Businesses from across Horsham District are now being invited to express their interest to enter the Council’s Christmas Magic Displays Competition, as part of its ‘Buy Local Gift Happy’ campaign this year. The competition will celebrate the festive windows, displays and market stalls which help to make our towns and villages a magical place to be over the festive period.
Local businesses taking part in the competition will benefit from publicity throughout December, with the businesses with the winning displays being awarded exciting prizes to celebrate their win including even more publicity in local media and a framed certificate.
To enter, all businesses need to do is fill in a simple online form via the Council website by Friday 1 November 2024. They will then receive easy step-by-step instructions regarding their involvement in the competition. All entrants must then be prepared to take a high-quality photo of their display.
During December a public prize competition will launch to decide the overall winning displays. The public will be invited to vote for their favourite displays based on the photos provided by businesses, to determine an overall winning window and display. In collaboration with Your Horsham, Horsham’s Business Improvement District, and a range of media partners there will also be awards for winning displays determined by their readership or audience.
All winners will be announced the week before Christmas.
Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Property, Cllr Joanne Knowles commented:
Each year our local businesses put together some fantastic displays for the festive period, creating a magical Christmas experience for visitors to our local high streets and showcasing their products and services to encourage people to Buy Local.
I’m pleased that this year we are bringing back a festive display competition for businesses across the whole District. Please do get involved in the competition and share your brilliant displays.
For businesses seeking to maximise their visual merchandising this Christmas, a training session on how to capture your audience with your display will take place on Tuesday 22 October and is open to bookings now. A page of resources is also available with links to useful videos and online guides.
Businesses are encouraged to explore the training available and register for the Christmas Magic Displays Competition on the Council website.