Make It York Annual Review 2017/18

Annual Review 2017/18

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Entrepreneurial We will champion new ideas We will deliver great results We will always be improving

Collaborative We will thrive on partnerships

Annual Review 2017-18

We will share our resources We will empower our teams

Respectful We will put customers first We will do what we say We will be true to our city

Ambitious We will help make York the best place it can be makeityork.com

We will make MIY the best company it can be We will become the best team we can be

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We made it! Make It York is now entering its second, three-year business cycle, and we have picked up valuable learning along the way about the best ways of delivering value to York and its environs.

Learning from where we have been most effective, our core focus for the next three years will be to either lead on, or contribute to, programmes or projects that benefit York, whilst becoming a more financially sustainable and embedded organisation.

Jane Gibson Chair, Make It York

Working with a committed, hard-working and innovative staff team, we strive to find ways to promote the interests of York in an increasingly challenging political, social and technological environment. As directors we are charged with promoting the success of the company and in our case this means, wherever possible, generating a surplus which is then used for the public good of the city.

Three years ago we knew that the idea of a marketing, management and business development organisation for our great city was a good idea, but the exact route to get there was just a set of ambitious projections.

I am delighted to report that Steve Brown and the team have delivered every challenge that we set them, including the tough budgets, and myself and the Board are committed to making even more of a difference in the next three years.

Annual Review 2017-18

We also relish our work with near neighbours and partners and we will continue to push for these alliances as York should be playing on a national and international stage. It is in our DNA going back many hundreds of years.

Steve Brown Managing Director, Make It York

In this spirit of collaboration, we have dedicated this annual review to telling the company story through the eyes of some of the people we have worked with in the last 12 months. Through a series of short stories or case studies, our objective is to demonstrate the breadth and variety of activities we get involved with. Much of Make It York’s work happens ‘under the radar’ and so I hope this review better informs the role of what is still a relatively new organisation.

Once again in the last year, we have had tremendous support from a range of partners and this review is snapshot of the work that we do. Looking ahead, collaboration will remain our driving force.

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One of the core values of Make It York is to work in a collaborative way – we will only be as good as the strength of our relationships and partnerships. Our job is simply to work with others to do the best we can in making York a brilliant place to live, visit, study, work and do business.

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Annual Review 2017-18

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brilliant place to visit

visityork.org – York’s tourism

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window to the world Visit York’s new website, visityork.org, launched on 16 April 2018.

This is York’s tourism window to the world and the new investment in visityork.org means that customers will be put at the heart of all online promotions. The new mobile responsive site will provide the best digital customer experience possible, influencing visitors to book and showcasing the city and all it has to offer through brilliant new photography and visuals.

In line with consumer trends, the new visityork.org site is 100% mobile responsive and features inspiring photography that presents York at its very best. Other new features include an itinerary planner, blog and fresh new member website.

“We’ve always benefitted from the power of the Visit York website to inspire people to visit JORVIK and the other attractions in The Group. We are excited to see how the new site builds on the successes of the current website and take advantage of all the content options that will be on offer, including more integration with video.”

Annual Review 2017-18

JORVIK wanted to ensure they took advantage of their membership, using every touchpoint available to promote the attraction through impactful and engaging photography and film. Visityork.org is one of JORVIK’s top sources for referrals to their website and is consistently ranked as one of their top performing channels.

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Paul Whiting: Marketing Manager, The JORVIK Group

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Generating media profile

Marketing York through the York Pass

York Pass is the city’s official sightseeing card. 42 attractions are part of the Pass, enabling visitors to enjoy York’s attractions for one great price. Over 15,000 passes were sold in 2017 and revenue was up 52% year on year. These passes helped drive 96,000 additional visits to the participating attractions.

Annual Review 2017-18

To promote the Pass, there is a dedicated website, a free guidebook and significant marketing support.

“By working with the communications team we’ve been able to get involved in all kinds of media opportunities. We were thrilled to get this introduction to The Telegraph and really appreciate your expertise and contacts.”

Given the success of the Pass in York, more out of town attractions are now getting involved. These include The Deep in Hull, Scarborough Castle, Scarborough Sea Life Centre, Ryedale Folk Museum, Newby Hall and the Yorkshire Arboretum. Visitors can now use the Pass to explore much more of North Yorkshire and stay longer.

Yorkshire Arboretum is one business keen to capitalise on York’s seven million visitors a year.

Right on the doorstep of Castle Howard, it made sense for the Arboretum to benefit from York Pass visitors who already visit that attraction.

Helen Heraty: Proprietor, Grays Court

The communications team arranges around a hundred media visits every year and runs year round PR campaigns. Generating positive media coverage for York through quality travel writing inspires potential visitors to book a stay and to explore the city’s many attractions, shops and restaurants.

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The team at Grays Court were keen to increase the hotel’s profile in the media and got in touch to support press visits to the city. By hosting freelance writer Helen Pickles, the hotel was featured in The Telegraph’s online travel guide to the top ten places to stay in York. Media coverage also led to Grays Court being featured in a viewers’ competition for Channel 5’s new programme on cathedral cities, which will be watched by millions of viewers.

The Telegraph led with this introduction to the hotel: “In the city's premier location, between the Minster and the walls, with a history dating back to the 11th century plus a discreet entrance, this hotel ticks the boxes for atmosphere and privacy. Rooms are quietly elegant, the food quietly confident.” Helen Pickles for The Telegraph.

The Telegraph online has a readership of 6.7 million and 6.8 million social media followers.

“Joining the Pass just before Easter was perfect timing for us. We’re looking forward to attracting additional visits. All of the associated marketing will really help us to get the word out that we’re just a stone’s throw from York.”

