Businesses taking the time to join the BedfordBID Breakfast, at the newly branded Bedford Centre Hotel (formerly the Radisson Park Inn), were the first to hear news about the town centre.

Bedford Borough Council unveiled some of its plans for Transport 2020 to narrow carriageways to a single lane and widen footways on High Street.

A chance to hear how the town is planning to bid for Future High Street Fund millions from the Government were explained.

And how BIDs like Bedford are working together to keep customers coming back - and keeping town centres alive and kicking.

Experiences are all important to combat on the march of online shopping - whether that is national chains or independents, all can learn and benefit from each other.

Chair of the BedfordBID Sam Laycock is also Manager of the Harpur Centre which was relaunched on March 9th after a multi-million make-over. She said that the BID was essential to the “all for one” approach to the town centre and that Bedford has pioneered many advances which other BIDs now copied.

The strong branding of Love Bedford was a call to action for consumers and businesses alike. Love Bedford NOW (news offers and what’s on) were back in action with companies clambering to get on the FB film platform.

“The key to the success of Love Bedford is that it appears across all platforms, print, outdoor advertising, radio and online with our professional management of FB and Instagram,” explained Director Christina Rowe. Meanwhile the expert experience team at Insight6 are conducting a consultation on the way forward for the BedfordBID.

View the presentation here.