I have now been in my role at Nottingham BID for just over two months. During this period of time I have really enjoyed connecting with the various city centre stakeholders and partners. This blog is the perfect opportunity for me to thank everyone I have met with so far for their insightful feedback. To support this I would highlight that I believe that I am also very fortunate to have the support of a recently appointed board of Directors. The Directors come from a range of very high-profile roles across Nottingham and this diversity will be a key factor within the significant impact of Nottingham BID over the coming term.
My initial tenure has been focused upon the development of strategy. This includes Nottingham BID’s historical pillars of delivery: Managed, Promoted, Independent and Working City. In addition to these core traditional focuses, Nottingham BID has introduced Green Healthy City for 2022. This will have a very clear connection to support Nottingham City Council’s ambition to become the UK’s first Carbon Neutral City by 2028. The Green Healthy City strand will also be connected to the very heart of the city’s vision – with an emphasis on developing the central district as a preferred lifestyle option for the community.
To support this function, Nottingham BID will remain focused on working with our crime prevention partners to ensure Nottingham city centre is a safe and well-presented place to visit, work, study and live in. This will include working closely on the Safety of Woman at Night (SWaN) campaign, Purple Flag accreditation and the Nottingham Best Bar None scheme.
To better support the businesses located in the city centre, I see a real need to promote better communications to maximise a collaborative approach to developing the city centre landscape and drive economic development. This will be a key objective and Nottingham BID are already exploring several city centre place making apps.
Finally, I really hope to add some value to the overall culture and event programming in the city. I look forward to working with the other city centre partners to drive footfall through supporting strategic event delivery. I’m also excited to really embrace the wide range of opportunities to draw the wider communities into the city centre.