Anne Ainsley: Visitor Services Manager, Yorkshire Arboretum

Raising the profile of York internationally

Attracting Chinese visitors

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China is Britain’s 24th source market for visits and York’s second largest, entering the top five, two years ago. A new sister agreement with Nanjing, as well as a Chinese marketing campaign help make sure York is at the top of the holiday list for Chinese visitors.

Sales missions for the last four years in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing have cemented relationships with key operators bringing business into the city.

Louise Gee, Director of Sales at the Grand Hotel & Spa said: “In two years the Grand has seen a substantial increase in bookings from tour operators in China.

We’re working hard to make sure staff know how to welcome Chinese visitors and the expertise offered through Visit York has been invaluable.”

Stacey Healey: Marketing Manager, York Minster

Annual Review 2017-18

“We’ve been able to get involved in all kinds of travel trade opportunities and we regularly host familiarisation visits with tour operators. Forming strong links with other city attractions has been a bonus and made marketing York to the world a really enjoyable experience”

Chinese familiarisation visits help bring key tour operators here. The Grand Hotel & Spa prides itself on being the most China Friendly hotel in the North – the team has benefitted from Visit York’s China Welcome training and language training delivered

by Will Zhuang, Visit York Tourism Champion. Will is also working directly with the hotel on their dedicated Chinese social media accounts.

International visits to York Minster have increased dramatically over the past four years. Strong relationships with tour operators and the Visit York marketing team have led to introductions to tour operators such as Tauck in the USA, now featuring the Minster in its itineraries.

York Minster was chosen to spearhead the DEF project for England’s Historic Cities and a brand new App, showcasing 12 iconic attractions, was developed to attract US millennial visitors. By actively working with around 100 overseas operators, this has led to a 30% increase in international visitors in the last four years. The cathedral has also seen over 9,000 downloads of the England’s Historic Cities App. Art Cox, Tauck Holidays, USA, described York Minster as an absolute highlight for its US clients: “They love the wealth of culture which is wrapped up in such a compact city.”

“By helping to facilitate the Nanjing sister city agreement and hosting numerous delegations from the city, York is opening up the doors to further cooperation with a city of six million.”

Will Zhuang: Visit York Tourism Champion

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York’s profile has been raised significantly overseas, aided by successful bids to the Northern Tourism Growth Fund and Discover England Fund (DEF).

International marketing targets the US, China, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands.

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Celebrating excellence in tourism through the Visit York Tourism Awards

Creating opportunities for Visit York members A range of marketing opportunities and support is available for Visit York members.

Annual Review 2017-18

Give The Dog A Bone on Fossgate has been a member with Visit York for many years and last year owner Adam Rodway decided to open a new business on Shambles called ‘The Shop That Must Not Be Named’.

“Winning a Visit York Tourism Award has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for everyone at the National Centre for Birds of Prey.

The awards ceremony was a fabulous evening, the boost to staff morale has been immense and the award has helped cement our place as one of the top attractions in the UK.”

Specialising in officially licensed Harry Potter merchandise, the shop has been a great success and Adam’s Visit York membership has opened up new marketing opportunities for him. By getting involved in media visits, listing content on visityork.org and contributing content to Visit York publications, the shop is now a ‘must see’ for visitors interested in Harry Potter.

Being shortlisted in the Visit York Tourism Awards, as well as appearing in both the Mini Guide and Visitor Guide has also boosted the shop’s exposure in 1.1 million copies of visitor publications.

Charlie Heap: Director, National Centre for Birds of Prey

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Visit York’s Tourism Awards are held each year to celebrate excellence in the tourism and hospitality sector. With 14 categories to choose from, there are opportunities for all businesses, regardless of type or size, to enter. The awards ceremony is held as a formal dinner at the National Railway Museum and is attended by around 500 people, the biggest gathering of the tourism sector in the city.

Last year, the award for the best small attraction went to the National Centre for Birds of Prey which is based at Duncombe Park, Helmsley. The centre is home to the North of England’s largest collection of raptors.

Charlie Heap, who set up the centre five years ago, flies his birds at least twice each day and is in no doubt that the award has helped put the centre on the map.

“Since opening our new store in York we have been overwhelmed with the popularity of our products.

Being a member with Visit York has definitely helped raise our profile.

There’s a variety of opportunities to choose from which not only increase our visibility, but help promote the city. We’re also delighted to be finalists in the 2018 Tourism Awards for Newcomer of the year.”

Hannah Wallace: Manager, The Shop that Must Not Be Named

Sharing expertise through networking and training events

Celebrating excellence through the Visit York Tourism Awards

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The 2017 winners of the Family Friendly Experience of the Year were the team behind Yorkshire’s Winter Wonderland, Lunchbox Productions. This award recognises the fantastic customer service, exceptional experience and first rate facilities that are offered to families.

Winning the award generated additional publicity regionally through York Press, Minster FM and BBC Radio York and nationally too, being listed as one of the top ten ice-rinks to visit in both The Sun and The Guardian.

Winning the award also enhanced the reputation of the experience and was a great endorsement in an increasingly competitive market.

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The team took great pride in winning the award and it provided motivation to go on and create more awardwinning experiences and events. This included a new event at York Museum Gardens for Christmas 2017 with 55,000 people visiting the illuminations. Lunchbox is also behind Thor’s Tipi, another popular York Christmas experience.

Ian Noble: Proprietor, Dancing Goat Coffee

Networking events are seen by Visit York’s members as valuable opportunities, not just for keeping in touch but to showcase their businesses to a wider audience within the tourism and hospitality sector.

Around twenty networking or training events are arranged each year for Visit York members.

The medieval Merchant Adventurers' Hall, one of the finest preserved guild halls in Europe, hosted a ‘Meet the Merchants’ event in January. The idea was to introduce members to a handful of local ‘merchants’ - all Visit York businesses. Using the impressive surroundings of the Undercroft, a cheese retailer, florist, wine, oil and vinegar producer, brewer, spice importer and coffee guru all took tables to ply their wares. Dancing Goat Coffee were one of the suppliers invited to showcase their produce to over 100 attendees.

