Leading the BID industry
Leading the BID industry
Elevate your marketing expertise with the British BIDs Certificate in BID Marketing course.
This comprehensive online programme is designed specifically for BID professionals, offering in-depth training on essential marketing strategies and tools. Gain practical knowledge to attract visitors, engage local businesses and enhance community vibrancy. With expert-led sessions, interactive workshops, and real-world case studies, you'll develop the skills to drive impactful marketing campaigns. Join a network of like-minded professionals and take your BID's marketing initiatives to the next level.
Each session runs between 2-3 hours, starting at 10am. All sessions will run online.
If you are interested in completing our Certificate in BID Marketing course, please get in touch.
Unlock the secrets of successful marketing with our specialised "Marketing 101" short course! Perfect for beginners and those looking to refresh their knowledge, this course offers a solid foundation in marketing principles tailored specifically for Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). Whether you're part of a small or large team, and regardless of your budget, there are always effective strategies to implement.
This practical, and down-to-earth session will equip you with essential marketing skills to attract visitors, engage local businesses, and enhance community vibrancy. Learn to build strategies for understanding your target audience, create compelling messages, and leverage various channels to reach them effectively.
Tutor - Simon Edward
Topics will include:
The session will include examples, with brief writing tasks to help exercise the creative muscles!
Tutor - Toby Chapman-Dawe
Following on from session 1 where we covered marketing basics, we will take a look at the specifics of B2B Marketing for BIDs and also take a look at the impact and opportunities to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Marketing execution. We will follow this with an exclusive marketing round table, designed specifically for BID marketing professionals. As part of our comprehensive "British BIDs Certificate in Marketing" course, this interactive session offers a unique platform to exchange ideas, share experiences, and collaborate on effective strategies with fellow BID marketers and industry experts.
Deliberately scheduled for the middle of the course, this round table is your opportunity to bring your questions, challenges, and opportunities to the table. Hear and learn from others, build clarity, and set your plans in motion.
Dive into discussions that tackle real-world challenges, discover innovative solutions, and gain valuable insights to elevate your district's marketing initiatives.
Tutor - Simon Edward
This interactive session focuses on how Business Improvement Districts can make the most of digital marketing with the resources they already have. Drawing on proven approaches from working with small and medium-sized businesses, we will explore how to choose the right channels, reuse content effectively, and measure success.
You will learn:
This session will give you practical tools and confidence to plan smarter, stretch your content further, and clearly measure your results.
Tutor - Andrew Laws
During this final session we will pull together all of our learnings over the past weeks, with a practical approach to developing a Marketing Strategy for your BID. We will also use this closing session to hold a final round table to reflect on the learnings, hoover up the side discussions which have arisen and take questions.
Tutor - Simon Edward
Simon is the Former Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at IBM, and a BID Board Director. Simon is an Advisor to several marketing professional bodies, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and a Chartered Marketer.
Toby is Managing Director of Strand, a specialist copywriting agency. As a journalist for both trade magazines and national press, followed by a switch to the agency side as an advertising copywriter, Toby has been both gamekeeper and poacher. Toby also hosts The Strand Review of Books podcast, and wrote The Beekeeper’s Dictionary – available from Amazon and all good bookshops!
Andrew has been using technology to grow companies for nearly 30 years. He is the founder of The Business Amplifier Skool community and Yeseo.io SEO agency. When he's not in the office helping clients grow, he can be found in the studio or on stage, making very loud noises. Andrew loves to talk about mindset, personal growth, business development, neurodiversity and odd music.
The cost of the course is £1,500* for Bb members, including their 25% discount. For non-members, please get in touch.
Sarah Malcolm, Hammersmith BID
Sarah is the Marketing & Events Executive at Hammersmith BID, delivering communications and engagement across the BID’s Place, Community and Security programmes. She plays a key role in delivering the BID’s annual events programme, including the flagship Hammersmith Summer Festival, which brings weeks of entertainment, live sport and outdoor cinema to the heart of the town centre. Passionate about creating vibrant destinations, Sarah uses marketing and events to showcase local businesses, strengthen community connections and encourage pride in Hammersmith as a place to live, work and visit.
Jessica Snooks, Aldgate Connect
As Marketing & Events Manager, Jessica brings extensive experience in the events industry, underpinned by a BSc in Event Management. She has developed particular expertise within the non-profit sector, with a strong focus on engaging and championing communities through the delivery of impactful projects and events.
Laura Hasson, Your Horsham
Laura joined Your Horsham in 2025 as its first BID Assistant. Her role supports the day-to-day delivery of BID services, including business engagement, communications, events, project coordination and stakeholder collaboration. Working closely with the BID team and over 360 businesses, Laura is particularly interested in using effective communications and marketing to strengthen business engagement and support the BID’s objectives.
