Client
“Kelly played a leading role in re-positioning Cheltenham’s image as a destination and attraction. She impressively worked with a wide range of stakeholders (civic, academic, political, hoteliers, hospitality businesses) and got them all aligned to work together in the interests of the town which resulted in some significant growth in the value of the tourism market. Kelly’s impressive advocacy and interpersonal skills enabled her to build a deep rooted and effective network. She is a valued advisor with a great depth of experience, who tenaciously led the development of a robust and visionary marketing strategy and created a successful team. “
Tim Atkins ~ former Director of Place & Growth Cheltenham Borough Council
Strategic Tourism Consultant July 2016 – July 2017
‘Marketing Cheltenham’ Manager Aug 2017 – July 2019
Working in collaboration with a group of town stakeholders, I created a 5-year strategy to boost Cheltenham’s visitor economy. Partners included Cheltenham Borough Council, Cheltenham Business Improvement District (BID), The Cheltenham Trust, and Cheltenham Racecourse.
This strategy not only supported Cheltenham’s visitor businesses but also assisted Cheltenham BID with event marketing and other initiatives.
The project involved setting up a sustainable business model, that included commercial investment, and effective business community engagement.
A case study on the development and impact of Marketing Cheltenham can be found here.
Achievements
> Established a new Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) for Cheltenham operating as partnership between Cheltenham Borough Council and Cheltenham BID.
> Annual visitor spend increased, from £159m in 2017 to £173m in 2019, an extra £14million brought into the economy, a rise of 8%
> A public/private sector business model was created, with 450 businesses involved (inc BID members), driving just under £200,000 of private sector funding by year 2.
> Successfully managed marketing for numerous events for Cheltenham BID.
> Project managed a new website www.visitcheltenham.co.uk unique visitors went from just over 275,000 in 2017 to just over 545,000 by 2020.
> Set up new social media accounts that grew exponentially, Instagram from 50 followers to 10k within three years.
> A detailed end-of-year report of 2018 successes can be downloaded HERE. (5Mb PDF)