Ian Noble, a purveyor of fine coffee who happily creates special roasts for cafés, hotels and restaurants was kept busy all evening and everyone was impressed to hear about the process of selecting coffee beans and roasting.

“We were thrilled to win a Visit York Tourism Award for the fourth time, particularly in the Family Friendly Experience of the Year category.

We aim to provide the best event annually and this award helps us to stand out against the competition and gives recognition to the team who work so hard to provide a magical Christmas experience.“ Maria Farrugia: Executive Producer, Lunchbox Productions

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“It was a great night for us and exactly what I want from my membership.

I’m happy to support this kind of event again given availability, space and utilities for our espresso kit.

We used Twitter and Instagram to share a couple of pictures with the Visit York account tagged to raise awareness of a great evening.”

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Supporting Visit York members

Promoting businesses at England’s Best Visitor Centre

Annual Review 2017-18

The team of ten staff and 30 volunteers won gold in the VisitEngland Excellence Awards 2018, meaning York now has officially the best Visitor Centre in England. York won against a strong shortlist including Oxford and Liverpool.

“I was overwhelmed with support from visitors and they seemed to love my new tour. I really couldn’t believe I had been shortlisted for the Tourism Superstar Award and I was so thrilled to come third in the competition.”

The Visitor Centre also holds regular open evenings for tourism businesses to meet and get to know the whole Visit York team. One frequently asked question is how to get to the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet. Amy Watkinson, Marketing Manager at the Designer Outlet, makes full use of the AV screens by providing eye catching visuals to tempt shoppers, as well as racking leaflets for visitors to pick up.

Alicia Stabler, aka Mad Alice: The Bloody Tour of York

Blood has spilt on probably every street in York over the past 2,000 years. Thanks to Alicia Stabler, founder of The Bloody Tour of York, locals and visitors alike can join her daily tours and hear stories of witches, torture, executions and more.

The Visit York team has supported Alicia and helped to promote her tour but in September 2017, a cycling accident meant she was unable to walk for three months. Rather than cancel her tours and disappoint her visitors, Alicia resumed her role as Mad Alice and led the tour from a wheelchair – assisted by the ‘Quack Plague Doctor’- in keeping with the gory history theme.

Alicia achieved lots of local media coverage for her courageous approach to running her tour. The Visit York team nominated her for the VisitEngland Tourism Superstar Awards and generated social media and PR coverage for her entry. Alicia’s tour was shortlisted and came third in the finals of the competition.

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Every week the team at the Visit York Information Centre welcomes 10,000 visitors and helps them with everything from booking accommodation, to buying tickets and tours, to expert advice. The team keep the centre running seven days a week. Between them they speak nine languages: French, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Portugese, German, Hungarian, Dutch and Catalan. The volunteers, who age from 20 to 78, give over 80,000 hours of their time each year, helping visitors from across the UK and overseas, as well as local residents.

Run by VisitBritain, the Awards celebrate people in the tourism industry willing to go the extra mile and provide unforgettable experiences.

Alicia’s tour is now ranked top on TripAdvisor and she says running the business by herself means being a Visit York member is vital for her publicity.

“The Visit York Information Centre is a great opportunity to provide travellers with information on the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet York. Every visitor has the potential to become a McArthurGlen York shopper and the Information Centre is an important and valuable partner for us.“ Amy Watkinson: McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, York

Celebrating excellence in the arts and cultural sector

Creating new partnerships

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Senior representatives from Make It York and Selby District Council began having collaborative discussions from 2016 onwards, primarily focussing on tourism. As near neighbours, it was clear that Selby could benefit from getting closer to York’s advanced visitor economy work.

Part of Selby’s ‘Economic Development Framework’ includes the commitment to creating a visitor economy strategy for the District and Make It York was invited to bid to devise and oversee this piece of work.

Charlotte Dawson: Organiser, York River Art Market

York Culture Awards celebrate excellence in the arts and cultural sector in York and reward outstanding innovation, creativity and quality. The 2017 ceremony recognised winners in 12 categories and was held in the stunning surroundings of York Minster.

Artist and curator Charlotte Dawson entered York River Art Market in the Best Community Project or Event category to increase awareness of its cultural contributions to the city. The York River Art Market won the award for this category which was presented in front of an audience of 350 guests.

Winning a York Culture Award acknowledged the achievements of the York River Art Market and has contributed to the development of this year’s market.

Charlotte said that being surrounded by so many other creative people really brought to life what a vibrant and exciting city York is and how wonderful it feels to make a contribution to the city.

“The plan was delivered to time and budget. It was good to call on the considerable tourism experience and we also benefited from Make It York's skills in running workshops and research. Through this work, there is now a strong relationship between Selby DC and York around the visitor economy.”

Angela Crossland: Head of Community, Partnerships and Customers, Selby District Council

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The plan was endorsed in its entirety and a £460,000 budget was signed off to support the various workstreams. Staff are now being recruited so that the detailed action plan can be delivered. Embedded into the strategy is York and Selby District Council continuing to work very closely together.

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“It was a real honour to win an award. I entered York River Art Market for the York Culture Awards as we had become quite well established over the two summers and it felt right to push to get the market even more recognised for its unique cultural identity.”

The bid was successful, and through the team at Visit York and working with consultants ‘A Fresh View’, a six-month consultation and strategy planning exercise took place.

Angela Crossland, Head of Community, Partnerships and Customers at Selby District Council, commissioned the work and at the end of March 2018, the strategy and fiveyear action plan went to the full Council for consideration.

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exceptional place to do business

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Generating inward investment for York The inward investment team handles over 50 enquiries a year from businesses interested in locating in York. The support provided includes helping to create a business case, identifying suitable commercial premises, arranging visit days, signposting for recruitment and providing connections to appropriate networks.

