Vicinity and Beyond!

Vicinity and Beyond is your gateway to the latest trends in place management, innovative technologies, and insider insights. Whether you're a place manager looking to enhance your community engagement or simply curious about the future of places, our podcast brings you expert interviews, cutting-edge solutions, and industry news that will keep you ahead of the curve. Join us as we explore the dynamic world of place-making and beyond!

Vicinity and Beyond! is a technology podcast hosted by Vicinity, with 18 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Vicinity hosts Vicinity and Beyond!, a technology show with 18 episodes published.

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  Episode #2

  Working Smarter: How AI Is Helping BIDs Get More Done

  Sep 21, 202647 minS3

  Henry gets comfortable in the hot spot again for an in-depth look at how AI assistants are already helping BIDs run more smoothly, and where they're headed next. We start with the essential first step for any BID, getting your CRM, property and business rates records in order, ready for AI to work from at scale. From there, we cover real examples already happening in the sector. Splitting a year's worth of invoices and matching them to CRM records, drafting outreach that reads differently depending on who it's for, and moving away from fixed dashboards towards answers you can get on the spot. Topics covered: ➡️ Getting your CRM and records ready for AI to work with ➡️ Moving from fixed dashboards to answers on demand ➡️ Automating invoices, CRM updates and admin tasks ➡️ Personalised outreach at scale, and where the human touch still matters ➡️ How people are finding places and information differently ➡️ Getting started: low-risk tasks, staff experimentation and a clear AI policy To find out more about how AI can help support your business, visit Vicinity at getvicinity.com/contact

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  Vicinity and Beyond!

  The Tables Have Turned: How AI Is Becoming Your New Virtual Assistant

  Jul 30, 202650 min

  Julie and Henry swap seats! Henry takes the lead to explore how AI is currently evolving, and how it’s working in favour of BIDs and small businesses. We move beyond, “just ask ChatGPT”, and explore how AI is shifting from a personalised google search bar, and into a hand held working assistant. From familiar and simple AI tasks such as note-taking, to exploring AI agents managing our days and emails, and CRM systems, we look at where the real time-savings are, and where human oversight still matters. Topics covered: ➡️ How Henry has seen AI evolve ➡️ Moving from transactional AI to AI assistants and agents ➡️ The next steps with AI, structuring your business ➡️ The fight between time saving and authenticity ➡️ Where and why human oversight still matters ➡️ Building an AI policy your whole team can work from To find out more about how AI can help support your business, visit Vicinity at getvicinity.com/contact

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  Episode #3

  S2.03 Visitor Levy UK: What the Tourist Tax Means for Hotels & Business Costs

  May 7, 202639 minS2

  <p>Julie and Henry unpack the proposed Visitor Levy (Tourist Tax UK) and what it could really mean for businesses, hotels, and local economies.</p><p>Often framed as “just £2 a night,” we go beyond the headlines to explore the true cost of the visitor levy, from administrative burden and compliance risks to its wider impact on pricing, demand, and competitiveness. Is this a smart way to fund local areas, or a policy that could unintentionally hit the very businesses it relies on?</p><p>We also examine how the levy is being rolled out across the UK, with Scotland alrea...

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  Episode #2

  S2.02 Business Rates Cliff Edge and the Role of BIDs (Part 2)

  Mar 26, 202631 minS2

  <p>In this second and final part of our deep dive, Julie and Henry move from explanation to reality, unpacking what the 2026 business rates revaluation actually means on the ground for BIDs, councils and local economies.<br/><br/>With many areas expecting value increases of 10–15%, the headline might suggest growth, but the real story is more complex. As costs rise across the board, we explore the growing gap between potential income on paper and income you can actually collect, and why business survival is quickly becoming a genuine risk.<br/><br/>From missed levy income and data accuracy to the im...

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  Episode #1

  S2.01 Business Rates & the 2026 Revaluation: Who’s Feeling the Pain? (Part 1)

  Feb 25, 202636 minS2

  <p>In this first of a two-part deep dive, Julie and Henry explore what the 2026 business rates revaluation really means for high street businesses. From rateable value hikes hitting pubs, shops and hotels - to transitional reliefs and tiered multipliers - we unpack the shifting tax burden and ask: is this the start of a fairer system, or just pain deferred?<br/><br/>We also look at the early impacts for Business Improvement Districts (BIDs): are levies going up or down, and what happens when previously exempt small businesses are pulled into scope?<br/><br/>Plus: HOLBA’s formal challenge to...

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