BIDS in Inverness

Representatives from Scotland’s Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and areas currently developing BIDs enjoyed an informative and networking day at the Town House in Inverness yesterday organised by Business Improvement Districts Scotland (BIDS) and hosted by the Inverness BID and Highland Council.

Garek Begg, Chair of the Inverness BID welcomed the visitors saying: “We at Inverness BID are delighted to have this opportunity to show other areas some of what we have achieved through the BID scheme. BID’s bring business people together and I am sure everyone involved in this Business Day will find the exchange of ideas and information well worth the journey”

A highlight of the day was the walkabout around Inverness City Centre where people were able to see the achievements of the Inverness BID.

The day-long event brought many of Scotland’s BIDs together and showcased best practice and the many first-class examples of work undertaken by the Inverness BID.  The delegates also had the opportunity to learn about European funding opportunities for BIDs, future strategies for the development of BIDs in the Highlands and how BIDs can benefit from group procurement benefits.

Business Improvement Districts Scotland (BIDS) unveiled its first group procurement offering – a special deal for BID members with Opal Telecom Limited. This will be piloted in the Falkirk BID later this month and will give businesses in the BID area the ability to make significant cost savings on their telephone bills.

The delegates also heard at first-hand about the launch of the Best Bar None Award Inverness 2009 and the Inverness BID Ambassadors who help deliver a range of services to the Inverness BID area.

David Haas, Inverness City Manager with Highland Council added:” The Council is delighted that BIDS Scotland decided to hold this high profile event in our City. We are fully supportive of the BID and have established a network ensuring that liaison takes place with Elected Members and Officers to ensure that the BID is a full Community Planning Partner and is able to ‘add value’ to the Services delivered by the Council in the BID Area.”

Ian Davison Porter, Project Director Business Improvement Districts Scotland (BIDS) concluded: ‘I would like to thank Highland Council and Inverness BID for hosting this event, I believe everybody who attended the meeting, from all over Scotland learnt something today which they can use when they go back to their own BID areas’.

A tried and tested business led strategy which supports economic growth, asset management and regeneration; BIDs have been in operation throughout the world for nearly 40 years with over 1,400 successfully established.

There are currently seven BID areas in Scotland Bathgate town centre, Clackmannanshire business parks, Inverness city centre, Falkirk town centre, Edinburgh city centre, Alloa town centre and Dunfermline city centre.

Each BID covers a precisely defined geographical area of a town, city, commercial district or rural area - where commercial property ratepayers agree by ballot to invest collectively in local improvements - additional to those delivered by the statutory authorities.

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What you are telling us!

Inverness BID is an organisation that is run by business, for business. One of the ways the BID team knows how to target resources is by the use of surveys to gauge the business community’s opinion on a range of subjects.

Responding to a survey about the Winter Festival you told us that you haven’t found any differences between this year when the festival was run by the Highland Council and last years when it was run by the BID pilot project. You also added that your turnover has been static.

With regard to events in the City centre, you think that there should be more events of all kinds planned throughout the year, and that these would work best at weekends during the day (9am- 5pm). You also thought that there should be more advertising for events.

The majority of you are interested in a coordinated City Centre Sunday opening to coincide with the Christmas Lights switch on in December 2009 as it seems it had no effect on your turnover this year. Finally, you feel that now buses have returned to Union Street your prospects have significantly improved.

Inverness BID will conduct surveys regularly to make sure that the resources that you give us are targeted on what you think will be of greatest benefit to your business.