Measuring The Success 📏
How To Measure The Success Of A BID Event Beyond Footfall
When an event finishes, one question almost always follows:
"Was it successful?"
For shopping centres, the answer can often be supported by footfall data, sales figures and dwell time statistics.
For BIDs, it's rarely that straightforward.
Many town centres don't have footfall counters.
Retailers aren't required to share sales data.
And with hundreds of businesses operating within a BID area, measuring direct impact can be challenging.
Having worked with BIDs and destinations across the UK, we understand that proving the value of an event often requires looking beyond the numbers.
Because success isn't always measured in footfall alone.
Footfall Is Only Part Of The Story
Of course, visitor numbers are important.
The more people visiting a destination, the greater the opportunity for businesses to benefit.
However, footfall alone doesn't tell us:
How visitors felt about the event
Whether businesses benefited
Whether people stayed longer
Whether visitors are likely to return
Whether the event improved perceptions of the destination
Sometimes an event with lower attendance can deliver greater long-term value than a larger event that creates little engagement.
Business Feedback Matters
One of the most valuable measures of success is often the simplest.
Ask businesses.
Did they notice increased activity?
Were customers mentioning the event?
Did they see more visitors than usual?
Would they like to see the event return?
While anecdotal, this feedback can provide valuable insight into how the event was received by the businesses it was designed to support.
Community Engagement Is A Measure Of Success
Many BID events are designed to do more than drive spending.
They help build community pride, encourage participation and strengthen relationships.
Questions worth considering include:
Did local groups get involved?
Was there positive feedback from visitors?
Did community organisations participate?
Were families engaging with activities?
These outcomes can be just as important as visitor numbers.
Social Media Tells Part Of The Story
While social media shouldn't be the only measure of success, it can provide useful indicators.
For example:
Reach
Engagement
Shares
Comments
User-generated content
When people actively share photos and experiences from an event, it often demonstrates that the event has connected with its audience.
PR And Destination Awareness
Events often generate benefits that extend beyond the day itself.
Media coverage, social media conversations and word-of-mouth recommendations all help increase awareness of the destination.
This can continue delivering value long after the event has ended.
Success Looks Different For Every Event
One of the biggest mistakes organisations can make is measuring every event in exactly the same way.
A family trail may have different objectives to a business networking event.
A community celebration may have different goals to a seasonal market.
The most important question isn't:
"How many people attended?"
It's:
"Did the event achieve what it was designed to achieve?"
Looking Beyond The Numbers
In our experience, the most successful BID events are often the ones that create positive experiences, strengthen relationships and support the wider destination.
Of course, metrics matter.
But they don't tell the whole story.
Sometimes success looks like positive feedback from businesses.
Sometimes it's community involvement.
Sometimes it's visitors discovering a town centre for the first time.
The strongest evaluations combine both quantitative and qualitative measures to build a complete picture of impact.
And that's often where the real value can be found.
Let's Start The Conversation
Whether you're planning an event, evaluating its impact or looking for ways to demonstrate value to levy payers, we'd love to hear about your experiences.
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