Events & Initiatives 2025 for BID Businesses

We need your help to bring our ideas to life!

The Hello Dorking team are planning to run an event, campaign or initiative every month in 2025 to help showcase the town, spotlight your amazing businesses and encourage people to keep returning to the town. For this to be a success we need your help.

Have a look at the events below, and click I’d like to take part on any that you feel would be of benefit or aligns well with your business and we’ll be in touch.

Fresh Start February

A month long campaign encouraging people to use local businesses to help them with any fresh plans they have for 2025. This could include sprucing up their home with new interiors and DIY, changing up their look with a new hair style, clothing or beauty treatments, choosing to eat better or improve their wellbeing, looking to move house or declutter, or starting a new hobby. We want to feature as many Dorking businesses as possible in this promotion which will include social media and newsletters, but we also want to have a focal weekend (7^th – 9^th February) when businesses come together and offer some incentives for people to come to the town and visit stores. This could include: –

In store advice
A special offer on products or services
Demos of products or services
A taster workshop
Free tasters or samples of products or services
Or any other idea you may have

What we need you to do

Respond to let us know you’d like to be included in the month long campaign by Friday 17th January.
Tell us what you will be doing the weekend of 7^th – 9^th February by Friday 17th January . We will then produce flyers/posters and a webpage to really promote this.

As I’m sure you can appreciate we do not have long to put this together so please get information back to us asap so we can make sure you are included and promoted as part of this exciting initiative.

I’d like to take part in Fresh Start February

Hello Dorking’s Half Term Craft Caper

After the success of our Halloween Craft event for families we are running another one this February half term on Monday 17^thFebruary. To maximise the additional footfall this brings we would like to promote the many lovely cafes and restaurants we have in town and invite you to let us know of any family offers that you could run on that day and potentially for the whole week of half term to encourage families to return. Some potential ideas include …

Buy a hot drink and get a free soft drink
Free hot drink with a cake
A kids meal deal or kids menu
Any other family friendly initiatives you have in the café that families would love.

One of the activities at the craft event will be for children to share what they love about Dorking in a heart shaped template. We’d like to welcome everyone to take part in this around the town, children and adults, and are looking for some cafes/restaurants to leave some colouring templates and pencils. We are also looking for businesses that would be willing to display some of the completed hearts.

If you would like to take part in any way can you please respond by Friday 17th January with the following

If you would like us to feature you in our café/restaurant campaign and what special offer or family friendly menu or initiatives you have.
Would you be able to take some colouring sheets and pencils for the wider community to take part?
Would you be able to display some hearts?

I’d like to share a half term offer/menu or can offer to display hearts

Wedding Week – 15^th March – 23^rd March

As we have so many wonderful wedding related businesses in the town we want to celebrate this and cement Dorking as the heart of the wedding industry in Surrey. We are planning a wedding week from 15^th March to 23^rd March where we will run a social media campaign, special newsletters and a special webpage. Please let us know if …

You’d like to be included
If there is anything else your business could do in that time that we could feature and shout about e.g.

Run an event in store either giving advice, showcasing any new trends etc.
Could we write a blog or film some top tips with you in store?
Could we create a case study about how your business makes it easier for engaged couples to organise their wedding.

Please reply by Friday 24th January to be included and with any ideas.

I’d like to take part in Wedding Week

VE Day/Surrey Day

On Saturday 10^th May Hello Dorking are running a special event to commemorate VE Day 80 and Surrey Day. Our plans so far include performances from the Polka Dots, a flashmob and dance workshop, vintage vehicles and mini street parties. We are also hoping that BBC Surrey will be broadcasting live from the town. We are planning that this event will really help spread the message that Dorking is the town where Heritage Meets Heart.

Would you like to be involved?

Ways you could get involved are as follows.

Cafes – Could you sell afternoon tea boxes or picnic boxes for visitors to take to the street parties?
Hair and beauty salons – would you be interested in having a pop up salon doing 1940’s hairstyles or beauty?
Pubs – might you have any special themed drinks or beers? Will you be running any entertainment over this weekend to celebrate
Do you have any stories of your premises from the 1940’s? Was your business open back then? Are there any features in the premises?
Antiques shops – do you have any stock from the 1940’s we could highlight, any tips for people looking for items from this period?
Is there any product that you could sell at it’s 1940’s price for a limited time, or perhaps have a then and now exhibition showcasing how the products you sell have changed or developed in that time?
Any other ideas?

Could you respond to us by Friday 14th February if you would like to take part.

I’d like to take part in VE Day/Surrey Day