After nearly 12 months in the making, Mansfield District Council and the Mansfield Place Board will be presenting the new Destination Mansfield branding at the launch of one the project’s flagship events, the stunning Gaia art installation at the town’s theatre on Tuesday, April 22.
More than 50 guests are expected at the launch. As well as seeing the new branding for the first time, they will also receive a copy of the Mansfield storybook and learn about how they can adopt the brand as the district’s first ambassadors.
A new website — wearemansfield.com — will also be unveiled and guests will have an opportunity for a guided tour of the Gaia installation.
Michael Fisher, Creative Director and Place Board member, said: “Our town is driven by ambition, we are a town with a purpose and the ambassador programme will bring together like minded people who are committed to making Mansfield successful.
“We are so proud to present the new Mansfield brand to promote this area as a place to live, work visit and invest, and we hope everyone will get behind it and use the brand to its full advantage.
“Fundamental to the brand work is a community of goodwill and people who can help share positive messages and this is where Ambassadors play a crucial part in the future of our town.”
Ambassadors will be asked to represent Mansfield, educate their teams and networks about the key messages for the district and participate in events and activities to showcase Mansfield. Businesses are also asked carry the new emblem in the windows of their premises and have a stock of the Mansfield story in their venues for customers to read.
In return, they will be offered high profile networking and exclusive event access along with the chance to represent Mansfield at events and meetings.
Destination Mansfield aims to raise the profile of the area over the next two years to help put it on the map, change perceptions, drive investment, provide opportunities for future funding and encourage more visitors to the district. The £715,000 project is backed by £500,000 from the council’s £12.3m Towns Fund allocation, alongside council funding.
Most of this money is to fund a series of high quality events over the next two years which started with the Light Night event in Carr Bank Park in Mansfield in February.
Luke Jerram’s Gaia — a breathtaking six-metre replica of Earth — is the second of the project’s crowd pleasers. The illuminated revolving sculpture will be suspended above the stage at Mansfield Palace Theatre from 19 April to 27 April and is expected to attract hundreds of visitors during the week.
It is accompanied by an immersive audio soundcape via headphones while in the theatre lobby, there will be a looped thought-provoking film - Overview Effect - which explores humanity’s shifting view of Earth from space.
Gaia is free to experience from April 22 to 27. Some pre-booked time slots are now booked up. Find out more at: https://www.mansfield.gov.uk/palacetheatre/events/event/4267/gaia-by-luke-jerram.
As well as the Destination Mansfield funding, the Gaia experience has also been made possible thanks to National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) funding from Arts Council England for the Palace and Mansfield Museum.
The launch takes place at 1pm on April 22 and is being hosted by Mansfield District Council, Mansfield Place Board and Linney Group who collectively have co-produced the Destination Mansfield brand. Anyone interested in attending should email Martin Croft, Marketing and Communications Officer – Destination, at mcroft@mansfield.gov.uk. To sign up as an ambassador, head to www.wearemansfield.com after the event.