Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

who said i don't know anything about costs?

sorry to disappoint but i do have an idea about them as I have event management experience however as yet we don't know what budget has been set aside and not only that it is down to the person charged with organising next years event to research and cost the said event.

i simply responded to their request for ideas re: said event!

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

Beleive me I don't advocate an 80-90 hour week either but I have to do it to survive :D

As I said earlier in the thread I did my bit for the switch on by opening by opening late to at least make it look like the town centre retailers have some interest. I knew what the outcome would be but as I said, I wouldn't have the right to comment if I just sat back and did nowt. You know you are up against when one of the main retail feature points of the town is closed and one of the countries top retailers Wilkinsons is also closed.

As well as the retailers themselves the people driving any promotion of the town and it's events should be the council and the Chamber Of Trade.
I can imagine some people saying to me if you're not happy get up and do something about it. I wish I could.

A lot of it still goes back to one of my earlier posts, which comes first, people shopping in the town to generate the income for retail interest and investment, or retail investing in a business which may never arrive due to the demographics of the area. I don't know the answer

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

One of the biggest problems to overcome in organizing anything of this kind, as the lovely Gayle will attest, is apathy. For that reason you have to be prepared to start small. Perhaps one street or group of neighbouring shops. Prove by example that it will work and then build around the nucleus every succeding year.

Major events evolve and grow out of small occurances. Think of the Oberamergau Passion Play. It started off with a half dozen locals enacting the key bits of the Passion story - now look at it! it is the same with the German Christmas Markets idea, it did not spring into existence fully-formed, huge and sparkling, but over time has grown and developed and become increasingly popular.

I can well understand Gayle's unwillingness to flog her guts out, yet again, to so little apparent profit. Getting anyone to do anything out of the ordinary is like trying to make water flow uphill.

That having been said though, I do strongly support the idea that little will change in Accrington unless the people of Accrington get off their backsides and make it happen. And, surely, that is the most important lesson bequeathed to us by our victorian forebears. Remember the old town Motto - Industry and Prudence Conquer, where 'industry' is meant in its most basic sense, that of getting busy.

Q. What is the most Victorian part of town?
A. Church Street and Warner Street. The Victorian Arcade, Little shops, A garden to use for a gathering space and all within sight of the Market Hall.
Call it the Church Street Winter Festival. Make a list of British Winter Traditions and from this form your attractions. Have two brass bands - so they can keep up the jollity for ages. Maybe you could also get St James' involved too.

The centre piece of the event is a massive Christmas Tree absolutely loaded to breaking with decorations and lights - not the paltry single stand normally used.

Keep it small, do it to a professional standard and everyone will go home happy and look forward to the next time.

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

Ok -

Few questions to answer

Cashman/Garinda - I own a buisness in the town i have rates and other bills to pay to
to the council so its irrelevant where i live as i am still paying taxes to Hyndburn BC
for my buisness.

Cashman - You are somewhat obsessed with the budget for this event, And the constant well
you want more budget Leon but who will pay for it, I shall explain the budget is set by the
controlling council the year before who are also dictated to by the goverment to what they
deem fit to be spending on public events, This events budget is not high but i do think that if
we receive an increase next year i am pretty sure your council tax wont go up because
of the xmas lights.

However so you dont have sleepless nights....... I am already working on outside
sponsorship, however as we are in a recession still many buisnesses do not want to sponsor
an event as they would rather keep the money this year alone i asked , Greyhound Ford, Thwaites,
Hollands Pies, Coors, VK, Tesco, Asda and none of them wanted to sponsor the event, the bee radio
also asked its local suppliers as well and they all said NO THANKS.....

So we did try our best, as i explained before the reason why i asked for an increased budget next
year was because so many people that i worked with the event on, i asked for favours to get the event
to the standard it was at, Yes people will say Dance Act not very christmas and where was the carols, We broke the
crowd attendences for the lights switch on, The event went down amazing we had no incidents at all, and considering
Darwens been slated for their lights switch on by their own community, I do feel at times that certain members
on this forum are very good at firing negatives or standing on their soap boxes but they never seem to
be doing anything for the town.

Re my experience in running an event which has been questioned, For 14 years i was in the music industry, and also 7 of
them years i ran a successful events company, so i along with Kerry at Hyndburn Leisure can run big events however as
we have already pointed out a bigger event would require a bigger budger.

