Annual Review 2018/19 We believe in working collaboratively to create, develop and promote a better and more prosperous Edinburgh City Centre. ESSENTIAL EDINBURGH Annual Review 2018 - 19 | 2 Contents 04 Team & Board 06 Introduction 07 Promoting 20 Enhancing 26 Protecting 30 Engaging 35 Accounts 37 Get in touch ESSENTIAL EDINBURGH Annual Review 2018 - 19 | 3 A committed team working hard for you. Team & Board The Team Directors Lin Cherrington, Cassandra Ritchie Barry Blamire, The John Lewis Partnership Creative Cookware (Resigned 06/09/2018) Finance & BID Liaison Executive Craig Thomson, Boots Plc Louise Maclean, Emily Johnston Signature Pubs (Appointed 25/09/2018) Senior Manager: Marketing and David Johnston, Louise Masson, Harvey Nichols Communications Montepliers (Resigned 06/08/2019) Martin Clarke, The Edinburgh Woollen Mill Gillian James David Lindgren, Secretary Marketing and Communications Executive David Stewart, Rochelle Burgess, Edinburgh St James & Multrees Walk Grant Roberts Aberdeen Standard Investments Operations / Farmers’ Market Manager Denzil Skinner, Chair Grant Stewart Derek Brownlee, Royal Bank of Scotland Essential Clean Team Senior Manager: Projects Austen Ward Jenny McPartlin, Marks and Spencers Ben Redeer Mark Farvis Digital Media Manager Johan Scheepers, The Kimpton, Dylan Clark Charlotte Square (Appointed 25/09/2018) Elliot Gault Paul Maydew James Reilly, Contract Manager MITIE Market Supervisor John Donnelly, Steven Duff Marketing Edinburgh (Resigned 18/04/2019) Roddy Smith Tomasz Grabski Chief Executive & Director Josh Miller, Charlie Miller hairdressing (Clean Team are sub-contracted to Mitie) Shona Davidson Councillor Kate Campbell, Housing and Head of Corporate Services Economy Convener, City of Edinburgh Council (Appointed 25/09/2018) ESSENTIAL EDINBURGH Annual Review 2018 - 19 | 4 Through a varied and innovative range of projects we will endeavour to make our city centre safe, green, vibrant and commercially strong. ESSENTIAL EDINBURGH Annual Review 2018 - 19 | 5 Services we deliver ensure that Edinburgh continues to thrive. Introduction Welcome to our 2018/19 Annual centre agencies we have supported the Finally, a huge thank you to our hard-working Review, the first year of our third development of FUSE to train and recruit staff and Board who have embraced our staff within the BID area. As you can see, renewed business plan, strategy and focus as term as your Business Improvement our new strategy of delivering more in well as a physical change of office. They have District. It was pleasing to receive partnership is already bearing fruit. been instrumental in delivering another such an overwhelming vote of excellent set of results. confidence from our members in the Driving footfall remains a key priority - with renewal ballot. This past year has partners such as the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Underbelly, Assembly Festival, been about showing the value we the Edinburgh International Book Festival and add to your city centre and how the Unique Events we have delivered successful services we deliver ensure that on-street activity. By promoting Edinburgh Edinburgh continues to thrive. Wows, 101 Objects and the Edinburgh Farmers’ Market we continue to bring people The first phase of our“Sign of a Great Time” into the city centre. marketing campaign, with Hanover Street based Guy and Co, resonated with target Our Clean Team works tirelessly to keep our audiences across Edinburgh and the Lothians city centre clean and with refreshed planters Roddy Smith, CEO delivering excellent results. In partnership and Christmas lights we are working hard to Denzil Skinner, Chair with The Cyrenians we have made progress in enhance the look and feel of our area. The supporting those affected by homelessness appearance of our city centre is changing at a and begging. Through our BID policeman we fast pace and we have represented and have worked proactively with Police Scotland supported our levy payers with consultations to support our levy payers in successfully and developments throughout the year. reducing crime. Together with many city ESSENTIAL EDINBURGH Annual Review 2018 - 19 | 6 ESSENTIAL EDINBURGH Annual Review 2018 - 19 | 7 Retail sales since December have shown positive growth, with an average increase of 1.3%. Promoting Total spend – £669,206 A thriving city centre is a place people want Essential Edinburgh Events to visit and spend time in. We have invested The two events produced by Essential 66% of the total project budget in promoting Edinburgh created a total economic value the BID area, creating activity and of almost £5.2 million; for every £1 spent engagement to support the BID community. on events during this reporting year we generated over £435 of spend in the Retail sales across the UK have seen a decline city centre. in the past twelve months. While Edinburgh followed this national