Bacon sandwiches (or sausage depending on your preference) and a celebration – what’s not to like?
This morning, In the Works PR joined around 300 people in the Grade 2 listed surroundings of the Winding Wheel in Chesterfield town centre, to ‘celebrate’.
Yes, it was the annual Celebrate Chesterfield event, organised by our client Destination Chesterfield.
Like the increasing developments in Chesterfield, our role at Celebrate Chesterfield has also grown over the years. Seven years ago, our role was simply to draft a press release following the event. This year, we were chief videographer, press release writer, media co-ordinator, social media manager and exhibition stand setter upperer.
At the 2019 Celebrate Chesterfield event we represented not one but three clients – Destination Chesterfield, Derbyshire Building Control Partnership and Chesterfield Waterside. Knowing that three of your clients are involved with the success of Chesterfield only increases the buzz.
Today’s speakers delivered insightful presentations and really gave the room a sense of how far the town has come in the last 12 months.
As always, collaboration is the key to success for Chesterfield, something that we are really passionate about at In the Works PR. We know that our best work comes from a collaborative, partnership approach with our clients. And we were able to showcase this across multiple social media accounts during Celebrate.
The collaborative approach between businesses, developers and the council to reinvigorate the town centre is also reaping rewards for In the Works PR. We’ve just landed Elder Way (Jomast Developments) as a client.
Jomast is the company behind the regeneration of the former Co-op department store on Elder Way in Chesterfield. They have transformed the upper two floors of this iconic building into a Premier Inn Hotel which is set to open next month. The basement and ground floor space now need tenants. And that’s our role – to help Jomast raise awareness of this great opportunity.
More exciting is the fact that Jomast is targeting independent food, drink and leisure operators. The new owner of Vicar Lane shopping centre ALTERIS is also actively targeting independent retailers, recognising that they inject life into a bland high street.
Bert Broadhead, director of ALTERIS, told the packed event that “the key is to create a unique offering, customisation, and an experience. It’s no longer solely about convenience. Retail is becoming more complicated, integrated and socially based.”
ALTERIS is now formulating a masterplan vision for the high street in conjunction with architects Leslie Jones with the changing needs of local people at the heart of the plans.
Plans include provision of WiFi as well as the identification and creation of new focal points within the centre. The currently lacking area of Steeplegate, for example, has been reimagined as an independent retail space with a colourful splash of geometric street art by a Sheffield artist in the new plans.
Independent businesses are the lifeblood of Chesterfield. They add vibrancy to the high street. Bert added: “Chesterfield has the raw ingredients to adapt and thrive in the face of the national retail apocalypse. People still want shops, but curating them better and creating a personalised experience for town centre visitors is the key to a successful post digital high street.”
We couldn’t agree more. Bert had lots more to say about Chesterfield and the retail opportunities in the town when we interviewed him on camera. Learn more here.
Retail is just a small part of what Chesterfield has to offer. To stay up-to-date, we recommend checking out www.chesterfield.co.uk.
So, what was the main thing we took away from today? That we need to celebrate collaboration, celebrate opportunity and, most importantly, Celebrate Chesterfield.
