Kent Big Weekend

The Kent Big Weekend is a great consumer campaign for tourism and hospitality businesses to get involved in.

What is Kent Big Weekend?

Now in its 14^th year running, the Kent Big Weekend 2020 will take place on the 4th and 5th April, offering Kent residents the chance to win thousands of FREE tickets and days out to attractions across the county. The Big Weekend is all about giving residents in Kent the chance to discover – or rediscover – the array of fantastic things to see and do on their doorstep, and encouraging them to spread the word about their county. This word of mouth recommendation is priceless, and participants tell us that as a result of taking part in the Big Weekend they are highly likely to return with friends or relatives in the future and to explore more attractions in the area. Tourism businesses also report an increase in secondary spend.

Visit Kent is pleased to invite all attractions and tourism businesses across Kent to take part in this marketing campaign by offering free entry to attractions or experiences (such as afternoon tea or a guided tour).

The 2019 event broke all previous records with 138 attractions donating more than 18,000 pairs of tickets, and there were over 296,000 applications for tickets. During the campaign, the website received more than 1.4 million page views and our press coverage reached over 220,000 people, providing all participating businesses with fantastic free exposure. Research shows that following the event 87% of participant would visit more places in Kent as a result of Big Weekend while 99% would be proud to show their friends and family around the county. The Big Weekend plays an important role in helping to raise the profile of tourism as an important sector in the local economy and gain the support of the local community.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW TO UPLOAD YOUR OFFERS
MARKETING TOOLKIT
KENT BIG WEEKEND LOGO

KEY DATES

24th January 2020 - You must ensure all your online listing – including ticket offers, your attraction information and images are up to date by this date
20th February 2020 – Public ballot for tickets opens
20th February - 16th March 2020 - Publicity drive from Visit Herts and participating attractions
16th March 2020 – Public ballot closes
17th March 2020 - Winners are informed
17th March 2020 - Returned tickets are added to the website
23rd March 2020 - All returns are finalised
24th March 2019 - Final list of winners are accessible via the CMS
26th March 2020 - Winners are informed
4th and 5th April 2020 - Big Weekend takes place

Key Information

Please help promote the Big Weekend on your website or blog, just include the following information:

Register for tickets at www.kentbigweekend.co.uk
Two tickets per household will be allocated by ballot to the lucky winners, although some family tickets will be available as well.
The event is organised by Visit Kent
The aim of Big Weekend is to encourage local residents to discover and experience the many wonderful attractions and activities available in their home county – and to spread the word to others.

Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

Include a link to www.hertsbigweekend.co.uk
Tag @VisitKent
Use #KentBigWeekend
Sample tweets and further information can be found in the Kent Big Weekend Business Toolkit

Press Releases & Information

If you have any PR queries around Kent Big Weekend, please contact Lana at Visit Kent on lana.crouch@visitkent.co.uk

As well as regular press activity, the Kent Big Weekend is also promoted heavily across our social media channels. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see more.