The Background & Challenge
Castlepoint marketing and management were challenged by the landlord to test & prove a concept that might prove leisure and entertainment could work within a certain area of the scheme.
A hugely ambitious and new onsite activation called Festive Point was created! This innovative project revitalised an unused lower ground floor car park at Castlepoint in Bournemouth and turned it into a mini–Winter Wonderland through November and December! Following five years of car park reconstruction and disruptions to the customer parking experience, it was exceptional timing to create something positive and transform it into an event space.
The project partnered with local stakeholders including the Council, LEDHouse and nearly 100 small local businesses and schools to spread costs, commercialise, engage and for us to even have a chance to make this huge undertaking possible!
Apart from the “small” task of turning a car park into Festive Point also included:
- A state-of-the-art immersive LED screen & Santa’s Elevator Grotto experience (game changer for Bournemouth).
- A Roller Rink & Disco
- VR Christmas games
- Food & Drink Stalls
- Community stage for local acts, choirs & schools
- Cinema screen with festive flicks
- Artisan craft fair with 30 local stallholders
The creation of Festive Point took everyone’s input and teamwork. It touched every part of Castlepoint’s onsite team and local stakeholder partnerships! The aim was to re-invent Christmas at Castlepoint and cement its position as a major stakeholder, driving experience, memories, and shoppers to the area, evidenced by the success of our first year!
The Results
Festive Point attracted over 16,000 visitors across the 18 days of operation. Measured through trackable bookings of the Roller Rink & Grotto experience – which had nearly 6,000 pre-bookings alone!
Castlepoint experienced a significant surge in footfall during the festive season, with a 46% increase in December compared to 2022 following a 22% rise in November 2023 versus November 2022 when Festive Point launched – which also translated into significant YOY growth in sales for key tenants.
Festive Point attracted over 50 local business and organisations to take part and supported 5 local schools with our festive stage that offered schools a professional set-up for their performances.
Local radio & print press picked up on the success, popularity and innovation, harnessing over £10,000 worth of FREE PR.
Social media engagement & reach surged due to local interest Facebook reach grew 38.7% versus December 2022 an extra 100,000 views, Instagram engagement grew by 38.7%. Website traffic saw a significant increase in December +53% YOY with an additional 18,000 visits.
At the conclusion of Festive Point over 230 Christmas trees were composted and reused in the landscaping around Castlepoint as we made it into a local Christmas tree drop-off point for the community This included 70 real trees that we used to decorate the event space.
Festive Point acted as a case study to evidence to the landlord that future events, entertainment, and leisure can work successfully in this location at Castlepoint!