In March 2017, the team launched the York Business Ambassador programme in order to work with senior leaders from across the city to help them to sell York to potential investors and to raise York’s profile as a brilliant place to do business. There are currently 50 ambassadors, all of them armed with a ‘toolkit’ of information.

This international wood pellet producer was exploring opportunities to set up a UK office to serve their North of England contracts. Following conversations to identify the specific support required, the team ran a series of searches for commercial premises, and after a temporary soft landing into office space on York Science Park, the Enviva team moved into a refurbished office on Clifton Park Business Park.

“Make It York was an obvious choice for helping Enviva find its permanent home in the York community. After locating offices based at Clifton Park in York, the new UK team moved into a 3000-sq ft office.”

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Responding to a lead from Geoff Davidson, Director at Arup – global engineering and consultancy specialists in the built environment – the inward investment team contacted the International Sales Director from Marylandheadquartered Enviva.

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Geoff Davidson: Director, Arup

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Stimulating Innovation in the Agri-Food Sector (SIAFS)

Managing key business accounts

The Business Team provides support to businesses of all shapes and sizes. The key account management programme (KAM) is aimed at keeping in touch with the bigger companies in and around the city. The purpose is to take a regular ‘health-check’ on the local economy and to provide assistance as issues are raised.

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One such KAM company is Intelsius. Incorporated in 1998, Intelsius is now widely recognised as one of the global market leaders in sample transport and temperaturecontrolled packaging solutions. Their product portfolio is widely used for the safe transport of pharmaceuticals, clinical trials samples, diagnostics, tissue, vaccines and blood supplies.

“Thank you SIAFS for such prompt funding to enable testing, which helped me launch my product at the York Food Festival and to Fera and Make It York for all the support and helping to make my dream a reality!”

Sharmini Thomas: Sharmini's Inspirational Indian Cuisine

Over the last year Make It York has worked with Intelsius on several projects aimed at supporting its growth ambitions, one of which was to create an innovative new product line, extending their core customer offering. The team helped identify the right funding and grant vehicle and provided support for a grant application. This secured the additional funding needed to deliver their ambitions.

Following development supported by the grant, the new product range will be launched later this year, increasing the range of solutions available to their customers and improving business performance and cost efficiencies.

The SIAFS project supports small businesses such as Sharmini’s with free workshops, vouchers to use at Fera Science Ltd and networking events to encourage small producers to work collaboratively to solve any issues they may be facing in their business.

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Sharmini Thomas is a well-known cookery teacher, presenter and cookery judge in the York area. Following her passion for Indian cookery, and the recipes handed down to her from her parents, Sharmini set up a cookery school in York. Sharmini offers cookery classes and corporate cookery days. However, she wanted to expand the business and begin producing spices to sell at her classes and eventually online. Sharmini also wanted to sell her spices to restaurants.

Sharmini signed up to the SIAFS project in the summer of 2017 and was interested in both the voucher scheme and the workshops. She attended the Developing Your Food Brand workshop which helped her develop a clearer brand strategy for her business and helped her to think about how her spices would be presented. Sharmini also applied for a fully funded voucher of £5000 to use at Fera Science Ltd. Fera tested her Garam Masala for pesticides and illegal dyes and, having passed the testing, the Garam Masala is now UKAS quality accredited.

“The support offered was fantastic.

They introduced us to the Product and Process Innovation Fund who were very happy with our innovative project ideas. Make It York helped us to understand the process better and take advantage of the opportunity” Alastair Harries: Chief Operating Officer, Intelsius

Stimulating Innovation in the Agri-Food Sector (SIAFS)

Delivering Masterclasses for business

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Masterclasses have become a regular feature of the business support programme over the last three years.

These events are designed to give local businesses a costeffective opportunity to learn new skills and engage with new contacts.

Annual Review 2017-18

In 2017/18, Make It York delivered 19 masterclasses, attracting 320 business people from in and around York.

They come from businesses of all shapes and sizes. Topics such as GDPR, ‘the secrets of sales pitching’ and ‘how to handle difficult conversations’ all proved to be popular. The masterclass programme continues into 2018/19.

Frankie Ridsdale: Owner, Cakes and Carousels

The SIAFS project supports small businesses, such as Cakes and Carousels, with free workshops, vouchers to use at Fera Science Ltd and networking events to encourage small producers to work collaboratively to solve any issues they may be facing in their business.

Cakes and Carousels is an independent bakery run by Frankie Ridsdale. She started making cakes and cupcakes for friends and family and began to get requests for orders.

Having previously worked in a larger bakery, Frankie had the skills and techniques to bake creatively but was unsure about which direction to take the business in.

Frankie signed up for SIAFS in 2017 and attended four workshops: Developing Your Food Brand, Business Vision and Strategy, Food Packaging and User Design Thinking.

The workshops helped to create a business plan, a stronger brand image, a marketing plan and helped to shape plans for packaging the cakes and cupcakes.

Following the workshops, Cakes and Carousels has expanded its offering into wedding cakes, brownies, cupcakes, corporate cakes and celebration cakes. Frankie makes each cake by hand with local ingredients and personalises each one. She also makes her own cake toppers and can print sugar images and sugar logos for corporate customers.

“Pro-Development have been huge advocates of Masterclasses both as delegates and delivery partners.

During 2017 we delivered two Masterclasses. They have provided a fantastic platform for us to share what we do, to meet and work with new contacts and to support the growth and development of local businesses.”

Michelle Mook: Managing Director, Pro-Development

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“The SIAFS project really helped my business. I attended workshops on branding and marketing and we have now created our website, brand and print which look great.

Thank you for all your help!”

