August 4, 2015 3.36 pm This story is over 103 months old

New programme to bring Lincoln businesses together for culture boost

Coming together: A new programme looks to bring a variety of Lincoln businesses together to boost the local economy through events.
Around 100 people from businesses in Lincoln city centre donned their crowns to kick off the Great Magna Carta Weekend in Lincoln in June. Photo: Emily Norton for The Lincolnite

After the success of the Lincoln Magna Carta 800th anniversary celebrations, a new training and networking programme has been launched to help businesses in the city’s arts, cultural and tourism scene come together.

Lincoln Cultural & Arts Partnership (LCAP) has launched Culture Connects, which is designed to get events organisers, venues, artists, hospitality and tourism businesses liaising and helping one another.

The programme, which is backed by Arts Council England funding through the Cultural Destinations project, features a series of ‘Culture Cafés’ and masterclass events, which will run between August and early December.

Events build on commitments laid out by LCAP, a consortium of nine organisations – Lincoln BIG, the Visit Lincoln Partnership, Lincolnshire Chamber, the University of Lincoln, City of Lincoln Council, Lincolnshire County Council, Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln Drill Hall and Lincoln Cathedral.

The first of the Culture Café breakfast meetings is due to take place at Stokes on High Bridge, Lincoln on August 11 from 8am, where attendees will hear about the upcoming Festival800.

Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Lincoln BIG and Visit Lincoln say that bringing people working in different sectors together will allow them to grow Lincoln’s cultural events programme and ensure it is sustainable for the future.

Matt Corrigan, Lincoln BIG Chief Executive, explained: “The programme aims to support and sustain the city’s cultural and visitor economy. We want everyone to be pulling in the same direction to ensure we maximise every events opportunity.

“Sessions will focus on business planning, funding, digital marketing, networking and sharing events insights. Delegates at its inaugural conference in February recognised that there are huge potential benefits to be gained by combining the strengths of the arts, cultural and visitor sectors.”

Visit Lincoln Partnership Manager Emma Tatlow said: “The series of Culture Café sessions and Masterclasses aim to get everyone talking about what cultural events mean for them, individually, and to explore how they can work together to make these an even bigger success.

“Sessions will feature briefings for key events, including the Frequency Festival, social media and digital marketing, heritage and the arts, developing new fundraising income streams and The Arts and Happiness.

“The programme will strengthen people’s individual skills and create a clearer understanding of the important role that these type of events play in growing the tourism sector and boosting the visitor economy.”

Businesses and organisations wishing to book places should visit the Lincoln BIG website.

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