Town Centre Marketing Public Sector | Holywell & Mold
| Title | Services | Client | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Footfall Driving to Rural Highstreets | Marketing Events PR Communications | Flintshire County Council | Holywell, Mold & Buckley, North Wales |
Revitalising Rural High Streets: A Case Study in Community-Driven Event Planning
The Brief & the Challenge
Flintshire County Council faced a pressing challenge; the declining vitality of three rural town centres. Online shopping, supermarkets, and out-of-town retail parks like Cheshire Oaks and Broughton had significantly impacted footfall, leaving local high streets struggling. The council enlisted my expertise to drive footfall into these high streets by creating events, fostering community collaboration, and driving engagement to enhance their viability.
Working with the Community
Rapid Community Engagement
To kickstart the project, I organised stakeholder engagement sessions that brought together diverse groups, including local councils, retailers, community boards, and associations. These sessions were designed to quickly align everyone with a shared vision. Balancing these varying interests required diplomacy, adaptability, and relentless focus on the goal: inspiring people to get involved to help people visit and rediscover their town centers.
Creating Events That Matter
I quickly devised and executed a series of events tailored to each town’s unique character, aiming to attract hundreds of visitors back to their high streets. The events were designed not only to boost immediate footfall but also to create a memorable experience that would resonate with attendees and encourage repeat visits.
- Local Collaboration: Partnered with active community groups, and involved high street businesses to showcase their offerings.
- Innovative Activities: Delivered events that stood out and appealed to different target audiences to bring in maximum numbers.
- Community Buzz: Used targeted marketing and communication to create excitement and ensure widespread participation.
Results That Last
The events were a resounding success. Hundreds of people flocked to the high streets, reinvigorating local businesses and demonstrating the power of community-driven initiatives. Cafes and pubs were filled, traders reported bustling activity, and the towns saw a tangible uplift in both footfall and morale.
Beyond the immediate impact, I provided the towns with tools and strategies to sustain the momentum. By empowering local stakeholders with future promotional techniques, the project left a lasting legacy of what could be done if there was such a position within the town councils.
Events
Online retailing, supermarkets, parking, retail parks have hit rural towns hard; shopping is never going to be the same again. We were asked to bring life into the High Street of three small North Wales towns by creating a vision, engaging local businesses, and inspiring people to visit.
We whipped up a storm, created events, drove in footfall, and communicated to an inch of our lives. The events brought hundreds of people back to the High Streets. Events included:
The Challenge
Establishing and driving plans with a demanding audience is no job for a shrinking violet. Resilience and strength of character whilst operating diplomatically was the toughest challenge of delivering memorable marketing activities, but we succeeded and left Towns with tools to use for future promotions to continue the work.
“
“The innovative and extremely proactive manner in which this project was approached, combined with the commitment to meet strict European funding rules and exceed targets, was exemplary. The results spoke for themselves.”
— Richard L. Jones, Tourism Manager, Flintshire County Council
“It was a tremendous day. In all my years here, I’ve never seen the town that busy for that long. The cafes and pubs were packed. It showed Holywell in a positive light and raised the profile of the town.”
— Stephen Hughes, Trader & Chair, Holywell Town Partnership
Key Takeaways
This project demonstrated my ability to rapidly mobilize ideas, engage diverse stakeholders, and deliver impactful events under tight constraints. By bringing creativity, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to community goals, I helped transform the fortunes of these rural high streets and set them on a path to future success.
