ATCM is a not-for-profit membership organisation, one of the largest dedicated to promoting the vitality and viability of urban centres across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. This includes nearly 500 practitioners and partnerships. The Town and City Management Award for Best Marketing & Branding represents a significant national achievement for Croydon BID and the town centre.
Croydon BID, in partnership with Wild in Art, created, developed, and delivered Croydon Stands Tall; a unique and vibrant showcase mass participation trail for Croydon, the London Borough of Culture 2023. The association signalled the first time a Business Improvement District has led a Wild in Art trail.
Spanning 10 weeks from 21st August to 28th October 2023, Croydon Stands Tall transformed the town centre into an open-air gallery, featuring 60 bespoke giraffe sculptures designed and supported by local artists, schools, and businesses. This event brought together every aspect of our community, promoting vibrancy, colour, positivity, and engagement.
Our ability to create, develop, extend and market Croydon Stands Tall, and the foundation to our award, is the simple recognition of the collaborative partnerships we have in place with our business community. This award is very much for you and all your support.
Community involvement was at the heart of the initiative, with local artists, students, and businesses contributing to the project. Croydon BID raised £244,000 in sponsorship and contributions, with an additional £19,000 in-kind support from logistics partner FM Conway. Croydon BID collaborated with multiple partners to deliver a far-reaching marketing and communications strategy across diverse target audiences.
With over 60 sculptures to collect, the Croydon Stands Tall app recorded 86,000 sculpture clicks. Over 40,000 trail maps were accessed, 7,004 app players engaged, and the website saw 83,000 visits. Participants collected 86,000 sculptures, walked 63,611,266 steps, and covered 5,188 miles. Among the app users, 61% were from Croydon, 22% from other London areas, and 17% from outside London, with 82% spending more time in Croydon due to the trail.
Through our partnerships, our marketing efforts reached an estimated 2.65 million individuals via Trams for London window stickers, engaged 6 million through the outdoor digital screens at BOXPARK Croydon, and connected with 72,500 individuals via their internal digital screens.
We distributed 20,000 leaflets to all guests at Leonardo Hotel and placed 35,000 promotional flyers into primary school book bags.
Our bespoke event website saw over 83,000 visitors, while our social media engagement reached an impressive 518,000 individuals. We Collaborated with external partners, sponsors, and artists to extend our outreach. One artist garnered extraordinary attention on TikTok, amassing 3.6 million views and receiving 204,000 likes for their sculpture.
Croydon Stands Tall also made significant cultural and social contributions. Highlights included a tribute sculpture to the England Women’s World Cup squad, displayed during the final match against Spain, and a sculpture showcased at the Lord Mayor’s Show in London, viewed by 500,000 visitors.
Fundamentally, working with Crisis Croydon, Croydon Stands Tall raised £59,000 for the homelessness skylight facility in Croydon town centre, further enhancing their work.
The ATCM Town and City Management Awards were hosted in Glasgow on Wednesday 19th June 2024 and are an annual event, celebrating the national achievements of its members, placemaking practitioners, local authorities and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).
For more information about Croydon Stands Tall and other initiatives by Croydon BID, please visit https://croydonbid.com/business/revitalise/festivals-events/