On Tuesday 17th September, Bracknell BID partnered with UK Property Forums at Maxis Business Park to launch the BID’s new 2025-2030 Business Plan and Proposal for a second term of Bracknell BID, which businesses from the Western and Southern Business Areas (BID area) will vote on in October.
During this event businesses and organisations from across the BID’s Western and Southern business areas met to hear plans for the potential next term of the Business Improvement District 2025-2030 and its potential benefit to businesses. It provided a great networking opportunity for attendees, with two sessions of speakers, an opportunity to raise any queries.
The event provided some thought-provoking discussions in shaping the future of the Bracknell BID area, and the opportunities for businesses as we move into new era. Panels and speakers talked about why the BID is important for business investment in Bracknell in the future.
Bob Collis, Deputy Chair of Bracknell BID led the introduction to the event and the importance of the BID’s second term for businesses in the BID area.
The first part of the session was led by Ian Ferguson, Director of Partnerships for Better Business Ltd (pfbb UK). He spoke with Sean Griffin, Bracknell BID Manager and Bob Collis, who provided an in depth insight into what the BID offers, the many current projects and plans for a future term. They explained the two new objectives in the new business plan and some of the reasoning behind why these are going to be beneficial to both small and larger businesses across the BID area. A short promotional video was also shown, highlighting the impact the BID has made on the local area and the projects completed in the current term, which can be viewed here.
The next session included a moderated panel featuring local business leaders sharing their experiences with the BID, discussing how it has benefited them and what they expect from the next term. Speakers for this part of the event included Kevin Morrison from Midwich, Jon Morgan from In ‘N’ Out Autocentres and Lucy Spencer from Education Boutique.
After a short refreshment break the second half of the event saw Guy Parkes from Vail Williams talking about the changes in property demand and the outlook for the area over the next year or so and Sue Halliwell, Chief Executive of Bracknell Forest Council spoke of the alignment between the BID’s and the Council’s plans for economic development and environmental initiatives for the future and how important the collaboration will be going forward. A captivating presentation focusing on Bracknell’s current strengths and trends in the property market was also shown outlining the strategic importance of the BID for attracting investment and fostering business growth in Bracknell over the next five years. This panel was moderated by Matthew Battle of UK Property Forums and included Nick Hardy of Page Hardy Harris, Andy Jansons from Jansons Property and Sue Halliwell, Chief Executive of Bracknell Forest Council.
In Bob Collis’ closing remarks, he talked about how the BID can provide stable and consistent support for businesses in a constantly changing environment. There was then a complimentary lunch, networking opportunity and the chance to have a guided tour of Maxis to see the outstanding spaces available.
Bracknell BID would like to thank UK Property Forums for partnering this event, as well as Maxis and Frasers Property UK for hosting the session, Butler & Walrus for catering for the event and all of those who attended.
