Bedminster Town Team Arts led high street regneration

4th April 2014 10am - 4pm Tobacco Factory, North street, Bedminster, . BS3 1TF.

This seminar offers an opportunity to understand why and how a creative, arts-led approach to revitalising the high street can engage communities, increase footfall and develop unique, local distinctiveness. The seminar will draw on the experiences of Bedminster Town Team, with the morning session exploring:

• The impact of the opening of an important arts led venue – the Tobacco Factory – on the area. • Its performance as a ‘Town Team’ – that sought to ‘exploit and eventually explode the gap between art, advertising and entertainment, high street retailing and real estate development.

The afternoon session will be more forward looking and interactive with a series of presentations and discussions asking how far can the arts be used as a means to help ensure a future for high streets in the 21st Century?

To book visit: https://www.atcm.org/calendar/event/view?id=104. The conference is free. Enquiries regarding the conference to Ruth Essex - [email protected] and regarding Bedminster Town Team to [email protected] Itinerary

09.30 - 10.00 Registration, tea and coffee

10.00 - 10.45 Keynote by George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol and owner of the Tobacco Factory covering two themes:

• Owner of Tobacco Factory - its regeneration and catalytic ‘anchor’ effect on North Street • Mayor of Bristol – the role of councils supporting high streets and town centres

Followed by Q&A session

10.45 - 11.30 Bedminster Town Team Stories

• The Residential Community - Ben Barker • The Business Community - Simon Dicken • The Partnership and Funding - George Grace

Followed by Q&A session

11.30 - 11.50 Coffee break

11.50 - 13.00 The Artists

• Street Art and Gallery- Upfest • Theatre- Show of Strength • Street Fairs-One Planet Bristol

Next Steps

• The Curator - Ruth Essex, combining art and retail with 3D installations on the front of shops • The Pop-Up – Gathering Voices • The Fringe – David Pyne

Followed by Q&A session

13.00 - 14.00 Lunch

14.15 - 16.00 Fresh Perspectives on High Streets and Town Centres

• Simon Pitkeathley- Chief Executive, Camden Town Unlimited will talk about his experience of using a BID, the arts and creative businesses as tools for economic regeneration.

• Kris Donaldson - Former Director of Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture and newly appointed Bristol European Green Capital 2015 will present ideas on Lessons for High Streets from a Capital of Culture and Potential for High Streets through Green Capital.

Followed by Q&A session, panel debate and discussion About the Speakers and Organisations

Mayor George Ferguson CBE PPRIBA RWA is past President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, was co-founder of Ferguson Mann has a wide variety of experience in architectural, master planning and regeneration projects, including urban regeneration and historic building work that formed the foundation of his practice. This includes many award winning schemes such as the Bristol Millennium project with its new urban spaces, Royal William Yard in Plymouth, and his own mould breaking Tobacco Factory mixed use project and nationally acclaimed theatre that has helped kick start the regeneration of South Bristol.

A co-founder of the Academy of Urbanism, he writes, broadcasts and lectures extensively on the environment, planning and architectural matters at home and abroad. He is amongst many other things a Trustee of Bristol’s art gallery, recently of the London based ‘think tank’ Demos and is an Academician of the Royal West of England Academy. He is also founder of the Bristol Beer Factory. He became the first independent mayor to lead a major city in Britain and was officially sworn in at a ceremony held at Brunel’s Passenger Shed, Temple Meads on 19th November 2012.

Ben Barker is Secretary of Greater Bedminster Community Partnership. The Greater Bedminster Community Partnership is made up of local councillors, voluntary and community organisations, private businesses and public agencies within the two Bristol wards of Southville and Bedminster.

The partnership aims to bring benefit to people living in the area; encourage greater cooperation and effectiveness between private, public and social economy organisations; offer increased opportunities for residents to influence the making and implementing of policy and be inclusive and vigorously opposed to discrimination. Current priorities including improving the economic health of the area’s retail streets.

Simon Dicken is Manager of the local Wilkinson and Chair of the Bedminster Town Team and Business Improvement District which has a vision to exploit and eventually explode the gap between art, advertising and entertainment, high street retailing and real estate development’ drawing on some of the lessons of Shoreditch which has reinvented itself as the UK government’s vision for the ‘largest concentration of creativity, media and technology in Europe’.

George Grace, Founder of TownCentred and Advisor to the Town Team and BID. His company seeks to combine innovative ideas with proven partnership techniques to help business occupiers, property owners, local authorities and residents bring life to their local centres. Current Bristol projects include Bedminster Town Team, Gloucester Road, and Patchway, North Bristol.

Upfest – is the Bedminster based Urban Paint Festival and Gallery. The Upfest was originally conceived to get a group of 20 like minded artists together for a day of painting in Bristol, however the festival has grown into the largest urban paint festival in Europe attracting circa 25,000 visitors. Upfest have been heavily involved in the Town Team since day 1 including completing the most popular project – the Beautiful Bugs of Bedminster – an 80 piece 3D installation on the front of shops in the area. Show Of Strength is a professional theatre company aims to commission and produce new theatre that engages and involves the diverse communities of Bristol and South West England; to identify, encourage and showcase new and emerging playwrights from Bristol and the South West of England; and to use spaces and venues that are not normally used for theatre to encourage diverse and engaged audiences. Show of Strength ran theatre on the street and in shops in Bedminster in 2013 and is returning in 2014.

One Planet Bristol is a Bristol based community group that creates projects that benefit the community with a triple bottom line (social, environmental & economic) including East Street Christmas Market 2013 and North Street Spring Fayre. OnePlanet work in collaboration with others for support and funding (Schumacher Institute for Sustainable Systems, Greater Bedminster Community Partnership.

Ruth Essex is a freelance creative regeneration, placemaking and arts specialist based in Bristol with a demonstrated track record of delivering innovative participatory regeneration projects incorporating incremental and tactical urbanism, temporary/meanwhile use, events, creative enterprise, public art and animation of public space. She likes to help lower the barriers for enterprising and creative people to take the initiative in urban development.

Gathering Voices (est. 1985) is a highly innovative arts charity, working primarily with young people and creative adults, in the areas of music, mentoring and youth leadership. We see our role as synergists and creative producers, experienced in partnership working with individuals, community groups, educational bodies and organisations to help build dynamic, sustainable, integrated and creative cultures. David Pyne, Market, Events & Marketing Manager at Tobacco Factory is a highly experienced event organiser and specialist in markets and cultural events; marketing & communications practitioner, with experience of developing audiences in the arts & culture sector; over 10 years’ experience as one of the lead organisers of the , working with a wide range of partner organisations. Specialties include event management, and marketing strategy.

Simon Pitkeathley is CEO of the multi-award winning Camden Town BID, Camden Town Unlimited, since 2007. He is currently Co-Chair of Cross River Partnership and sits on the London Enterprise Panel (LEP), SME Working Group. Earlier roles included working for the Prime Minister in 2001 and 2005, Executive Director of the British Bankers’ Association between 1999 and 2003 and consultancy work for various clients including JP Morgan, Citigroup and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) between 2003 and 2007. Simon remains a Director of an online retail business which he sold in 2013.

Kris Donaldson is former Director of Liverpool European City of Culture and current director of Bristol Green Capital. A proven builder and leader of teams and organisations in support of cities and their desire to take advantage of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities including the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the Liverpool, European Capital of Culture 2008 and most recently he is proud to have been selected as the Director of Bristol, European Green Capital 2015. Kris’ love of marketing has been the thread through his career of high profile, politically sensitive projects whose success has relied on inspiring participation of a vast and diverse group of public and private sector stakeholders and uniting them behind a powerful story.