Opt-in membership is available to businesses that either exist out-with the catchment area of Nairn BID, or whose property’s rateable value lies below the £1000 threshold, but still wish to support the BID and receive most of the benefits that members do. As Nairn BID exists for the improvement of Nairn as a whole then supporting the BID can be a valuable way of saying to your customers that you as a business are contributing to making Nairn a better place.
Opt-in members receive the same benefits as other members, they just don’t have the voting rights that levy area businesses do when it comes to the renewal ballot for the BID. For the five year business plan which outlines the main areas of spending and objectives of Nairn BID, please click here.
They can apply for free stalls at our events and markets, benefit from free marketing and promotion (website listing, social media sharing and member of the month), and attend our meetings, business workshops and networking events.
Nairn BID organises street markets along the High Street several times a year. The BID also runs Taste of Nairn, Wheels of Nairn and the Countdown to Christmas events.
If you think your business would benefit by being part of the BID and you would like to join, please fill in our application form. You can also send us a photograph and listing wording for the VisitNairn website.
Opt-in membership starts from £125 a year. Membership runs for our financial year from 1st October to 30th September. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to get in touch – office@nairnconnects.com
Member of the Month
Nairn Book & Arts Festival
July 2024
This month we are featuring Nairn treasure, The Nairn Book & Arts Festival which has been running continuously – even through COVID when it went online for a year – for 21 years!
The Festival is such a great part of the Nairn calendar so we thought we would shine a spotlight on it this year well in advance so that everyone has the chance to enjoy the programme to the full.
The festival was founded when George Gray, the then owner of Nairn Bookshop, set it up in 2003. They say it takes a village to raise a child and it’s similar with putting on a festival! It is overseen by a Board of Trustees and has two part-time staff, Tanera Bryden and Olivia Parsons, 15 dedicated volunteer committee members who help with many different aspects of the festival such as fundraising, coming up with event ideas and liaising with participants, and over 40 additional volunteers who help out during the festival – coming from all walks of life!
Findlay Napier
Irvine Welsh
Jackie Kay
James Crawford
This year’s programme promises to be the biggest and best yet and is now available both in print and online. All tickets can be booked online, or physical tickets can be bought at Vitamin Sea on the High Street.
There are many events not to miss and several coups – authors and artists from both far and near include Irvine Welsh, Sally Magnusson, trad artist Findlay Napier and Early Scots music ensemble Laudonia. There’s even a Northern Soul Night.
The festival team are particularly excited about the Town Centre Takeover on Saturday, August 31 when they will be closing the High Street and there will be street artists, street theatre, music and a fancy dress parade led by Nairn Pipe Band. Shops and businesses will be encouraged to throw their doors wide open and get involved (and dress up!) – there is an offer of some lovely bunting to hang outside your shop made by volunteers at Green Hive. This will be given out before the festival and collected again afterwards. Please give some thought to whether you can hang bunting outside your shop, and how you will do it!
The festival is a registered charity, and dependent on funding. They are very grateful to the local businesses and individuals who support them on an ongoing basis. This year, for the first time, they have a commitment of funding for three years from Haventus, the company which is running the Ardersier Port. They feel this is a game changer which will allow them to plan and leverage more funding into the future. The festival will feature in the September edition of Lifestyle Magazine and BID members are being offered special rates if they want to advertise alongside the editorial about the festival.
The festival is an opt in member of Nairn BID because they really value the opportunity membership gives them to interact with the local business community as well as the wider public through for example taking a stall on market days. Their ‘Blind Date with a Book’, tombolas and raffles are always popular! They also mentioned the valuable publicity they get through the VisitNairn website and other platforms, which mean that they keep their place as one of the landmarks of the year. We are all very much looking forward to what the festival will bring this year!
