Stafford attracts day visitors to it tourism venues but looks to both draw people in from further afield and increase the number of overnight stays. To assist in this area Stafford is launching a national campaign to draw people into the town for a series of events this summer.
The town is hoping to capitalise on the global interest of the Staffordshire Hoard to showcase these events.
The hoard will be making an appearance at the Shire Hall Gallery in July and other attractions include a town centre cycling grand prix and the open air Shakespeare festival at Stafford Castle.
The Stafford Town Partnership has targeted advertising on key public transport routes to pull visitors into the town. Promotion includes huge posters are going up at railway stations including London Euston, Birmingham New Street, Birmingham International, and Crewe.
The partnership is an initiative by the retailers in the town centre and the borough council to put Stafford on the map and has a dedicated website.
It all kicks off on the 23 June when The Comedy of Errors at the Castle begins a 17 day run in what is the 21st anniversary of the event.
Stafford hosts its second Grand Prix cycle road race through the town centre on 29 June. Last year the event was won by Olympic gold medalist, Ed Clancy.
The Stafford Festival runs from 2 - 10 July with events such as the Raw Talent Music Competition, Live@ the Castle and the Party In The Park – which includes train rides, a visit from a TV celebrity and lots of other family activities.
The Staffordshire Hoard Exhibition will run from 2 - 24 July giving people the chance to discover secrets about the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found. A day event also takes place on 23 July which gives people the chance to meet the Poor Knights of St Chad’s and find out what it was like to live in Anglo-Saxon Stafford.
