Last Wednesday I welcomed more than 350 people to our Switch On To Swindon summer ambassador event.

Six months after launching the campaign, this is our third event and the support for promoting Swindon is still incredibly strong.

Triple 222 supplied the food, The Pallet Pub the drinks, Create Studios the productions support and our hosts were BMW Dick Lovett.

We are always looking for out of the ordinary venues for our events, and ones that epitomise the campaign, whether that be a great story of business success, investment or a hidden gem that is right here in Swindon.

Dick Lovett is definitely not hidden, having been in Swindon for more than 50 years, but there is no doubt it is a gem and one of the town’s marquee brands.

Over the last couple of years Dick Lovett has invested in the new Ferrari dealership, the Porsche dealership and the purchase of the old Thrift Rugs building next door to Ferrari, which is now a state-of-the art official group training and conference centre.

It’s a business with a proud Swindon heritage and a very fitting venue for our event, and I’d like to say thank you to the team at BMW Dick Lovett for hosting us and making the evening a success.

Since the launch of Switch On To Swindon in January we have been very activity-focussed, developing high quality collateral and marketing materials and building the ambassador network.

The underlying principle of the campaign is mutual benefit. How can you as ambassadors contribute to promoting Swindon and helping it prosper and in doing so how can that help you and your organisation prosper?

So when we produce an amazing film, a beautiful book, an image library we know that will be of value to your organisation in some way.

In return the more people using those resources means that Swindon is being presented in the best possible way more consistently.

We heard from one of our ambassadors, Alex Chuter, the managing director at Thamesdown Transport, about the changes they have been making and how they are supporting the campaign.

Every bus driver wears a Switch On To Swindon badge and, right from the word go, Alex has recognised the importance of connecting with Swindon and supporting the promotion of the place.

Why become an ambassador and what we are asking ambassadors to do? I have tried to distil it into six key points:

  •  Promote Swindon in all your networks
  •  Use the exclusive resources
  •  Share, Share, Share – social media
  •  Contribute your story
  •  Be informed
  •  Wear your badge with pride
  • Our ambassadors do a whole host of things, big and small, which collectively makes a big and positive impact for the place. I can honestly say that since we launched in January I have encountered nothing but enthusiasm and positivity for what we are trying to do.

So, we’ve built a really solid foundation from which to work and mobilised a great many businesses, organisations and people to get behind promoting Swindon. The next step is taking that message out beyond the borough boundaries to really put Swindon on the map and makes sure we attract the right investment to ensure it continues to grow. Go to www.switchontoswindon.com to learn more.