The market traders were asked if they wanted to stay open and they didnt they closed at 5pm, so while i agree that lets
by local and lets do a christmas fayre which is something to look at, I feel that the market traders may just go Nah were
not interested, and thats what people need to understand that you cant force them to open, and you need a good 75 % of them
to agree otherwise it wont look good just a few stalls open.

With regards to the talent we had on stage this year Kelly Llorenna was never going to be everyones cup of tea, however
she did it as a favour to me as we know each other, and the band Boomin who opened the show have now been signed to
support Mcfly, Overall there were things on the day that i thought after we should of done, however the feedback i have
had on the event has been brilliant.

My point for coming on here was to listen if you have any ideas or feedback lets hear them, But i am all for freedom
of speech however silly remarks like well he lives in blackburn or people taking swipes when i have answered questions,
just adds to the reason why at times people have such a negative view of accrington, I do feel that certain members of this
forum do have their own agenda and also always want to do anything down, Yes there are improvements i would like to make
on next year, However 1st year NO INCIDENTS, BROKE ATTENDENCE RECORD, Thats not a bad start.....

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

and we won't know if we don't try it, it's no good sitting back and doing nothing, if we try to do something and it fails, then we can complain!

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

Well said and good idea Acrylic....from little acorns:)

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

iv said it in another post dave that people such as yourself shoudl be given incentive to not only start a buiness in town center but get involved.

a shop with something of interest in it has to be better than an empty shop or yet another cheap shop or betting shop.

im not knocking the newish food place in town that does 2 pies for a pound its quite good for teh price actually but 20 yards away there is greggs.Hardley diversity is it ?

i would much rather see your shop on broadway than peel street it would be more appealing a sight than some shops on there but im guessing the rents considerably higher but thats just a guess i may be wrong

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

as i said before we DON'T need existing traders for a xmas market we advertise to local community/charities/groups/residents to see if THEY would like to hold a stall!

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

as i said before we DON'T need existing traders for a xmas market we advertise to local community/charities/groups/residents to see if THEY would like to hold a stall! by the way, i'd be happy to get involved

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

Not me. I know nothing about you.

I did ask if you'd ever been involved with running a successful commercial concern.

I merely pointed out, after you'd posted...

that costs are an important aspect of everything, especially if it involves any finance provided by the hardworking tax payer.

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

OK so you've defended what you did this year and it seems to have been successful up to a point -but those who have been writing on here about this don't seem to have any hidden agendas to me. The over-whelming voice is that something more traditional, up-market and which appeals to a wider cross-section of the community is what is wanted. A bit less lowest common denominator...yes, i am a terrible snob, but quality counts.

Love Acrylic-bob's idea for the Warner Street Winter Festival -good starting point. Money doesn't buy everything, good organisation and networking are the key -how much does a third rate celeb cost for an evening -spend the money elsewhere and you've already made a start...

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

i am an experienced business manager and have set up and run events (primarily in the leisure and tourism industry)

and yes i agree cost is important however i also believe that council money would be better spent on something that benefits the whole community (and hopefully local trade) than some of it's current hare brained schemes

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

Some of the towns stallholders and shopkeepers might feel agrieved at being left out of the festival - that's good - encourage them to take part by taking a stall for the evening.

Gayle could actually do a bit to help by persuading her various groups to make stuff especially to be sold for the event and talking endlessly to the Observer and the Telegraph about it. Schools could also take part through competitions which would have their culmination on the evening of the event.

Your only expenses so far are the Christmas Tree and the fee for the Special Events Notice, which, as the event is for the good of the town centre, the council will be leant on or, shamed into, waiving. Take what is available voluntarily and use it to the maximum and that way it won't cost much at all. Get all the participants blogging and tweeting and posting vids on Youtube prior to the event - free publicity. A poster in every school and community centre etc etc.

But the most important thing of all it will be the people of Accrington organising the whole thing. Doing it for themselves instead of allowing the council to fork out vast sums of taxpayer cash directly into the pockets of Z-list celebrities and wanna-be's for a few half-hearted renditions of half-witted pop ditties.

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

also agree bob's idea would be a great start

Re: Christmas Shopping Fireworks
 

finally someone speaks sense!