In the twenty years since it was established in the city, Liverpool BID Company has been part of an urban revival that has seen Liverpool transform. Representing over 800 businesses in the city centre, Liverpool BID’s services include improving the public realm, marketing and supporting major events, helping businesses to network and knowledge share and being a voice for the private and public sector.
Liverpool BID Company is a long-standing partner of The Liverpool International Tennis Tournament.
We spoke with Liverpool BID’s Director of Strategic Partnership and Communication, Katie Bentley, about how the event is part of their wider programme to support major events that drive the visitor economy forward, and how these partnerships shape the character of the city.
What is Liverpool BID Company’s role in the city?
Liverpool BID was established twenty years ago, and it was part of a pilot scheme to introduce business improvement districts into the UK. They are protected and their role is defined by government legislation so it’s a critical ingredient in helping to create an environment for business to thrive.
Our work, at its heart, involves supporting not just the levy-paying businesses of the city centre, but helping them to build a city that ensures they can succeed. There are three business improvement districts in Liverpool, all managed by Liverpool BID. The retail & Leisure BID focuses on the core of the city centre, the retail and hospitality hub, including Church Street, Bold Street, up to Hope Street and Williamson Square.
The Culture & Commerce BID takes in the traditional Commercial District, the engine fuel of the city’s economy, going up towards Lime Street and St George’s Quarter and down to the waterfront and out towards the docks.
The third BID is the Accommodation BID, representing over 80 hotels and serviced accommodation providers in the city. They will manage the new £2 overnight charge in hotels across the city, an investment that will turbo charge the city’s cultural and events offer to help the visitor economy thrive.
Our work is defined and driven by our levy-payers, but it comes in four key areas; Business Support, Animation and Events, Connectivity and Safety, Security and Cleanliness. What that means day to day is two dedicated BID Police Officers who patrol and connect our businesses with Merseyside Police to help reduce crime, six Street Rangers who are out maintaining and enhancing the public realm daily. You’ll often see their buggies out and about in the city. They recently cleaned the suitcases on Hope Street. It’s about little touches that make the visitor experience better.
We do a lot of major events helping to raise the profile of our various industries and ensuring people visit them; Liverpool Restaurant Week, Must-See Month in the cultural Sector, Celebrating Bold Street and Celebrating Castle Street and Last Day of Summer, these are all BID funded and managed events that drive footfall but also help to illustrate the colour and character of Liverpool.
We work globally to help attract investment to the city and to share the city’s story. This Spring we were at MIPIM to showcase the Commercial District and the new businesses moving in there. There’s major investment happening and it’s an incredibly popular city for up and coming businesses. A new AI company has just opened up at the Royal Liver Building.
Liverpool is an incredibly attractive city for young professionals because there is so much to do, it’s such a beautiful city and it’s very walkable. That’s a major draw.
What are the benefits to businesses of working with Liverpool BID?
There are many different sectors and industries in Liverpool so it’s vital we’re able to work and showcase the great variety of skills, abilities and experience that exists within the city. When we are connecting businesses and driving destination marketing campaigns, our work is often about connecting to different audiences and industries. We’re a small team of 20 but we pack a punch.
Whether it’s supporting our retail sector with the formation of a British Crime Reduction Partnership, which the BID runs, or it is helping to bring an international golf tourism event to the city, which happens this Autumn, we work hard to deliver something for every sector.
What are your most memorable moments from working at Liverpool BID?
I’ve been with Liverpool BID for around three years. We were heading into Eurovision when I joined, which we supported through the private sector. Everything we do represents the business community.
We’re one of the first cities to introduce the Accommodation BID and visitor levy. That’s a real game-changer. When The Open Golf comes to the city, the levy will generate around £115,000 from visitors paying £2 per room per night. That can pay to bring another event to Liverpool. So you can see how it’ll create a circular economy of bringing in major events.
We brought in Liverpool Restaurant Week last year, which was a big success in supporting the hospitality industry. The majority of visitors spend in Liverpool is on hospitality so the industry needs our support. During Liverpool Restaurant Week, people downloaded almost 250,000 vouchers off the website, which is incredible.
How did the partnership between Liverpool BID Company and the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament start? What makes the collaboration a good fit?
We’re a long-standing supporter of Liverpool Tennis. We’re keen to support anything to do with sports and wellness. If we can get children into sports, it supports our goal of reducing anti-social behaviour in the city. The social value of what Anders does is brilliant from that perspective.
It’s also a jolly good day out for our lovely levy payers!
How does Liverpool Tennis benefit the city and BID levy payers?
In terms of key benefits it isn’t just one thing. Liverpool tennis is a great way to promote the city, to encourage visitors to come, stay overnight, enjoy everything the city has to offer and go to a fab event. It promotes sports in the city and helps to showcase global, elite athletes coming to Liverpool. It’s hugely important, if you’re a child and you see a global star playing a sport here it shows you what you can achieve and the difference sport and activity can make.
Last year, I met Neil Skupksi, who trained at Aigburth and grew up at the local tennis club. It was great to see somebody that had gone on from there to really succeed.
Our levy payers enjoy attending the event to network and have a great day out.
Plus, I love it when Anders brings the little tennis courts into town. And the businesses absolutely love being able to go for a knockabout on Castle Street at lunchtime for fun competition.
This type of activity helps us animate the streets so people see Liverpool as a wholesome and sporty town. It’s a lovely partnership and an event that Liverpool needs to continue having.
How does Liverpool BID support the Liverpool Tennis activations?
We work really closely with the team to help make sure they can operate in the city centre and bring that animation and activity to the city streets. We then publicise it to businesses and encourage them to come down, have a knock around and drive a bit of healthy competitiveness.
What do your levy payers enjoy most about attending Liverpool Tennis?
They really enjoy the delicious food, great entertainment, and the opportunity to mix with hundreds of the city’s business people. It’s also a relaxed environment where everyone lets their hair down and really enjoys themselves.
What would you say to businesses considering getting involved with Liverpool Tennis?
Go for it! Game, set, match.