Jenn Stowell, North Notts BID
Jenn joined North Notts BID in September 2026 as the Digital Media and Marketing Lead, bringing with her a wealth of experience in local government communications. Being born and raised in Nottinghamshire she is passionate about helping local communities and businesses to grow and protect themselves for the future.
Lily Baker, Chelmsford For You
Lily joined Chelmsford for You in January 2026 as a Marketing Apprentice and is now over halfway through her 18-month course. Since joining, she has developed her marketing skills and knowledge while supporting the BID’s social media, creating content ideas and getting involved in design projects, where she can bring her artistic skills into her work. She is passionate about Chelmsford’s creative community and green spaces and enjoys getting hands-on with projects across the city centre. Lily is excited to continue learning and build her knowledge of the BID industry through the British BIDs Certificate.
Izzy Townsend, Marketing Assistant – Gloucester BID
Niki Swali, BID Leicester
"The Certificate in BID Marketing was a fantastic course and one I’d highly recommend to anyone working in BID marketing. It struck the perfect balance between refreshing core marketing principles and introducing new ideas and tools that can be applied straight away.
Simon is an excellent tutor who is knowledgeable, patient and approachable throughout - and the guest speakers provided valuable insight into specialist areas of marketing. One of the biggest benefits was connecting with marketers from BIDs across the UK, sharing experiences and learning from people facing similar challenges. It was a really enjoyable few weeks, and I came away with plenty of practical ideas and inspiration."
Claire Knight, Gloucester BID
"I would highly recommend this course to anyone in BID marketing, from newbies looking to get a head start to seasoned marketers looking to take their BID marketing to the next level. I thoroughly enjoyed this course - learning alongside other BIDs across the UK, sharing ideas, and picking up so many practical tips I'm excited to start implementing."
Catherine Cooper, St Ives BID
“The Certificate in BID Marketing was incredibly informative and relevant; with practical insights I could apply straight away. I’ve already seen a noticeable improvement in engagement across our social channels. The inclusion of AI tools was particularly useful and really brought the content up to date. I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking to strengthen their marketing skills.”
Lauren Furey, Wandsworth Town BID
"Taking part in the British BIDs marketing course enabled me to gain valuable insights, not only from the experts who delivered the course but also from other marketing professionals based at BIDs up and down the country. Even if you think you know everything there is to know about marketing, there's a good chance you'll be surprised by what can be further understood, specifically, about BID marketing."
Rifat Iqbal-Khan, Slough Town Centre BID
"I feel truly honoured to have completed this course. I really appreciate the guidance provided by our wonderful tutors, whose expertise and encouragement played a vital role in my success. Graduating from the BID Marketing course has empowered me with knowledge and skills to take on new challenges in my career. Thank you British BIDs."
Suzy Dierckx, Winchester BID
"The Certificate in BID marketing provided great insights, but what really stood out for me was the collaboration and networking it encouraged. It created a fantastic space for BIDs to share ideas, learn from each other, and build connections across different districts."
Melissa Hanley, One Maidstone BID
"I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Certificate in BID Marketing course in 2024. Each week was something I looked forward to, and I stayed engaged throughout the sessions. Although the course was entirely online, the flexibility it offered was perfect, especially considering the demanding workloads at BIDs! It was fantastic to connect with marketing and events colleagues from across the BID sector, exchanging best practices and staying connected even after the course. I've gained valuable insights that I've already implemented into our BID marketing strategy. I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to deepen their understanding of BID marketing and expand their network with other BIDs."
Hannah Saroli, Your Bromley BID
Claire Knight, Gloucester BID
Catherine Cooper, St Ives BID
Niki Swali, BID Leicester
Tyler Smith
Sally Boyd, Bury BID
Beth Bennett, Globe Business Park & Cressex Business Park BIDs (Groundwork)
Nicola Wooldridge, Hemel Hempstead BID
Courtney Harrison, Lincoln BIG
Ben Beardmore-Gray, Newbury BID
Marcia Greenwood, Northfield BID
Wendy King, Poole BID
Charlotte Perry, Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID
Georgia O'Connell, Stratford upon Avon BID
Jade Sandground, Wakefield BID
Lauren Furey, Wandsworth Town BID
Sam Murray
Lois Churcher, BID Leicester
Rachael Aldridge, Central District Alliance
Ryan Mitchell, Chelmsford For You
Kate Keene, Coventry BID
Joanna Breuer, Fulham Broadway BID
Stephanie Vlamis, Huddersfield BID
Cyril Bekoe, Ilford BID
Melissa Hanley, One Maidstone BID
Rifat Khan, Slough Town Centre BID
Elaine Weir, Westside BID
Luisa Huggins, Westside BID
Suzy Dierckx, Winchester BID
