Discover the magic of Lincoln this Christmas
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas….and Visit Lincoln has launched its festive campaign to drive established, and new, audiences to experience Lincoln at this time of year.
City of Lincoln Council worked hard to create a new programme aimed at extending the festive season after the cancellation of the 40-year-old Christmas Market in 2023. This included new events and lights, and more.
In order to attract new and retain existing visitors, our role was to create and deliver a festive Visit Lincoln marketing campaign that supported the city. The Christmas in Lincoln’ campaign was launched by our Marketing Campaigns & Communications Manager Karla Odlin, PR & Marketing Executive Arianne Davey and the VL team.
The marketing activity includes inspirational content and visitor itineraries on VisitLincoln.com and individual event listings to promote experiences like the Lincoln Ice Adventure, Thor’s Tipi Bar, Lincoln BIG’s Nutcracker Christmas Trail, as well as a trip from an influencer Candace Salters, digital advertising and press outreach.
We also worked closely with our local hotelier guild including DoubleTree by Hilton Lincoln, who were part of our festive photoshoot and gifted press trip.
Parry Rathod, General Manager of DoubleTree by Hilton Lincoln, said: “Having a co-ordinated Christmas campaign is crucial for the success of our city during the festive season.
“This is especially true now that the famous Lincoln Christmas Market no longer takes place every year. We share the disappointment of the city in losing such an iconic annual event, which has been a cherished tradition for both locals and visitors.
“However, we are excited to be involved with the Visit Lincoln Christmas campaign, which ensures that Lincoln continues to shine as a festive destination.
“The collaboration with Visit Lincoln has been instrumental in bringing together a wide range of stakeholders to present a unified and compelling message.
“For us at DoubleTree by Hilton Lincoln, this partnership has amplified our reach, helping us attract more guests and showcase the city as a vibrant holiday destination.”
Amanda Monaghan, Director at Thor’s, said: “It’s been great working with Visit Lincoln, especially appreciated their support on photography and influencer trips. They’ve added gravitas to the Christmas offer in Lincoln and helped drive footfall our way.
“We’ve had a strong start to Christmas 2024 and are looking forward to the next few weeks of festive-ness.”
The Christmas in Lincoln campaign also included working with one of our industry partners - East Midlands Railway (EMR)
Visit Lincoln collaborated with EMR and arranged a pop up at Sheffield train station, where our team handed out Visit Lincoln guides and flyers for Lincoln Ice Adventure and Lincoln BIG’s Nutcracker Trail.
We also booked out of home advertising using our Christmas in Lincoln branding, placed across multiple stations, including Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Sheffield and London Kings Cross.
Karla and Arianne are proud of the entire Christmas campaign and grateful to the support of all the partners they worked with.
They said: “Across the Christmas in Lincoln campaign, we have been able to work with key partners across transport, hotelier and retail sectors.
“The multi-channel campaign has incorporated collaboration with both local bloggers, as well as an influencer from further afield. Through partnerships with local businesses, we were able to build an itinerary for an overnight stay in Lincoln during the festive period, for Candace to share across social media to encourage overnight stays and short breaks in the city.
“We’d like to thank our partners who have been involved in the Christmas in Lincoln campaign so far, including Doubletree by Hilton Lincoln who supported with the overnight stay for Candace, as well as our festive photoshoot; and East Midlands Railway who supported with a pop-up in Sheffield Station, where we were able to hand out Visit Lincoln Visitor Guides, and free advertising across a number of their stations and platforms.
“Our Christmas in Lincoln campaign toolkit is designed to encourage shared messaging about the campaign and the city, and it’s great to see it being used by several partners, local businesses and bloggers.”
Visit Lincoln’s Chief Executive Charlotte Goy said: “We are really looking forward to working with City of Lincoln Council and Lincoln BIG again on a second Christmas in Lincoln campaign.
“Christmas is hugely competitive, and we need to work together to make sure Lincoln competes with other destinations with a festive offer. It is key that we use and leverage our Visit Lincoln brand during peak seasons like this – and it is the reason Visit Lincoln was created.
“Combining budgets means we can reach more people. The results from last year’s campaign were positive and we have used the intel from 2023 to shape the 2024 campaign. This is part of our data led approach.
“The intel showed the adverts that generated the most attraction and engagement were ‘festive short breaks in Lincoln’ followed closely by events and shopping. This shows huge potential to widen the marketing messages and as a result this year we are working closer with our hotelier partners on a festive photoshoot to better sell that ‘short break’ offer in Lincoln.”
Visit Lincoln, City of Lincoln Council, and Lincoln BIG combined budgets for their second Christmas campaign. Their roles were all crucial in delivering a positive festive campaign.
Lee Roberts, Head of Operations at Lincoln BIG, said: “Reflecting on the activities that the city provided for Christmas 2023, the response from local businesses was overwhelmingly positive, and we're excited to build on that momentum for this year's celebrations.
“Working together with Visit Lincoln and the City of Lincoln Council helps create a unified, festive atmosphere across Lincoln, as we all offer an impactful and engaging experience for both residents and visitors which drives footfall to our businesses throughout the festive season.”
Claire McDowall, Events, Tourism, Culture Manager at City of Lincoln Council, said: “Christmas is one of the most magical times to visit Lincoln. It’s great that The City of Lincoln Council and Lincoln BIG work so closely with Visit Lincoln to ensure successful campaign plans for this special time of year in the city!
“There are so many wonderful things to see and to at Christmas in Lincoln so it’s great that we can work together to shout about it and welcome both residents and visitors to enjoy all the festive season has to offer!
“We can’t wait to welcome visitors to enjoy The Lincoln Ice Adventure on the weekend of the 7th & 8th of December. It will be a magical time to enjoy Lincoln -perfect for visitors of all ages to get into the festive spirit!
“There’s chance to see 16 wonderful ice sculptures across the city’s iconic locations. I’m looking forward to listening to our festive choirs and bands which sound so magical with the beautiful backdrop of Lincoln Cathedral and Castle.
“As you explore the festive trail it’s the perfect time to do some holiday shopping and warm up with seasonal treats soaking up the Christmas atmosphere.
“Lincoln has so many wonderful independent shops including The Visitor Information Centre which has some wonderful local gifts and festive treats to treat yourself or others!
“It really is the most wonderful time of year in Lincoln! I’m looking forward to seeing how far our Christmas campaign has reached welcoming returning and new visitors to enjoy all Lincoln has to offer!”
This comes after a successful Christmas campaign in 2023, which some of the businesses in the Bailgate Guild were very complimentary about. During last year’s campaign, from November to December 2023, the Christmas in Lincoln landing page gained 20,100 views, with the festive blogs over attracting over 28,000.