy. I welcome any marketing initiatives that will promote our food and drink sector, both within the town and further afield.”
Since Destination Chesterfield launched in September 2010 against the backdrop of a cool financial climate, the town has shown growth across the board and bucked the national trend for declining high streets.
Cllr John Burrows, Vice Chair of Destination Chesterfield, praised the town’s go-getting attitude to marketing itself in a tough financial climate, saying: “We could have chosen to bunker down and ride out the recession, but we didn’t. We chose to be proactive and forge ahead with our marketing plans and this shows in the recent employment, tourism and retail figures.”
Headline facts and figures about the town at the Celebrate Chesterfield event included:
· Unemployment decreased by 0.5%
· 11% increase in jobs in the tourism sector
· 1000 jobs to be created on the town centre’s extension, the Northern Gateway site
· £3.1m funding secured to start the first phases of residential and commercial development at Waterside
· 11% increase in tourism spend in the local economy
· An additional £1/2 million spent in local economy as a direct result of the Christmas marketing campaign
· 100 new Ambassadors on board to ensure visitors to the town receive a warm welcome
· More than 120 business have joined the Chesterfield Champions scheme
Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council, welcomed the news commenting: “We’re still a challenged town and Borough; however the figures show that we are moving in the right direction. That is why Destination Chesterfield is so critical in actively communicating everything we have to offer to potential inward investors, whether it’s excellent transport links, a good choice of commercial property or a burgeoning local economy. By marketing what the town has to offer and supporting the businesses already here we can create stable, fulfilling employment opportunities.”
At the event Mr Bowen called on businesses to actively support the marketing campaign by becoming Chesterfield Champions. He said: “Our Chesterfield Champions scheme enables us to harness the confidence in our business sector and promote the positive news within it to a wider audience.”
With funding secured from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) until December 2015, Destination Chesterfield is keen to get as many businesses on board with its Champions scheme to ensure the marketing campaign’s on-going success.
The Chesterfield Champions scheme is open to all businesses and offers a number of benefits, including PR and marketing support and networking support. Companies interested in joining Destination Chesterfield’s Champions scheme should visit www.chesterfield.co.uk/champions or contact Dominic Stevens on 01246 207207 or email info@chesterfield.co.uk
Source:Destination Chesterfield
