Donnie Montgomery October 11, 2018

£1 MILLION CAMPAIGN READY TO ROLL IN EDINBURGH CITY CENTRE

Giant Game launched to show it’s impossible to be ‘board’ in the capital

A new £1 million campaign designed to draw more people to Edinburgh city-centre has launched today – in a big way. 

The Great Time Game – a giant-sized board game –  has rolled out on Edinburgh’s Castle Street from today (Thursday 11th October) as the campaign’s first piece of experiential activity. The fun-filled activity is part of ‘Sign of a Great Time’ – a 5-year drive to attract people into the city-centre, encouraging discover of its wide variety of shopping, food, drink and fun things to do. Advertising, events and a new social and digital push will also form part of the campaign, which has been self-funded by more than 600 businesses in the Essential Edinburgh BID district, which stretches from West Princes Street, right along to the new Edinburgh St James and up to George Street.

Measuring an impressive 7.5m2, The Great Time Game will be live on Castle Street from 10am – 6pm, Thursday 11th until Sunday 14th October with a whole host of prizes from city centre businesses up for grabs. 

Playing is simple – two players will go head-to-head against the clock to try and win one of over 2,000 prizes up for grabs across a number of squares, split into categories which represent the variety of businesses in the city centre – Homeware, Food, Drink, Fashion and Hair & Beauty, with some mystery prizes up for grabs along the way too. 

In addition, a number of new pre-loaded ‘Edinburgh Gift Cards’ valued from £100 to £5 are also available; along with six-star prizes which can only be won by reaching the central podium on the board, dubbed ‘The Greatest Time’.

Reaching ‘The Greatest Time’ podium will be the aim of the game for many players, with unique prizes like shopping experiences at Anta and Lyle & Scot, overnight stays at Eden Locke and the newly refurbished Mercure, plus cooking lessons from Chaophraya and an interior design service from Bo Concept all up for grabs. 

Throughout the game, players will also be faced with squares which hinder their progress to the central podium e.g. move back 2 spaces and even ‘steal’ squares, allowing opponents to pinch the prize of their pal!

The game is free to play and is open from 10am-6pm from Thursday 11th October to Sunday 14th October.

Keen to ensure no-one leaves empty-handed after their efforts, anyone who doesn’t win a specific prize square, will still receive a promotional voucher for a city centre business in a lucky-dip.

Roddy Smith, Chief Executive of Essential Edinburgh said:

I am so excited to bring a giant board game to Edinburgh. Not only is ‘The Great Time Game’ really fun to play, and a first for the city, it perfectly depicts the aim of ‘The Sign of a Great Time’ campaign, to show just how much variety is on offer along Edinburgh’s city centre streets. I’d encourage locals and visitors alike to come down to Castle Street and try their hand at ‘The Great Time Game’, it’s free to play and will really show how much is on offer in Edinburgh’s varied and vibrant city centre.