Blackpool museum will be placed firmly in the national spotlight

The new attraction will be built inside the Sands Hotel and leisure venue currently taking shape on Central Promenade.

Blackpool Council, which will operate the museum through an arms length charitable trust, is planning a £150,000 marketing campaign to launch the venture in time for the 2021 tourist season.

Among the goals will be to put the museum in the national spotlight as well as drawing in additional funding from private sector grants and donations.

The project received its last piece of public funding in June this year when £4.4m was secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Other grants include £1.75m from the Coastal Communities Fund, £4m from the Northern Cultural Fund, £1.5m from the Lancashire Economic Partnership Growth Deal and £1m from Blackpool Council.

Details of the council's marketing campaign have been posted on The Chest, which is a procurement site for local authorities in the North West.

The council is seeking expressions of interest from marketing and communication consultants.

Around 300,000 visits a year are expected to the museum which will showcase Blackpool's long history of entertainment.

Residents will be entitled to free entry with adult ticket prices for tourists expected to be between £8 and £9.

The brief sets out aims for the campaign including raising awareness about the museum in the run up to its opening including among key visitor markets.

These include people living within 90 miles of Blackpool, special interest markets and schools, and national and international audiences.

It says the campaign "needs to have synergy with the museum's ethos as a funny, interesting, exciting experience for families."

It adds: "It should also be true to the spirit of the museum and most of all be fun."