One of the delivery partners has been Pro-Development, based at Forest Farm Business Park in Fulford. They delivered a masterclass on workplace ‘culture’. The masterclass on culture enabled delegates to think deeply about a key aspect of employee engagement. It was a great session with lots of debate and it enabled ProDevelopment to make some interesting, new contacts for future working relationships. Some of the delegates went on to attend ‘Refresh Sessions’, a monthly event for leaders.

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Stimulating Innovation in the Agri-Food Sector (SIAFS)

Attracting conferences and events to York

VisitYork4meetings markets York to meeting, incentive, conference and event buyers in the UK and internationally.

This contributed to the 14,500 business events in York venues in 2017, attended by 993,000 business event visitors who accounted for an estimated annual spend of £142.1m at venues.

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The Bradford based Society of Dyers and Colourists is the world’s leading independent, educational charity dedicated to advancing the science and technology of colour worldwide.

“The workshops have been incredibly helpful and also challenged me into thinking I could be doing things a lot better just by thinking outside of the box a bit. One of the key elements is meeting like-minded business people – ‘chewing the fat’ - with them and finding some real solutions to the problems all businesses face.”

The society contacted VisitYork4meetings keen to host their 2017 annual conference in the city with 140 delegates attending from the UK and internationally, with delegates from as far away as Asia. The challenge was to find an unusual, centrally located venue for the Society and to add value to the conference. The Society also requested a venue for a celebratory dinner within close proximity to the other venues used by the delegates.

After selecting a range of venues for the client to view, York Merchant Adventurers' Hall, which is unique to York, was chosen by the client for its central location, accessibility and wow factor. Accommodation was selected from a range of providers close by, primarily the Radisson Hotel where the client was delighted by the views over the city.

Anna Longthorp: Owner, Anna’s Happy Trotters

Anna’s Happy Trotters, run by Anna Longthorp, a fourth generation farmer, is another great example of a business supported through SIAFS. In 2007, Anna made the decision to farm their pigs 100% outdoors, making them fully free range. She is committed to the high welfare of all of their pigs and has been presented with a Good Pig Award.

Anna’s Happy Trotters now sells directly to the consumer and through specialist farm shops and butchers. They have a loyal customer base and have won several taste awards.

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Anna joined the SIAFS project in 2017 to help expand her product range and update the company’s marketing strategy. The SIAFS team met with Anna and talked through her business needs. Anna then attended several workshops including sales training, marketing and exporting.

Anna has since updated her marketing strategy and is beginning plans to export. She also met a local beer producer through the project, and they are currently working on developing a sausage flavoured with beer and beer cured bacon which they will brand and distribute together.

“Members attend our Day of Celebration from all around the world, so location, overall appeal and accommodation provision are very important to us. I like York for its choice and added value.”

Tracy Cochrane: Marketing and Communications Director, Society of Dyers and Colourists

Science City York networking

Giving businesses a chance to shine

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Stand and Deliver was first held in York in June 2017 and there have been two further events since. It provides local businesses with an opportunity to pitch to a panel of investors with the objective of obtaining a cash investment into their business. The investors typically have a wealth of experience and contacts so the events also provide other opportunities.

Jerry Boxall: Previous CEO of ACM Global Labs

Science City York has created a strong working relationship with ACM Global Labs, who since 1975, have been a recognised leader in both medical diagnostic and global clinical trial testing services. Following a decision to expand their premises in York, the Science City team recognised the importance of introducing ACM Global Labs to the lively and large bioscience network.

Science City York holds a series of dinners across the year for directors in the bioscience, creative and IT & digital sectors. In October 2017 Science City York hosted a bioscience directors’ forum dinner at the York Medical Society. As well as welcoming ACM Global Labs’ parent company, Rochester Regional Health, the dinner brought together the most pioneering and innovative bioscience businesses in the network to learn about ACM Global Labs and each other.

ACM Global Labs found the event extremely useful and have benefitted from Science City York’s bioscience network in terms of increased visibility and business opportunities. Make It York is also working with ACM Global Labs to explore apprenticeship opportunities and provide support in other ways.

“We attracted attention from all four investors and, after meeting with each, decided to work with one to explore an exciting strategic relationship. We also continue to work with the business team at Make It York and it’s great to have an independent partner involved in supporting our business.”

Daniel Lee-Bursnall: Director, Incremental Solutions

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It’s clear that Incremental Solutions is a name to watch out for. Technology moves quickly and is a very competitive sector but Incremental is building a strong support network and is well placed to take advantage of the growth opportunities available. This is exactly what the ‘Stand and Deliver’ initiative set out to achieve.

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“ACM Global Laboratories took part in a bioscience dinner in 2017. It was an opportunity to learn about some great businesses in our area and York clearly has a strong presence in this field. We then sponsored the next bioscience dinner and definitely wish to maintain and strengthen our links with the excellent SCY team.”

One business that pitched at Stand and Deliver in October 2017 was Incremental Solutions. Their pitch was warmly received by all four investors and they had the luxury of being able to choose one of the investors to work with.

Incremental has also gone on to work with the wider Business Team in terms of helping them with opportunities in the rail sector and assisting them in a search for new city centre premises.

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Giving businesses visibility

Showcasing York’s top 100 companies

One of Make It York’s key priorities is to keep close to the city’s bigger companies to understand their business needs, to get a sense of how the local business economy is performing and to help where possible. A prerequisite for doing this is knowing who the biggest companies are, something not as easy as it sounds.

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So, the business team at Make It York set about trying to change this. Approaches were made to the Business School at York St. John University and The Press and a partnership was formed. The challenge was to identify and publish a list of York’s Top 100 companies.

“On behalf of Viridian FX, I was delighted to be interviewed by Science City York. I'm pleased they have recognised the need for greater marketing of the business opportunities York has to offer and we are proud to be a part of York’s evolving, creative landscape.”

