A working Placeboard set in Ripon. The map, the drive times and the year of events are real. The businesses, requests and results are examples. Send a request as a local business, approve it as the council, and open the dashboard.
A demonstration only. Ripon City Council, Ripon BID and Visit Ripon are not involved, and nothing you send goes anywhere.
30 minutes by road60 and 90 minutesRailwayRipon line, closed 1967A1(M) and A61
Ripon
A cathedral city of 16,589 people (Census 2021)
Within 30 minutes
Harrogate, Knaresborough, Thirsk, Masham and Wetherby
Within an hour
Leeds, York, Darlington, Middlesbrough and Skipton
Getting here
By road. The station closed in 1967, so the nearest are Harrogate and Thirsk
01 · Local businesses
One fair route in. The council approves everything.
Businesses and partners send events, offers, news and listing changes in one place. Each request is logged and goes to the council before anything is published. Try it: send the request, then approve it as the council.
ripon.theplaceboard.com · share with us
Logged and sent to the Council
Council approvalsLive
Awaiting approval2
Approved this month14
Average turnaround1.8 days
EventLate-night shopping before the lights switch-onA Kirkgate gift shop (example) · submitted yesterday
NewsBike hire for the ride out to Fountains AbbeyA cycle shop (example) · submitted 2 days ago
OfferRace-day lunch for racegoersA Westgate pub (example) · approved, in Stories on Saturday
Approved
Every request is logged with who sent it, who approved it and where it was published.
Example businesses. Nothing you send here goes anywhere.
02 · The council
The plan, the approvals and the reports, in one place.
Council officers get their own login: where the work is, what needs their sign-off, every document delivered and every monthly report. Approvals are logged with who gave them and when.
minshallgroup.com/portal · Example council login
Client portal · Digital marketing
Ripon 2027 · sample plan
Mobilise
Plan
Brand toolkit
Deliver
Review
StagePlan
Next milestoneSpring campaign live
Waiting for you2
Next meetingQuarterly · Apr
What needs youApprove the April content calendarSign off the Fountains Abbey to the city walking page
Plan and milestones
Accounts and analytics connectedJan
Baseline reportJan
Spring and race season creativeMar
Annual plan to committeeMar
First race day campaignApr
Quarterly reviewJun
Waiting for Council sign-off
April content calendarFive working days · due 20 Mar
Abbey to the city walking pageFive working days · due 24 Mar
Spring in Ripon campaign planApproved 2 Mar
Approved
Documents
PDFPlace check: reach and findabilityFrom Minshall Group · Jan
PDFBaseline reportFrom Minshall Group · Jan
DOCSpring in Ripon campaign planFrom Minshall Group · Feb
ZIPCity photo libraryShared by the council · Jan
Monthly reports
RPTFebruary report and dashboard linkTwo pages, published in early March
RPTJanuary reportPublished February
Each report covers headline numbers, what worked, what did not, business participation, paid spend and next month’s plan.
A sample project. Ripon City Council is not involved.
03 · The year
Six seasonal campaigns, one connected story.
Built around Ripon’s real calendar: the racecourse, the cathedral, the market and Fountains Abbey. Every season has hero content, a way for businesses to join in and a measure agreed up front.
DecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNov
Dec
Christmas in the City
Gift guides from independents, festive food and drink, Christmas at the cathedral and winter days out at Fountains Abbey.
Hero content
A way for businesses to join in
A paid social burst where it adds value
A website landing page or feature
Jan to Feb
Fresh Start
Winter walks at Studley Royal, indoor days out, new openings and reasons for residents to shop local.
Hero content
A way for businesses to join in
A paid social burst where it adds value
A website landing page or feature
Mar to Apr
Spring and the first race day
Easter family days out, the Thursday market, and the start of the flat season at Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse.
Hero content
A way for businesses to join in
A paid social burst where it adds value
A website landing page or feature
May to Aug
Summer in the City
Race days, the canal and riverside walks, outdoor dining, St Wilfrid’s Procession in early August and the Great St Wilfrid at the racecourse.
Hero content
A way for businesses to join in
A paid social burst where it adds value
A website landing page or feature
Sep to Oct
Heritage and Harvest
Heritage Open Days, the last race meetings of the year, the cathedral, and the World Heritage Site at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.
Hero content
A way for businesses to join in
A paid social burst where it adds value
A website landing page or feature
Nov
Shop Local
The Christmas lights switch-on in the Market Square, the cathedral’s Christmas food and gift fair, and parking and travel information.
Hero content
A way for businesses to join in
A paid social burst where it adds value
A website landing page or feature
04 · Results
Measured on visitors, not likes.
A dashboard the council can open any day, and a two-page report each month: who was reached outside the town, what they clicked through to, and how many businesses took part.
Ripon · live dashboard (sample)Updated daily
Reach outside the local area058% of total reach
Website sessions06,930this month
Clicks to businesses01,040to their own sites
Portal requests031received, 28 approved
Share of reach from day-trip catchments
Jan34%
Feb39%
Mar42%
Apr47%
May53%
Jun58%
Audience this month
58%visitors
Visitors from outside the area
Local residents
Top pages
What’s on in Ripon1,870
Fountains Abbey to the city1,220
Race days and getting here990
The Hornblower and the 9pm watch540
Real city, made-up numbers. These figures show the format. They are not Ripon’s results.
05 · On your website
No new website needed. It feeds the one you have.
Paste two lines into your existing site and What’s On runs itself. It is a direct feed: when the council approves a request on the board, it appears on your website straight away. Try it: approve a request in section 01 and watch it arrive here.
your-council-website · What’s OnLive
Your existing website, your header and footer
Paste two linesInto any page on any website: WordPress, a council CMS or hand-built. No plug-in, no developer.
Approve on the boardThe same approval that sends a post to social media sends it to your website.
It appears straight awayNo copying, re-uploading or out-of-date listings. Past events drop off by themselves.