Marketing
putting Paignton back on the map

In the business survey we carried out to establish the priorities for this BID Plan, businesses told us that they wanted to see far more consistent marketing of the town centre within the Bay and beyond, and high profile events in the town centre to increase awareness, attraction and footfall in Paignton.

The Issue

Paignton has lost its unique identity and market share to the competition, and has suffered steep decline and high vacancy rates as a result. With Torquay’s BID now in operation the threat of increased competition is very real.

The BID Proposal

Paignton BID will raise the town’s profile; strengthen its identity as a family resort and retail centre, look to regain market share and encourage the resident and visitor population to use the town and its facilities throughout the year.

Marketing Projects

Paignton BID will deliver marketing campaigns and creative PR to target specific customer groups, to encourage our resident population to shop locally, and to work with the holiday industry (hotels and coach companies), to increase visitor numbers into the town throughout the year. This will be driven through the use of sales promotions, competitions, voucher schemes etc.

Identity

Paignton BID will work with BID businesses to develop a clear and positive brand for the town as a friendly family destination that focuses on service and individuality.

Website

Paignton BID will fund the creation of a one-stop vibrant website for the town, which will provide all the information for residents and visitors to know what is on offer and what is happening in the town throughout the year. This website will be hosted as part of the broader Torbay Town Centres website to give it greater prominence and a higher hit rate.

Shopping Directory and Map

Paignton BID will pay for a comprehensive directory and map of all businesses in the BID area by sector. These will be available both as hard copies and on the website. They will be distributed throughout the town and the Tourist Information Centres across the Bay.

Fill Empty Shops

Paignton BID will actively work with Commercial Agents and the TDA to market Paignton to inward investors looking to open outlets in the south west.

Newsletter

Paignton BID will produce a newsletter delivered to every BID business, every two months, keeping you in touch with what we are doing and how you can get involved.

Events
injecting vitality and excitement

The Issue

Paignton needs to raise its profile to attract new customers and to give them another reason to visit the town throughout the year. Events are a very valuable and cost-effective way to drive footfall and spend. Extending the tourist season will greatly enhance trading performance in the town and encourage inward investment.

The Proposal

Paignton BID will build on the events already established as part of Paignton’s calendar and ensure that their benefit is felt throughout the whole town. It will introduce new events and activities that will reinforce Paignton’s role as a family orientated town and reinvigorate Paignton’s offer as a Christmas destination and regain market share at this vital time for retail.

Events Projects

Paignton BID will allocate funds to run events and activities in the BID area in conjunction with other organisations e.g. Paignton Zoo, Palace Theatre, Children’s Week and Paignton Carnival to ensure that the benefit of these major events is felt throughout the town.

Theatre in the town

Paignton BID will establish Palace Avenue Gardens as an entertainment space in the town centre and programme activities there which will attract the public to the heart of the town and beyond. There will
be well regulated good quality street entertainment programmed for special events and activities.

Paignton Safari

Attractions could include working in partnership with Paignton Zoo to install throughout the BID area models of zoo animals combined with a safari competition and special offers and prizes around the BID area to attract families and others to circulate the whole town.

Seasonal Events

Paignton BID will pay for a programme of Christmas activity and marketing throughout the BID area to attract visitors and residents to use the town at this crucial trading time. These could include Victorian themed days and late night shopping, a switch on event to highlight the start of the Christmas season. Competitions and treasure trails to encourage shoppers to explore the town.

Extending the season

Paignton BID will put on a programme of events in the off-season months of the year in the heart of Paignton town centre to stretch the key tourist season. These events could include a programme of themed markets (e.g. farmers’ markets, continental markets, flea markets, auto markets etc). These markets are very popular with the public, they increase footfall, raise awareness and generate income to contribute to the marketing budget. These will be sited in a location that will not conflict with established retail but enhance footfall and spend in the area. These will be promoted to residents of the Bay and through the English Riviera Tourism Company to ensure that all accommodation providers promote these to their guests.