Painstaking analytical work by the Business School culminated in the publication of a 48-page supplement in The Press ranking the top companies by turnover, number of employees, profit and shareholder funds. It represents the best snapshot of the York economy there has ever been and it gives a fascinating insight to the scale and breadth of the city’s businesses. For 2017, Persimmon PLC topped the list as the top York based business.

Kit Monkman: Managing Director, Viridian FX

In developing an industry-driven creative strategy for the city, Science City York is concentrating on improving the visibility of York-based creative and digital businesses.

As part of this, Science City York is piloting a series of showcase films with one focusing on Viridian FX.

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Viridian FX offers a wide range of high-end visual effects for film, TV and screen-based media. The York-based company's work encompasses a wide range of technical and artistic skills, supplemented by its own in-house, creative research and development. Their managing director, Kit Monkman took part in an interview with Science City York, documenting a couple of incredible projects that their team has been working on.

Kit discussed the world’s first green-screen Shakespearean production alongside an awe-inspiring trip into space in their latest work: Solace. He also highlighted the benefits of being based in beautiful York.

Viridian FX continues to stand out as a great example of a company punching above its weight and the film documenting their latest work (courtesy of VIDAVEO) will feature on the new Science City York YouTube channel.

“We didn’t realise when Make It York approached us that it would be such a complicated, massive piece of research. But we’re so pleased that we did it. We have learnt so much from the exercise and we’re really interested to see how the list evolves each year that we do it.”

Dr Bob Gammie: Head of York St John University Business School

Science City York linking business to education

Helping Start-Up businesses

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A range of support is available to businesses to access finance such as advice on grants and loans, help with preparing applications and introductions to banks, accountants, grant bodies and the Local Enterprise Partnerships.

In 2014, Abbie Neilson and Chris Jaume were on the adventure of a lifetime in Australia. Whilst in Tasmania they fell in love with the methods of local whisky producers and planned to replicate this when they returned to York.

That’s when the real challenge began. In 2016 Abbie and Chris met with the Business Team to understand what local support was available.

Isabel Jagoe: Product and Communications Lead, York Instruments

The 'Challenge-a-thon' event was organised by Science City York and facilitated by innovation agency, VIATIC, in response to feedback from bioscience companies that there is a need to meet and engage with ‘future employees’ in a different way. Each of the three businesses involved presented their own real-world challenge and students were encouraged to pick their favourite before working through solutions and presenting their ideas.

As well as generating professional interaction with students from Askham Bryan College, York College and York St. John University, the event also provided businesses with an insight into potential future talent and students with an opportunity to learn about local employers. The three companies involved were; ‘Animalcare’, a York-based specialist veterinary products company, ‘York Instruments’ who develop cutting-edge brain scanners and ‘YorkTest’, Europe’s leading food intolerance and allergy testing company.

Company representatives found great value in giving back to the student community, inspiring them about the incredible opportunities and innovation within York.

Building on the success of the ‘Challenge-a-thon’, plans are in place for a follow up event and the educational partners are now committed to establishing and maintaining links with local businesses.

“The support has allowed us to tap into many resources previously unknown to us, and has really helped the distillery develop. We’re incredibly grateful to the team for opening up their invaluable network of contacts and, in turn, the opportunities they have created for the business.”

Abbie Neilson: Owner, Cooper King

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Cooper King continues to go from strength to strength with their whisky still now produced on site and gin production ready to commence shortly. They are regularly featured in local and regional media and have been nominated for several awards including New Starter Business of the Year at the Yorkshire Choice Awards.

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“We had a productive day at the ‘Challenge-a-thon’. This was a great outreach opportunity for us to engage with students from a range of academic backgrounds and tell them about the brain scanning technology we are developing. SCY has been a brilliant partner for our company.”

Following an initial conversation, the business went on to secure funding from the PAPI fund and the Start-Up Loans scheme along with an introduction to Lazenby Brown, a local award-winning brand design agency. This was in addition to the funding they raised themselves through their Innovative Founders’ Club.

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vibrant city

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Organising York St Nicholas Fair John Ramsdale has owned the iconic Hat Shop in the centre of York for a number of years. He firmly believes it is the large number of independent traders, such as the Hat Shop, together with a history that spans back to the Roman period, that make York such a special destination.

Make It York organises the annual St Nicholas Fair, part of the York Christmas Festival. John, also a local resident, has watched this grow into an extremely successful and busy event. Following discussions with the city centre team, John was happy to hear that local businesses would be encouraged to take part in the market. He took a stall in 2017 and had a very successful trading period.

“York St Nicholas Fair is our only event of the year and the only Christmas market we have ever chosen to stand at. Our stall helps us reach a much larger audience over the Christmas period, both locals and visitors. Many people who visit our shop initially found out about us from our stall at the Christmas market. We are looking to apply again this year.�

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After the success of being part of the St Nicholas Fair, The Hat Shop has seen the benefits of working collaboratively on city centre events, in addition to running a shop in the centre of York.

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John Ramsdale: Owner, The Hat Shop

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Establishing the food court

Turning round the Shambles Market

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Turning around the performance of Shambles Market has been one of the bigger challenges that Make It York has had to confront. New systems and procedures, investment into the food court area and a commitment to promoting the market more effectively have all contributed to an improvement in fortunes.

“The City Centre Market team has been very supportive and helpful throughout the development of the Shambles Food Court and Los Moros.

If it wasn’t for the changes made and new events and marketing materials to promote the area, the Food Court would not be where it is today. The Shambles Food Court is now a recognised destination in the city centre.”

Keith and Sue Woodward first set up their business at The Shambles Tavern in 2007 which backs onto Shambles Market. Their premises had a back door but this was never utilised. In 2015 Make It York began developing relationships with local businesses adjoining the market.

Keith and Sue worked with the city centre team to come up with ideas of how Shambles Tavern could become part of the market.

