The Challenge

Vivacity is a charity that runs arts, culture and sports facilities in Peterborough. It enriches people’s lives by providing inspiring events and life-changing services.

In 2014 Vivacity was keen to strengthen and grow its flagship activities including the annual Heritage Festival and Arts Festival. So it decided to explore the possibility of creating partnerships with companies in the Peterborough area.

The Solution

Vivacity asked Jonathan Andrews of Remarkable Partnerships to work with them to help develop opportunities for corporate partnerships. So we created their strong partnerships offer, including unique selling points and five opportunities we could take to companies.

We also carried out research to identify their top 10 prospects. Perkins, the engine manufacturer, was one of those top prospects because it has a long and rich history in Peterborough.

So we contacted Perkins by inviting them to a major event in Peterborough. We then secured our first meeting. Because of their history in the city, we decided to talk with them about the Heritage Festival opportunity. We created impressive (but inexpensive) white boards to inspire them and show the possibilities of our partnership. It was a brilliant meeting and it was clear that Perkins were very interested, particularly because of the employee engagement and publicity opportunities.

Key Benefits

Within four months of the first meeting, Vivacity secured a partnership with Perkins to work together on the Peterborough Heritage Festival. It is a three-year partnership worth £70,000, and it is the charity’s biggest-ever corporate partnership. It means the Heritage Festival will be more spectacular and stronger, providing Perkins with excellent opportunities to engage their staff and community.