2016 Highlights
JANUARY
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Marketing Lancashire awarded £50K from Arts Council England National Lottery Funded Grants For the Arts programme, to commence work on a new initiative to help raise Lancashire’s profile as a cultural destination.
Marketing Lancashire appoints new Associate Director
FEBRUARY
Marketing Lancashire partners VisitEngland and Virgin Trains to support businesses hit by the winter storms, with a £1million campaign to encourage visitors from London and the South East.
During the period of the campaign pages page views of visitlancashire.com were +133% higher than February the previous year.
Marketing Lancashire works with Best of Britannia, to highlight the county’s creative and making talents, promoting the three-day event in Preston’s Old Post Office building taking place in March.
MARCH
Marketing Lancashire in partnership with Lancaster City Council puts the spotlight on Lancaster in a new campaign to attract visitors from France.
English Tourism Week saw Lancashire businesses win Silver, Bronze and Highly Commended at the the VisitEngland Awards For Excellence 2016
APRIL
Marketing Lancashire begins work with Creative Tourist to boost cultural tourism in Lancashire, having secured £50K from the Arts Council Lottery Funded Grants for the Arts programme
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Marketing Lancashire appoints specialist Food PR agency to work with the team to establish Lancashire as a must visit foodie destination
MAY
Marketing Lancashire organises Great Lancashire Food & Drink Debate, hosted by Matthew Fort to develop new food & drink campaign, to put .jpg)
Lancashire on the culinary map.
Marketing Lancashire appoints new Head of Partnership to drive commercial strategy and develop the corporate partnerships programme.
JUNE
Marketing Lancashire invests in the county’s largest Lancashire-wide visitor research project – to help grow visitors numbers by 7 million over the next 4 years.
Double win for Marketing Lancashire as team wins Best Social Media Presence of the Year award and Chair, Tony Attard OBE is awarded special Contribution to Lancashire award at Downtown Lancashire in Business.
Marketing Lancashire appoints new non-executive board directors to help organisation realise the company’s ambitions for Lancashire.
JULY
Blackpool Council, Marketing Lancashire and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) create joint bid to host the Great Exhibition of the North and Blackpool is named in final four successful finalists.
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Marketing Lancashire holds first ever Taste Exchange, described as the ‘best food and drink show I have every attended’ by several of its exhibitors.
AUGUST
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Marketing Lancashire appoints renowned environmental artist Steve Messam, to create four new pop-up art works as part of Cultural Tourism campaign.
Annual search for Tourism Superstar begins and countdown to Lancashire Tourism Awards 2016 begins.
SEPTEMBER
Marketing Lancashire announces the finalists in the Lancashire Tourism Awards 2016
First of new art commisions When the Red Rose pops up in Preston as part of Lancashire Encounter.
OCTOBER
STEAM figures reveal 7th year of consistent growth in visitor numbers – record 64million visitors and spend of £3.8 billion achieved.
Marketing Lancashire will help bring Lancaster Castle to life thanks to new augmented reality project funded as part of the £40million Discover England Fund, administered by Visit England.
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Marketing Lancashire hosts Lancashire Tourism Awards 2016 at Blackburn Cathedral, Lancashire’s Cathedral; showcasing the very best of Lancashire tourism.
Marketing Lancashire launches #LancashireDay campaign to ‘show the world what it means to be Lancastrian’
Five of Lancashire’s most talented chefs head to London to cook Lancashire produce for the country’s leading food writers, broadcasters and bloggers in celebration of Lancashire Day.
Lancashire welcomes the Northern Powerhouse minister and launches #WeAreLancashire as Marketing Lancashire signs up as Northern Powerhouse partner.
DECEMBER
Marketing Lancashire creates a new pub and inn guide, as part of Food & Drink Campaign; the first in a series of collections to showcase the county’s superb food offer and increase short breaks.