A decision was reached to open the back doors of the Tavern onto Shambles Market and transform the market stalls into an outdoor area.

Tarik Abdeladim: Owner, Los Moros

The Shambles Food Court was created to enhance an area of the market that was previously quiet and to provide a street food hub to complement the rest of the market. It would encourage people to visit and dwell in the area.

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Los Moros moved into the Shambles Food Court in 2015 as one of the original tenants. It specialises in North African street food dishes, inspired by the owner, Tarik’s roots. Tarik had come across the Shambles Market during the major refurbishment and got in touch to discuss the opportunities available to him and his start up business.

Through perseverance and a commitment to quality, Tarik has a developed a very successful business. In fact Los Moros is now recognised as the number one place for food in York by visitors on TripAdvisor. This exposure has attracted many new visitors to the Food Court as a whole, with many media outlets taking an interest in the developing area. Los Moros were one of many Shambles Food Court traders to feature in an article by The Guardian: an alternative city guide to York.

“This had a tremendous impact on business, and meant visitors could now travel through our building directly into the market. If we hadn’t met with the city centre team when we did, we would not be where we are today in business. Make It York has been refreshing, brave, and most importantly supportive from day one, and have allowed us to add value to an area which is the beating heart of the city of York.”

Sue and Keith Woodward: Owners, The Shambles Tavern

Creating and supporting new festivals

Building on York’s status as a UNESCO City of Media Arts

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Identifying new opportunities to showcase the city is a key priority. One such opportunity emerged when it was noticed that 2018 would mark the 250th anniversary of the Ancient Society of York Florists, the oldest horticultural society in the world.

“It is good that we have autonomy as a festival team but it is also good that we have the full support of Make It York. They have helped to connect us to a range of new partners across York who are now actively engaged with York Mediale.”

Tom Higham: Festival Director, York Mediale

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead on this exciting new festival for York. I’m now working with the most amazing collection of partners who are all really enthusiastic about showcasing the city’s horticultural talents and making the most of this unique opportunity.“ Lotte Inch: Curator, Bloom!

One of the early tasks prioritised by Make It York was to ensure that York’s status as a UNESCO City of Media Arts turned into something tangible and meaningful for the city.

York is one of only 14 UNESCO cities of Media Arts in the world and the only one in the UK. A new Guild of Media Arts was set up to be the custodian of the accreditation and a new international media arts festival was conceived – York Mediale.

Funding from the University of York, York St. John University, City of York Council, Arts Council England and Make It York, has made the festival possible and has enabled it to be set up as a separate Community Interest Company. Tom Higham was engaged as Festival Director and, with a small team, has been working to create an event of international significance.

York Mediale is now a reality and will take place for ten days from September 27 2018. It will feature exhibitions, installations, workshops and performances and will bring together leading digital artists from across the world.

The festival is planned to take place every two years.

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Lotte Inch was recruited to organise and curate the Bloom! festival working with the team at Make It York. The festival will run 5 - 8 July and will feature over 120 separate events. It will include a number of headline artistic floral and garden displays, a schools' competition, a window dressing competition for retailers, a flower market in the Shambles Market area, a beer garden competition and the opening up of some of York’s hidden secret gardens.

And, of course, there will be the Summer Show of the Ancient Society of York Florists on Parliament Street.

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After consulting with the Society, and after bringing together a number of key partners, the decision was taken to create a four-day festival as a celebration of York’s horticultural heritage. Ambitions for the festival are for it to be inclusive, fun and involving as many people and organisations in and around York as possible.

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Growing the York Ice Trail - now the biggest outdoor ice trail in the UK

Establishing the York Balloon Fiesta

In January 2017, Ollie Webb and Damien Torrington, both York based hot-air balloon pilots, set out to create a weekend long ballooning event in in York. Ollie had seen it work in other cities, notably Bristol, and he wanted to bring something similar to his home city. He was advised to speak to Make It York and, after several meetings, help was given in finding sponsorship, securing space at the Knavesmire, working through health and safety considerations, designing a brand for the event and promoting the weekend fiesta.

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“Garfield proved to be a very popular ice sculpture and helped to generate a 20% year on year sales uplift, including our busiest Saturday ever!”

On Friday September 29, 50 hot-air balloon pilots arrived at the Knavesmire in York to set up for the weekend.

Three launches were achieved, despite some challenging weather, thrilling large crowds and creating some stunning images of balloons flying over York Minster. A large photograph in The Sunday Telegraph, the front page of the Yorkshire Post and significant coverage on BBC TV and radio are just a few examples of the exposure achieved, showcasing York at its best. York Balloon Fiesta is now an annual fixture in the city’s festival programme.

Peter Hanson: Owner, The Cat Gallery

York Ice Trail is now in its third year. This collection of giant hand-carved ice sculptures, scattered around the city centre, was created to encourage visitors and residents to discover more of York’s hidden streets and shops.

It also added a fun family attraction to the York Christmas festival line-up. Each sculpture is sponsored by a business who get involved in choosing a design. Many businesses also run competitions or create an interactive element such as a photo opportunity which have become a huge hit with the public.

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Peter Hanson, owner of The Cat Gallery, had seen how popular the trail was in its first year and wanted to use this opportunity to sponsor a sculpture.

The first York Ice Trail began with 30 sculptures and it has grown in size each year - 45 sculptures in December 2017 made it the largest outdoor ice trail in the UK. The trail now attracts thousands of visitors and residents who come back each year to see the new designs and complete the trail. The next York Ice Trail will happen on Saturday 2 February 2019.

“I’m a commercial hot air balloon pilot, not a festival organiser, so I was quite daunted by the task of realising my vision and objectives.

After meeting the team from Make It York I felt much more comfortable about the upcoming event. They gave me loads of advice and stuck with me in the six months leading up to the event.”