trend in the early part Edinburgh Farmers’ Market of our reporting year, retail sales since This Saturday staple continues to be a December have shown positive growth significant footfall draw for both locals and in six out of seven months, with an average tourists. The Market celebrated its 19th increase of 1.3%. birthday in August 2019 and it remains the only true, certified farmers’ market in the city. Our stallholders are all local producers who grow, rear, bake, pickle or brew their own products, ensuring traceability and an unrivalled customer experience. The market pulls in around 350,000 shoppers each year. In addition to being a footfall generator for the city centre, it’s also a completely self-sustaining part of Essential Edinburgh. It adds to your levy investment from its profits and allows us to do even more for our businesses. ESSENTIAL EDINBURGH Annual Review 2018 - 19 | 8 We are Essential Edinburgh, looking after your city centre. ESSENTIAL EDINBURGH Annual Review 2018 - 19 | 9 “I just wanted to reach out to say amazing job on the Open Air Cinema, it was a great success for Links of London – we had 25% more traffic than last week and 35% more than LY. It most importantly led to an increase in sales, in particular on the collections that were advertised on screen. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of it.” Ian Carmichael, Links of London – Multrees Walk. Film Fest in the City Social Media Engagement Back for its eighth year, our hugely successful 15,000 ATTENDED outdoor cinema in St Andrew Square Garden WITH OVER 100 BUSINESS PARTICIPATING WITH ADVERTS continues to be a highlight; delivering three ALMOST 250K days of free films in partnership with Unique 64% WHO CAME TO THE FILM FEST ALSO VISITED SHOPS REACH WITH FACEBOOK AND JUST UNDER 16K Events and Edinburgh International Film / RESTAURANTS / BARS IN EDINBURGH (OR WERE PLANNING TO DO SO). ENGAGEMENTS Festival. For the second year running over 100 BID businesses participated with free adverts on the giant outdoor screen. 57% HAD TRAVELLED TO THE CITY 93 TWEETS ESPECIALLY FOR THE FILM FEST – UP 10% ON 2018 WITH 57 CONTRIBUTORS OVER 7 DAYS Over 15,000 attendees enjoyed a superb array of films over the three days – up from 10,500 in 2018; 57% came into Edinburgh especially 86% AUDIENCE FROM EDINBURGH OVER 600K IMPRESSIONS for Film Fest in the City and 64% of attendees & LOTHIANS (57% FROM EDINBURGH) went on to shop, eat or drink in the BID, OVER spending on average almost £63 bringing an 216K REACH economic value for the city centre of over 100% RATED THEIR ENJOYMENT George Street Festival £623,000 – for every £1 spent on Film Fest in OF THE EVENT AS GOOD OR VERY GOOD (74% VERY GOOD RATING) the City we generated over £29 of spend in We worked with Assembly Festival and the the city centre. Edinburgh International Book Festival to 90% SAID THEY WOULD VISIT THE EVENT AGAIN IN 2020 animate George Street. A mixture of festival entertainment and extended on-street space AVERAGE SPEND WAS for our restaurant and bar businesses proved a great success. Hospitality sales increased by 1.8% on 2017 even with unseasonably poor £62.84 weather during August 2018. ESSENTIAL EDINBURGH Annual Review 2018 - 19 | 10 REACH 90% EH RESIDENTS 2.8M DIGITAL IMPRESSIONS INCREASE IN FOLLOWERS 4K+ NEW FOLLOWERS 41% UPLIFT ESSENTIAL EDINBURGH Annual Review 2018 - 19 | 11 PRESS COVERAGE 159 PRESS/RADIO/ SOCIAL 11.2M OTS ENGAGEMENT 29K+ SOCIAL ENGAGEMENTS 181% UPLIFT 2K+ EXPERIENTIAL ENGAGEMENTS 99% of the consumer panel liked the campaign, 95% felt the campaign was “for people like me” 56% were more likely to visit to the city centre as a result. Promoting - Marketing Campaign The new BID centred marketing campaign In this coming year you will see a fully TWITTER launched on 8th October 2018 using bus, wrapped Lothian bus, on street activation @EDFARMERSMARKET tram, train, kiosk, radio, social media and including a reverse grotto this Christmas and INCREASED ON LAST YEAR BY 1.8% TO on street activity to encourage regular city a digital creative campaign that will span the WITH THE TWEETS EARNING centre visits from locals and commuters. full year. To make sure your business makes 11,326 237K A second phase of advertising and activity the most of these opportunities please keep IMPRESSIONS OVER THE YEAR. THIS IS AN ran from the end of May through June. your eyes peeled for all our digital communications. AVERAGE OF 19.8K IMPRESSIONS A MONTH. The two campaign phases reached over 90% of EH residents, drove 2.8 million digital ALL THREE OF OUR TWITTER ACCOUNTS EARNED A COMBINED impressions, over 29,000 social engagements @ESSENTIALEDIN TWITTER TOTAL OF and created an uplift in followers of over 40%. INCREASED ON LAST YEAR BY WITH 1,037,700 IMPRESSIONS The on-street activation of the campaign – 6.2% TO 6,805 The Great Time Game, Treasure Hunt, Grab a TWEETS EARNING 392.7K IMPRESSIONS OVER THE YEAR.