Attracting tourists

Paignton BID will work with the tourism industry to ensure that all events and promotions held in Paignton are publicised across the Bay to all tourism service providers, Paignton BID will work with existing events held in the town to ensure that their benefit is distributed across the BID area from the sea front to Winner Street, e.g. The Agatha Christie Festival, Sleuths (Torbay’s festival of crime and thriller writing), Paignton Regatta and Children’s Week and Paignton Carnival.

Festive Lights
putting Christmas magic back into Paignton

The Issue

The current lighting display is limited poor and ad hoc; funding is insecure and dwindling.

The Proposal

The infrastructure, power supplies and installation hardware and the lighting features need to be modernised and increased to include the whole BID area, and particularly at the key gateways to the town.

The Project

Paignton BID will pay for a five-year improvement plan for festive lighting; which will include all the streets within the BID area, including those that do not currently have Christmas lights. Our intention would be to hire the lighting display units in order to maximise the extent of the display.

Dressed to impress

The Issue

Results from our questionnaire to establish the priorities for the town centre BID highlighted the need for Paignton’s streets to look more inviting and vibrant, and to reduce the impact of the many vacant shop fronts.

The Proposal

Parts of Paignton are looking tired and shabby; in order to attract more customers and investment, the outward appearance of the town needs to improve. Torbay Council and the TDA are looking at some major redevelopment for the town over the coming decade or sooner; meanwhile the BID can provide some quick fixes to make the town look more welcoming and attractive.

The Projects

Permanent lighting displays

Paignton BID will install permanent lights in the street trees in Torbay Road, Torquay Road and Palace Avenue Gardens to add night time interest all year round. The trees in Victoria Street are due to be replaced with smaller varieties to prevent damage to the footway, but when they reach sufficient size these could also be part of this scheme. A lighting feature at the gateway to Winner Street is also included in this scheme, the exact design for this would need to be determined within budget.

Banners and bunting

Paignton BID will install lamp post banners (subject to planning permission), and bunting annually during the summer months. The banners can be used to advertise events or to simply enliven the street and welcome customers to the town. This plan allows for installation and two changes per year.

Vacant shop fronts

Paignton BID will work with landlords to use these units for exhibitions, temporary shops or apply bespoke, designed vinyls to the windows to promote the town or act as an attraction.

Street Furniture

Paignton BID can help to make better use of space for activities by relocating and modifying the street furniture in some areas of the town. Victoria Street is dominated by bollards and seating; some of the bollards could be removed and, without losing seating capacity, the benches should be grouped in a more efficient way and made easily removable to free up space for activities such as street theatre and music. Palace Avenue Gardens is an ideal venue for larger events and markets. In collaboration with the Council and the Friends of the park minor remodelling of the garden would create more space and open it up.

Navigating the town

Paignton BID can help to get customers to your door – from the sea front to Winner St, from the station to the hospital; directional signs are a key way to do this. There is provision in years 3 and 4 of the BID scheme to install directional signs. These should be creative and amusing, reflecting the brand image of the town. This project would be cumulative over several years to facilitate the
budget..

Have your say!

A vote in favour of the Paignton BID will provide a clear mandate for action in the BID area for the delivery of all the practical measures set out in this Plan.

The BID cannot and should not pay for services provided by the Local Authority but working collectively gives businesses a very powerful voice to influence the way those services are run and to influence policy on key issues that directly affect you and your business.

You will have control over those areas of the BID that you are paying for; The Town Centres Company has to provide you with a fully transparent, annual report on how we have spent the money you are paying us to deliver this Plan. The democratically elected BID Steering Group will ensure that the Plan is delivered and any changes that are made to it will not be made without their approval. They will also
represent your views to Torbay Council, the Torbay Town Centres Company Board and the Police to make changes and improvements to your trading environment.