Leading the BID industry
Leading the BID industry
Thank you to those who were able to join us at the 2024 National BIDs Conference. It was a fantastic day of networking, connecting and discussions.
The photo gallery from the event is available to view here.
Registration & networking
Welcome
Session 1:
Break
Session 2:
British BIDs Accreditation Awards
Lunch
Session 3:
Academy Graduates
Summary from Nic Durston
Drinks Reception
A huge thank you to all of the speakers that joined us at the 2024 National BIDs Conference, we hope you enjoyed each of their sessions and discussions.
You can view speaker presentations here.
Catherine, who has responsibilities for high streets and communities, provided an overview of government policies and priorities.
Florence Eshalomi is the Labour Co-op Member of Parliament for Vauxhall & Camberwell Green, having been first elected as an MP in 2019. She is currently the Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee, a cross party group that holds the Government to account on their policies in this area. She is also the Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for London, a role she has held since 2022.
Florence spoke about the critical role BIDs play as the link between businesses, the community and politicians in her constituency and across the country. She emphasised the importance of BIDs as an example of how devolution can function in action, and linked this to the Government’s agenda on community empowerment as a driver of inclusive growth.
Wesley is the Head of Social Value at Savills Earth, where he leads strategic social value initiatives for clients including investors, developers, and asset managers.
Wesley provided an overview on what Social Value means and why it matters.
Danielle joined BIDs as a board member in 2016 and is now the Chief Executive of Go Forth Stirling, a medium-sized BID in central Scotland in its second term.
In her role as national programme manager for Scotland’s Improvement Districts, Danielle leads the SIDs team and liaises with Scotland’s Towns Partnership. She drives the engagement programme for operational BIDs, their managers, and boards, while fostering strong relationships with stakeholders, including national and local government. Danielle is dedicated to raising the profile of the BID model, developing a pipeline of prospective BIDs in Scotland, and providing support for those seeking to undertake initial ballots.
Additionally, Danielle serves on the British BIDs Advisory Board and runs a consultancy focused on community ownership projects, drawing on her extensive experience in fundraising.
Marc had a career in retail with M&S before moving into Retail Property, managing shopping centres in Romford, Ilford, Bromley, and Lakeside. In 2017, Marc joined Landsec as Operations Director.
His involvement in BIDs began in 2009 where he led the Ilford BID team to its first ballot victory and then again with Bromley BID. Marc now sits as a Board Member of Cheapside BID and has been a British BIDs Advisory Board Member since 2010.
Diane is the CEO of Rendle Intelligence and Insights, which she founded in October 2023. Previously Diane was Marketing and Insights Director and co-founder of Springboard which was acquired by MRI Software in 2022. Diane led all of Springboard’s insights, and authored its regular commentaries, articles, reviews, and topical reports.
Diane is regarded as one of the leading experts high streets and retail destinations, with an unparalleled knowledge and expertise in understanding current and emerging retail issues and consumer trends. She is a regular commentator on the performance of high streets and retail in the media.
Diane is Brand Ambassador for Beauclair, delivering monthly insights on spending in UK towns and cities, and writes regularly about high streets for leading trade associations and publications. She is also a Senior Fellow of the Institute of Place Management, and was also named as one of the world’s 100 top retail influencers by Rethink Retail in 2024, for the fourth consecutive year.
Sharon has brought years of experience across a whole host of different sectors to her role as Chief Executive of Sunderland BID, which have all contributed to her ability to bring a variety of skills and insights to her multi-faceted job.
Her role ensures she is a voice for businesses across the city but to also ensure that the BID plays an active part in helping build a strong and robust Sunderland for the future.
Currently on the schedule is bringing all relevant partners together to create a retail strategy for the city, as well as invigorating a health on the high street agenda.
She is also a director of Sunderland Business Partnership and a co-chair of the Sunderland Empire Theatre Trust, as well as being part of the British BIDs Advisory Board.
Jonathan is the Chair of Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID and former Chair of the City Centre Partnership. He is also CEO of Cross Rhythms, a charity who, amongst other activities, run the local FM community radio station for Stoke-on-Trent.
Ojay is the Chief Executive of the Association of Town & City Management. He works with government ministers, parliamentarians, UK Cabinet Office, economic development professionals, business leaders and place managers across the UK and Ireland to support town and city centres.
He works on a range of policy issues including adaptation to an industrial revolution, tax reform, local government finance, transport, housing, planning, retail, crime, urban regeneration, COVID recovery and the climate emergency.
In 2017, Sally was responsible for introducing, developing and delivering the UKs first ever area-wide, business improvement district (BID). North Notts BID is also the largest singular BID in the UK, covering the whole district of Bassetlaw in North Nottinghamshire. The BID supports and represents over 1,200 businesses (just under 1,400 hereditaments), covering all sectors and sizes in industrial estates, rural areas, town centres and anywhere in between.
As CEO and director, Sally is responsible for strategic decision making and oversees all operational aspects, budgets and finances. She leads the North Notts BID Strategic Board, manages the delivery of the BIDs business plan and ensures that North Nottinghamshire is placed firmly on the map as a great place to live, work, visit and invest.
Sally is experienced in forging and developing strategic partnerships and sits on a variety of boards including the North Notts Skills & Employment Board and Retford Town Partnership Board. She is also Vice Chair of Worksop Town Board. On a personal level, Sally is also a Corporate Governor for the RNN Group which includes North Notts College, Rotherham College, Dearne Valley College and the University Centre of Rotherham.
Sally was awarded an MBE in the Kings first New Years honours list in January 2023 for Services to Business and to the Economy in Nottinghamshire.
Chris is an Economist and Information scientist, having worked initially at the British Institute of Management before moving into academic research and teaching before becoming Chief Executive of British BIDs. Chris focuses on BID research, training, governance, business intelligence and local and central government relationships for British BIDs.
Chris authors the annual National BID Survey and walked us through 20 years of BIDs - Cutting the data!
BLACHERE ILLUMINATION UK
Thank you to our National BIDs Conference 2024 sponsor, Blachere Illumination, who have been leading the way in commercial festive decorations for 45 years. Most recently, Blachere have been addressing plastic pollution with their Recyprint range, where plastic bottles are collected and used to create stunning illuminations. They are also a recognised partner with WWC thank to their eco-friendly products.
We hope you had the chance to catch up with the Blachere team.
DISTRICT360 BY CUBE84
Thank you to District360 who sponsored our Drinks Reception. Hopefully you were able to network with fellow BID leaders and enjoy a professional headshot from one of London’s top photographers—perfect for refreshing your LinkedIn profile!
District360 CRM is the comprehensive platform built specifically to empower Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) across the UK. Powered by Salesforce and CUBE84, District360 provides BIDs with cutting-edge tools to drive revenue, streamline operations, and demonstrate measurable impact.
Our exhibitors at this year's conference included:
ASEL (Argenbright Security Europe Ltd) | CEP | Lodge Service | M.R.S. Communications | Neighbourly | Odin Events | Reveal Media | ShopSafe | UK Engage
We hope you managed to check out their stands to discuss their latest products and services.
This year we hosted the conference in a 300-seat tiered Auditorium space is a central feature of 30 Euston Square, one of the best conference and event spaces in Central London.
Equipped with a state-of-the-art Sony HDR 4K laser projector (DCI cinema industry-approved), surround sound speakers, show lights and the opportunity to produce video conferencing and streaming, the Auditorium space will satisfy the most seasoned conference professionals and enhance your ability to deliver the ultimate delegate or cinema screening experience.
The Venue