Certificate in BID Marketing

Session 1: Marketing 101 

Unlock the secrets of successful marketing with our specialised "Marketing 101" short course! Perfect for beginners and those looking to refresh their knowledge, this course offers a solid foundation in marketing principles tailored specifically for Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). Whether you're part of a small or large team, and regardless of your budget, there are always effective strategies to implement.

This practical, and down-to-earth session will equip you with essential marketing skills to attract visitors, engage local businesses, and enhance community vibrancy. Learn to build strategies for understanding your target audience, create compelling messages, and leverage various channels to reach them effectively.

Tutor - Simon Edward

Session 2: Good writing and communications

Topics will include:

• How to write for your audience – choosing your tone of voice, thinking like a reader, grabbing them by the eyeballs
• How to find your central point by paring the subject right back to the essentials
• How to structure your writing to tell a story – beginnings, middles, ends, and why the writing style you learned at school probably won’t help
• How to make your writing more persuasive with reason, emotion, and character, plus the magic Rule of Three
• How to write clear, concise, compelling copy for posters, powerpoint and PR

The session will include examples, with brief writing tasks to help exercise the creative muscles!

Tutor - Toby Chapman-Dawe

Session 3: B2B vs B2C, Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Round Table BID Marketing Discussion 

Following on from session 1 where we covered marketing basics, we will take a look at the specifics of B2B Marketing for BIDs and also take a look at the impact and opportunities to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Marketing execution. We will follow this with an exclusive marketing round table, designed specifically for BID marketing professionals. As part of our comprehensive "British BIDs Certificate in Marketing" course, this interactive session offers a unique platform to exchange ideas, share experiences, and collaborate on effective strategies with fellow BID marketers and industry experts.

Deliberately scheduled for the middle of the course, this round table is your opportunity to bring your questions, challenges, and opportunities to the table. Hear and learn from others, build clarity, and set your plans in motion.

Dive into discussions that tackle real-world challenges, discover innovative solutions, and gain valuable insights to elevate your district's marketing initiatives. 

Tutor - Simon Edward

Session 4: Practical Digital Marketing for BIDs

This interactive session focuses on how Business Improvement Districts can make the most of digital marketing with the resources they already have. Drawing on proven approaches from working with small and medium-sized businesses, we will explore how to choose the right channels, reuse content effectively, and measure success.

You will learn:

• How to identify which marketing channels will give you the best return
• Simple strategies for planning and repurposing content across multiple platforms
• Ways to encourage engagement and community participation
• How to use analytics to understand what is working and demonstrate impact

This session will give you practical tools and confidence to plan smarter, stretch your content further, and clearly measure your results.

Tutor - Andrew Laws

Session 5: Developing a BID Marketing Strategy - plus Reflections, Questions & Closing Round Table

During this final session we will pull together all of our learnings over the past weeks, with a practical approach to developing a Marketing Strategy for your BID. We will also use this closing session to hold a final round table to reflect on the learnings, hoover up the side discussions which have arisen and take questions.

Tutor - Simon Edward

Simon Edward

The lead Tutor is Simon Edward. Simon is the Former Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at IBM, and a BID Board Director. Simon is an Advisor to several marketing professional bodies, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and a Chartered Marketer.

Toby Chapman-Dawe

Toby Chapman-Dawe is Managing Director of Strand, a specialist copywriting agency. As a journalist for both trade magazines and national press, followed by a switch to the agency side as an advertising copywriter, Toby has been both gamekeeper and poacher. Toby also hosts The Strand Review of Books podcast, and wrote The Beekeeper’s Dictionary – available from Amazon and all good bookshops!

Andrew Laws

Andrew Laws has been using technology to grow companies for nearly 30 years. He is the founder of The Business Amplifier Skool community and Yeseo.io SEO agency. When he's not in the office helping clients grow, he can be found in the studio or on stage, making very loud noises. Andrew loves to talk about mindset, personal growth, business development, neurodiversity and odd music.

Session 1: Marketing 101
Wednesday 25th February 2026, 10am - 1pm

Session 2: Good writing and communications
Wednesday 4th March 2026, 10am - 12:30pm

Session 3: B2B vs B2C, Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Round Table BID Marketing Discussion
Wednesday 11th March 2026, 10am - 1pm

Session 4: Practical Digital Marketing for BIDs
Wednesday 18th March 2026, 10am - 12pm

Session 5: Developing a BID Marketing Strategy - plus Reflections, Questions & Closing Round Table
Wednesday 25th March 2026, 10am - 12pm

Session 1: Marketing 101
Wednesday 3rd June 2026, 10am - 1pm

Session 2: Good writing and communications
Wednesday 10th June 2026, 10am - 12:30pm

Session 3: B2B vs B2C, Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Round Table BID Marketing Discussion
Thursday 18th June 2026, 10am - 1pm

Session 4: Practical Digital Marketing for BIDs
Thursday 25th June 2026, 10am - 12pm

Session 5: Developing a BID Marketing Strategy - plus Reflections, Questions & Closing Round Table
Wednesday 1st July 2026, 10am - 12pm

The cost of the course is £1,500 for Bb members, including their 25% discount. For non-members, please get in touch.

Lauren Furey, Wandsworth Town BID
"Taking part in the British BIDs marketing course enabled me to gain valuable insights, not only from the experts who delivered the course but also from other marketing professionals based at BIDs up and down the country. Even if you think you know everything there is to know about marketing, there's a good chance you'll be surprised by what can be further understood, specifically, about BID marketing."

Rifat Iqbal-Khan, Slough Town Centre BID
"I feel truly honoured to have completed this course. I really appreciate the guidance provided by our wonderful tutors, whose expertise and encouragement played a vital role in my success. Graduating from the BID Marketing course has empowered me with knowledge and skills to take on new challenges in my career. Thank you British BIDs."

Suzy Dierckx, Winchester BID
"The Certificate in BID marketing provided great insights, but what really stood out for me was the collaboration and networking it encouraged. It created a fantastic space for BIDs to share ideas, learn from each other, and build connections across different districts."

Melissa Hanley, One Maidstone BID
"I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Certificate in BID Marketing course in 2024. Each week was something I looked forward to, and I stayed engaged throughout the sessions. Although the course was entirely online, the flexibility it offered was perfect, especially considering the demanding workloads at BIDs! It was fantastic to connect with marketing and events colleagues from across the BID sector, exchanging best practices and staying connected even after the course. I've gained valuable insights that I've already implemented into our BID marketing strategy. I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to deepen their understanding of BID marketing and expand their network with other BIDs."