View/download the full plan here
Download the plan summary here
Postal Ballot Opens 27th May and Closes 24th June
A letter from Tim Godfrey, Chair, English Riviera Bid Company Ltd
My sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed in preparing this Final English Riviera Business Improvement District (ERBID2) Business Plan. It is this document that you are now being asked to vote for and support in the current postal ballot which started on May 27th. £3 million for promoting the resort over the next 5 years is at stake.
Back in early February we produced the ERBID2 Consultation Draft Business Plan. This was sent to all eligible businesses inviting your views regarding continuing with the English Riviera Business
Improvement District (ERBID) for a further 5 years. A renewal ballot is legally required to allow this to happen.
Over 250 of you kindly shared your ideas, giving up your time to join the ERBID2 Zoom Consultation Workshops. Your feedback has been invaluable and I want to assure you that we have listened to you carefully, with amendments made to the Final Plan that take on board the recommendations you shared including:
- You said that these are challenging financial times so we are keeping the minimum Levy paymentat £150 pa for the next 5 years.
- You asked us to invest more money in introducing new Shoulder Season Events so we have increased the ERBID2 Events Budget to £100,000 per year from 2022.
- You said peoples’ TV viewing patterns have changed through lockdown and asked that ERBID2 looks to invest more in Digital Marketing and Digital TV channels rather than traditional terrestrial TV.
- You told us you want to extend the season based around lifestyle, wellbeing, outdoors and eco-tourism. As a result, ERBID2 will invest more time and money into promoting the Great Outdoors and related activities: cycling, kayaking and swimming, aligning to the Naturally Inspiring branding more prominently.
- You told us you want to bring back Business Tourism and to achieve this ERBID2 will work closely with MeetEnglishRiviera and MeetDevon in a new partnership to attract both national and international business back to the resort.
All of these activities will be possible if a majority YES vote is secured in the forthcoming ballot which will generate over £500,000 per annum but, will end on December 31st 2021 if a majority YES Vote is not secured. We are at a T-Junction in terms of future plans to promote the resort.
In the wake of COVID-19, our business environments will be ever more fragile and I believe that continuing to work in partnership, supporting one another as we have throughout three very painful lockdowns remains absolutely vital. As a leading UK resort we are stronger working together, and being a Business Improvement District and retaining that status for a further 5 years with ERBID2 puts us in the strongest position.
I am very proud of all that the English Riviera BID Company has achieved to date particularly the £75:£1 ROI that we have achieved on your behalf levering in significant additional funding to supplement the Levy to invest in Destination Marketing. I feel strongly that we are the right organisation to continue to lead on Destination Marketing and to provide a joined-up voice for our critically important Visitor Economy.
Now is the Time to Vote YES.
I thank you for your continued support and we look forward to working with you in the future.
Tim Godfrey
Chair, English Riviera BID Company Ltd.
