Businesses invited to participate in Cheltenham Food + Drink Week

The third Cheltenham Food + Drink Week will take place this September, 16 – 22, shining a spotlight on Cheltenham’s incredible chefs, restaurants, bars and cafes.

Hosted by Cheltenham BID and promoted via Visit Cheltenham, plus other local and regional media outlets including Cotswold Life, plans are in place to make this the biggest week-long event yet featuring high profile chefs, food and drink workshops, masterclasses and special menus.

“From cosy cafes to fine dining establishments, Cheltenham Food + Drink Week offers something for everyone. The passion and craftsmanship of our local professionals shine through in every dish and drink. It’s a celebration of flavours, a testament to our community’s vibrancy, and a must-experience event. Join us for a week of culinary delight and see first-hand why Cheltenham is the food capital of the South West.” – Belinda Hunt, Cheltenham BID Operations Manager.

KEY STATISTICS 2023

Featured over 40 venues, including Queens Hotel & KIBOU.
Local & regional press & radio coverage with over 4 million opportunities to see/hear.
32,000+ page views to the campaign page on Visit Cheltenham.
Reviews of six town centre restaurants by the Food Review Club, the UK’s number one food influencer, resulting in 18 videos shared to his 1.6million followers.

Images feature Food Review Club visiting town centre venues during Food + Drink Week 2023.

EVENT OBJECTIVES

The Food + Drink Week format is a popular & effective way of BIDs and Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) working together to drive new & repeat diners to eateries in towns/cities across the UK. We aim to:

Increase footfall in Cheltenham.
Attract new & repeat customers to individual businesses.
Boost awareness of our outstanding food & drink offering, from independent hidden gems to high street favourite restaurants & Michelin Star accredited chefs.
Promote Cheltenham as a the food capital of the South West.

Read on for more details on how the Food + Drink Week works and to sign up.

Three of the forty eateries who took part in 2023 – Tailors, Cake Alchemist & My Pastalicious.

HOW IT WORKS

Participating venues can offer one, or more, of three different activities:

Host a food/drink interactive activity, the more creative the better!

Could you organise a food masterclass, producer talk or chef demonstration? Do you know another specialist within the hospitality industry who could run a masterclass with you? Have you always wanted to run a workshop? Could you launch it this week?

Host a one-of-a-kind food/drink event.

Could you attempt a Guinness world record, or offer an exclusive opportunity for diners, i.e. cook with your chef, visit your vegetable garden and learn how to cook with seasonal produce?

If you know your drag night or quiz night is much-loved why not run one this week accompanied with a great menu and promote it through the campaign. Think about the stories that will be running this week, which your venue could be part of and the week-long news coverage there will be!

Offer a special set menu or exclusive special offer.

For example,two courses for £15, or a Food + Drink Week exclusive cocktail menu that diners will be queuing up to try!

COST TO TAKE PART

We want to enable as many venues as possible to join forces and ensure this year’s Food + Drink Week is the biggest and best yet. Therefore, we are keeping participation costs to a minimum, giving you the opportunity to maximise ROI.

*FREE – This event is free for food and drink businesses in Cheltenham town centre who pay a levy to Cheltenham BID.
*FREE – This event is free for Marketing Cheltenham members.
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT – Venues committing to take part before the 31 May will benefit from an early bird entry discount enabling you to take part for just £50.
FEE JUNE & JULY – Venues signing up after the 31 May – £75.
LATE REGISTRATIONS – Cost £75, although venues wishing to sign up in August and September will be accepted by request only and may miss out on the pre-event publicity illustrated below.

PROMOTION

*By taking part in Food + Drink Week all venues agree to:

Spread the word of the event via their social media accounts & newsletter.
Use the assets provided and the hashtag #CheltFoodDrinkWeek.
Ensure all staff are well-informed about your participation in the programme and know to signpost enquiries to the Food + Drink Week website for further info.
Display printed material in a prominent position at your venue.

In return, all participating venues will receive:

An event listing on the Visit Cheltenham Food + Drink Week campaign page with website link to your venue.
Social media promotion to our 65K followers.
Newsletter promotion sent to our 25K subscribers.
Feature in the printed guide, distributed locally.

Food + Drink Week will also be promoted via:

Flagship high profile event – featuring selected chefs participating in F+D Week.
Other events to boost the profile of the event.
Visits by other high profile chefs.
Visits by food influencers.
Press campaign by our PR agency – Encore PR.
Professional photo shoot.
Promotional video.
Lamp post banners & posters around key spots in the town centre.
Media & influencer launch event – hosted at selected venues participating in the F+D Week.

Images of promotional activities in 2023 – Launch night for media & influencers, printed leaflets & bus sides.

HOW TO SIGN UP

Decide whether you wish to create your own event and / or offer a special offer or set menu during the week.
Fill in the sign up form.
Pay to participate, early bird booking fee of £50 before end of May & £75 after. BID & Marketing Cheltenham members are eligible to take part for free. Look out for an invoice from BID which will be sent to the email address provided.
Download the event graphics and get ready to share to your social media channels & via your newsletter subscribers to help spread the word. If you need assistance please contact Kat Shayler – [email protected]
Promote your event and/or special offer at your venue. Use the Food + Drink Week logo on your leaflets, posters, digital screens around your venue.
Look out for the Food + Drink Week printed guide to distribute to your customers in the summer.