East Suffolk Town Celebrations

Tender description

East Suffolk Council Economic Development Team have been awarded funding through the Welcome Back Fund from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to support the safe return to high streets and help build back better from the pandemic. This funding builds on the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund announced in May 2020 and forms part of the wider support government is providing to communities and businesses. As part of a wider programme of building back better projects that East Suffolk Council will be running between July 2021 and March 2022, we are looking to procure a pilot for high street markets, cultural activities & events and immersive public experiences such as street theatre, music and art throughout East Suffolk's 12 key Towns and Villages. The programme of activity should work to help connect our towns throughout the district, support the local economy, celebrate place and ultimately raise the profile of East Suffolk within the visitor economy. The programme of activity will need to support the extension of the key summer season through the provision of events and activities from October 2021 to March 2022. Within East Suffolk we have well-established cultural, arts, music, heritage and food & drink sectors which we are keen to showcase and build our town celebrations around these existing themes and potentially existing activities. To enable us to do so, it is vital that all bidders have strong local connections and knowledge of East Suffolk's businesses and vibrant communities. The activity programme should be wider than events delivery and include: o A consultancy package of support to advise town councils and local business groups on best practice for event development, feasibility work to assess the types of events that their town could support and what marketing could help to encourage greater footfall into their town centres to support recovery. o A programme of pilot markets in specific locations that don't currently have an events programme. The markets should go above and beyond the traditional 'food and drinks' markets and explore opportunities to include arts, culture and music. The locations will be advised by the East Suffolk Economic Development Team. o A cultural programme to enhance the visitor experience to the high streets and support recovery. For example, this could include temporary art installations, showcases, street entertainment and more. We are particularly keen to see a wide range of street entertainment. All of the above events and activities should have a focus on place-based celebrations that unite East Suffolk towns as part of their economic and community recovery. All elements of activity should aim to commence from October 2021 and run until March 2022. Please note that should further funding become available the activity could be extended beyond March 2022 and all bidders should consider this when submitting their bid. The responsibilit...