WHY PLACEMAKING EVENTS BELONG IN EVERY DESTINATION MARKETING MIX
Updated: 4 days ago
Placemaking events are one of the most powerful tools available to destination and property marketers. They bring places to life, create meaningful connections with audiences and translate a destination’s identity into something people can actively experience.
At a time when high streets, commercial districts, estates and residential developments are
competing harder than ever for people’s time and attention, events provide a compelling reason to visit, stay, explore and return. They can change perceptions, strengthen local pride and generate valuable footfall, content and commercial engagement.
Traditional marketing channels can tell people what a place offers. An event allows them to experience how that place feels. That distinction matters. Research from Freeman found that 95% of attendees trusted a brand more after attending one of its in-person events.
While the study focused on brands, the principle is equally relevant to places. Meaningful face-to-face experiences build emotional connections that traditional advertising cannot achieve alone.
Creating value across different places
For BIDs and town centres, events can increase footfall, showcase local businesses and encourage visitors to explore more of an area. Research highlighted by Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Place Management found that the first Withington by Night event increased footfall by 30.2% compared with an average Friday.
For commercial property, events can help create a more attractive and distinctive environment for occupiers, employees and visitors. They can support tenant engagement, reinforce a building or estate’s positioning and demonstrate that the experience extends beyond the physical workspace.
Within residential developments, events can build belonging, encourage neighbours to connect and help turn a collection of buildings into a genuine community. This is particularly important in new developments, where shared experiences can establish an identity and sense of place from the outset.
Turning engagement into measurable impact
We see this impact directly through our own work. Summer in the Square, delivered for Baker Street Quarter Partnership, welcomed more than 17,000 visitors across six days and created opportunities for 19 local businesses to participate in the programme.
Our Giant Neon Heart activation at Leadenhall Market generated more than 3,100 photographs and 2,900 audience messages in just six days, alongside extensive media and social coverage, including BBC London.
These results demonstrate why placemaking events should not sit separately from marketing. One carefully planned experience can generate footfall, social content, PR, business participation, audience insight and positive sentiment towards a destination.
More than a moment
The most effective placemaking events are not simply entertainment placed within a location. They respond to its identity, its audiences and the wider commercial or community objectives behind it.
That means considering the entire visitor journey. What attracts people, what encourages them to participate, how businesses and occupiers benefit and what impression visitors take away. Accessibility, inclusivity, safety and measurable outcomes must also be built in from the beginning.
When this is done well, an event becomes far more than a moment in the calendar. It becomes a live expression of the destination’s brand.
For BIDs, estates, developers and property owners, placemaking events are no longer an optional addition. They are an essential part of how successful places are marketed, experienced and remembered.
If you would like to discuss events for your location, place or space, email me megan@theintrepidcollective.com.
About the author
Megan Anstee is Co-Founder and Director of The Intrepid Collective. She specialises in developing events that bring places to life, strengthen connections with local communities and deliver meaningful commercial and social impact.
