We took a radical idea about bringing people together and we ran with it. 20 years ago, Belfast city centre was a ghost town. The first Christmas Market in the grounds of City Hall was a boutique affair, 28 stalls under temporary gazebos and running over a long weekend. Working with Market Place (operators of the Market) we have built the Christmas Market into the largest festive event on the island, 100 traders in an alpine inspired village, attracting over 1 million visitors during a five-week period, and generating on average £68 million economic impact for the city. 

The Christmas Market brand and annual communications campaign generates significant print coverage, countless hours of broadcast content and has positioned the Belfast Christmas Market and others across the UK as locations for film, music videos and news programmes. 

As the success of each market has grown, so too has the generosity of our client. Working on a clear social value mandate, we have managed philanthropic support for local sports and community groups in each city, and we’ve created a launch pad for over 30 new businesses led by young entrepreneurs through the Jolly Big Business Boost competition. 

Market Place have operated Christmas Markets in Exeter, Glasgow, Harrogate, Leeds and Newcastle. They are recognised as the leading specialist event market operators and market consultancies in the UK and we happy to have played our part in getting them there.

You can see some of our work in the Chanel Four documentary Secrets of the Christmas Market https://www.channel4.com/programmes/secrets-of-the-christmas-market