As the festive season draws to an end, Seventa Events reflects on Bournemouth’s most successful Christmas Market to date.
The five-year contract for the market was secured by the events agency two years prior and, in conjunction with BCP Council and Christmas Tree Wonderland, has since gone from strength to strength.
For 2019/20, the market saw its highest visitor footfall to date, with millions of visitors indulging in the festive offerings that the market brought to Bournemouth Square. The percentage increase of people year on year has been something that Seventa Events are extremely proud of, which is credit to the dedicated team who now work year round on this huge project. A notable mention goes to Joanne Howard, the newly appointed Event Producer for the project.
This year’s market saw a focus on local community involvement with the number of local traders increasing,, including the likes of Zim Braai, Aruba, Patty Cakes and The Baked Cheese Company, to name a few. These newly formed partnerships proved hugely popular amongst visitors and the events agency hopes that as a result, these collaborations will continue to thrive over upcoming events and at this year’s market.
Seventa Events also constructed a new, bespoke central stage for 2019 which housed a 49 day long schedule of local live music acts including schools, charities and up and coming talent. The stage displayed a 5m x 3m screen, providing local businesses with the opportunity to have their business seen by 70,000 + people daily.
The two-storey Alpine Lodge Bar was once again a stand out feature of the market, bespoke built by sister company Innovative Hire, working in partnership with Mar-Key Group. The bar proved more popular than ever this year, with the capacity to host 180 downstairs, 100 upstairs and an additional 250 in its surrounding outdoor area. The structure also boasts two large bars and an abundance of rustic furniture and décor, giving it that perfect après ski vibe. Large heated parasols were added to the outdoor area to ensure guests were kept warm and dry through the adverse weather over Christmas!
Guests were able to pre-book reserved booth seating packages this year, making the Alpine Lodge a real hub for festive celebrations. This option proved extremely popular amongst local businesses, with teams opting to use the space for Christmas parties and festive events. The upstairs space was also home to the December edition of the Pure Networking Social, which saw 100 local businessmen and women meet to network and indulge in a mulled wine or two!
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council have commented: “Seventa Events won the contract over several other national providers in 2017 and have delivered three years of a vastly improved Christmas offering for Bournemouth. One of our focus points was to have a supplier that increased local traders, of which Seventa have done so. Local traders now include local businesses, arts & crafts traders, and local restaurants providing hot food stalls. The overall quality, design and management of Christmas in Bournemouth has vastly improved since Seventa took over the contract. They deliver the event professionally, and have a very personal team that work well with all of our stakeholders. We would highly recommend them to any Council.”
Jon Weaver, Head of Events for Bournemouth Council
As the team head back to Seventa HQ, baubles, garlands and mistletoe in hand, the planning for 2020 is set to commence, ensuring that the improvements keep delivering. Seventa Events Founder and Director Simon Brooks has said “Seeing the amazing positive reaction to the Bournemouth Christmas Market this year has been hugely uplifting. The team work incredibly hard on this year round to design, build and run such a successful event. It is so important to us as a company that we deliver every event to be a success and our third year of producing the Bournemouth Christmas Market was certainly no exception. I am very proud to call this project ours.”
To find out more about Bournemouth Christmas Market – https://christmasinbournemouth.co.uk/
To find out more about Seventa Events – www.seventa.co.uk