Year 9 Business Plan
The BID has been working with the Board and Theme Groups to create a plan for 2025/2026 that will not only help businesses survive through difficult times but also enhance the overall city experience for those who live, work and visit.
Safety and security remain a top priority and we are excited to see how our new partners ASEL bring innovative ideas to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. We seek to work closely with BID members and specific sectors/areas to provide the crucial support they need.
New projects will significantly improve the welcome into the city with the aim of increasing footfall and ultimately, spend. Creating character and identity for areas within the city is important to provide a variety of experiences for visitors and new opportunities for independent traders to flourish. This includes supporting the development of East Street, which will complement the recent improvements of Oxford Street and Carlton Place.
In the longer term, we will be working closely with the council to deliver the city’s ambitious masterplan, with the aim of attracting increased investment into the city centre. The cruise business is significant for Southampton, with almost 3 million passengers passing through the port every year, of which 200,000 will spend the day here as part of their holiday. Providing a better welcome and orientation with lots to see and do is vital to extend that visitor dwell-time and increase visitor spend.
Read below the priorities for each theme group that we will work to achieve in 2025/2026.
You can download a copy of our Year 9 business plan here.
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✔ Provide a welcome for visitors arriving by ship, railway and air
✔ Contribute to delivering the city’s growth and prosperity plans
✔ Raise Southampton’s profile nationally through PR & marketing
✔ Offer an event sponsorship scheme to support citywide events
✔ Deliver a magical Christmas event for families
✔ Implement sector/area-specific campaigns to boost footfall
✔ Market the city to cruise passengers, pre and post-stay
✔ Develop the night-time economy based on recommendations from Purple Flag renewal
✔ Support businesses to effectively report and prevent crime
✔ Work with partners to actively pursue repeat and persistent offenders
✔ Work with partners to prevent rough sleepers and tackle begging
✔ Improve cleanliness by delivering an annual deep clean with SCC -
- Uphold our work tackling anti-social behaviour and theft, while also maintaining the standards which retained the city’s Purple Flag accreditation for a city which is safe and enjoyable after dark
- Add to the cleaning efforts within the BID area, focusing on graffiti removal, fly tipping removal and hot washing
- Assess the Christmas light offering and consider year-round alternatives
- Explore ways to improve wayfinding and navigation around the city centre and actively support the growth of visitor information hubs
- Expand the success of the Volunteer Welcome programme, along with improved entry points, for a city
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- Deliver a new visitor website that is accessible, vibrant and modern providing up-to-date information and inspiration to tourists, cruise passengers, business visitors and students
- Create exciting and inspirational campaigns throughout the year that focus on key themes and areas including Christmas, Old Town, Easter, summer, hospitality, shop local and night-time economy
- Explore ways to market Southampton’s offer to cruise passengers and cruise crew members
- Continue to gain data intelligence to monitor the current economic climate of the city and use to evaluate spend, footfall and consumer habits
- Provide marketing services and support to BID members, helping them to increase footfall and spend in their business
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- Digitise and implement the new Event Sponsorship scheme that offers small and large organisers grants of up to £5,000
- Work with partners including Southampton Forward and Southampton City Council to strengthen the tourism offer in the city
- Offer a series of business events that connect BID members with the wider community and provide skills development and training
- Deliver the Snow Windows festive walking trail across the BID area, bringing in local and regional visitors
- Support third-party events in the city through marketing and communications
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- Engage in supporting delivery of the Renaissance Vision to grow the city’s prosperity
- Increase the economic activity of visitors in the city centre
- Provide procurement advice and secure exclusive discounts to help businesses reduce their overheads, including energy costs, insurance and waste collections
- Contribute actively on behalf of businesses to the devolution debate and implementation
- Provide essential business training to help businesses save on their training budgets, upskill the city’s workforce and strengthen the visitor experience