Ollie Webb Organiser, York Balloon Fiesta

Working in partnership to light up the city Make It York has always been determined to work closely with the Business Improvement District (BID), working on activities which complement rather than duplicate.

One of the best examples of the two organisations collaborating is the much improved Christmas lighting.

York’s Christmas festival is co-ordinated by Make It York and the York BID has a specific mandate to improve the city’s Christmas lights. Working closely together, it was decided that the BID would lead on the development and delivery of a new Christmas lighting scheme, with Make It York contributing £45,000 each year to the large-scale investment needed to create a significant impact.

This investment enhanced the BID’s winter lighting budget and an attractive new scheme was designed for the city. Feedback on the lighting has been overwhelmingly positive and the new scheme, along with a vibrant Christmas market, the UK’s biggest ice trail and a host of other Christmas activities, contributed to York being recognised as the “UK’s most festive city”.

“We’re determined to work effectively and collaboratively and the partnership we formed on the Christmas lights project is testament to this. By pooling resources, we have created a scheme that is bigger and better for the city and which has received brilliant feedback from businesses, residents and visitors.”

Andrew Lowson: Executive Director, the York BID

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“Why we love it: the perfect mix of heritage and hi-tech“

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The Sunday Times, March 18 2018

York has been crowned Britain’s Best Place to Live, by the Sunday Times, named Most Festive City, in a poll by Virgin Trains, and was acknowledged as having England’s Best Visitor Centre with the gold award at the VisitEngland Excellence Awards.

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“This mini metropolis has a rich history and grand ambitions to be one of the best-connected hubs in Europe, with cool cafés, destination restaurants and innovative companies”

“For all York’s cutting-edge cool, it’s still regularly voted one of the friendliest cities in the UK” “The long list of festivals will grow in the autumn with the launch of York Mediale, a biennial celebration of media arts”

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“York is the first ‘Gigabit City’, offering broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps one gigabit, or 1,000 megabits, per second“

The Sunday Times, March 18 2018

email info@makeityork.com

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Can you help us spread the word?

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Annual Review 2017-18

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14

300

200

1000

Businesses pitched at 3 Stand and Deliver events

Conference enquires handled

KAM discussions

Delegates at York Business Week

13,600

138

222

ÂŁ240,000

Seven days in York subscribers

Christmas chalet traders

Traders at the Shambles Market

Finance raised for businesses in York

161

320

248

115

New start-ups assisted

Businesses attending 19 master-classes

Businesses assisted

Property enquiries handled

260

85

50

Visit York members

Businesses signed up to SIAFS

People attending SCY dinners

Business Ambassadors

140

53

120

400,000

Delegates attended the Food & Drink Conference

Inward investment enquiries handled

Attendees at York Top 100 Business launch

People through the Visit York Information Centre

155

15,000

17,000,000

270

New Visit York members

York Pass sales 2017 – 2018

PR Reach

Delegates at the VYCON Tourism Conference

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965

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2018/19 festival highlights

This year there is an unprecedented array of

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events and festivals in York, there literally is something for everyone. Many of them are

York Residents Festival January 2019

York Festival of Ideas 5 – 17 June

York Ice Trail 2 February 2019

York Food Festival Taster 9 – 10 June

JOVIK Viking Festival 20 – 22 February 2019

Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre 25 June – 2 September

York Literature Festival March 2019

Bloom!

5 – 8 July

York Easter Festival March/April 2019

York Early Music Festival 6 – 14 July

York Fashion Week April 2019

The Great Yorkshire Fringe 19 – 29 July

York Open Studios April 2019

Ebor Festival 22 – 25 August Micklegate Run Soapbox Challenge 27 August

Diary Dates:

York Mystery Plays on Waggons 9, 12, 16 September

Visit York Tourism Awards 21 June 2018

York Food and Drink Festival 21 – 30 September

York Food and Drink Conference 13 Sept 2018

York Mediale 27 September – 6 October

York Hospitality Awards (New) 26 Sept 2018

York Balloon Fiesta 28 – 30 September

York Business Week 13 – 19 Nov 2018

Aesthetica Short Film Festival 7 - 11 November

Top 100 Companies 14 Nov 2018

York Christmas Festival 15 November – 23 December

York Culture Awards 19 Nov 2018

UK Snooker Championship 27 November – 9 December

VYCON Tourism Conference 24 Jan 2019

York Early Music Christmas Festival 8 – 16 December

Make It York Annual Stakeholder Meeting May 2019

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Eboracum Roman Festival 1 – 3 June

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unique to the city: #onlyinYork

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Annual Review 2017-18

Thanks to all our sponsors and partners

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Many thanks to all the sponsors and partners for their generous support.

Businesses from across the private and public sector have worked with Make It York to add value and enhance York’s product offer. £80,000 of sponsorship was generated in our third year, enabling a range of new initiatives and events, enjoyed by thousands of residents, visitors,

Visit York Tourism Awards 2017

The York Ice Trail 2017

Sponsors: Booker, Colour Options, First Group, FR Fowler & Son, Hungate York Regeneration, Hunter Gee Holroyd, Little Hotelier, Manchester Airport, Morrell Middleton, P&O Ferries, Streamline Taxis, The Great Yorkshire Fringe, Virgin Trains East Coast, York BID, Yorkshire Laundry

Headline Sponsor: Harrowells Solicitors Exhibitors: Booker, FERA, New World Foods, NFU Mutual, SIAFS, Santander, WRS Solutions

Headline Sponsor: TalkTalk Sponsors: Barley Hall, Bradleys Jewellers, Castle Howard, City Cruises, Coppergate Centre, Crabtree & Evelyn, Doubletree by Hilton, Eboracum Security, Explore York, Fenwick, First Group, Hungate York Regeneration, Hunters, Jack Wolfskin, Judges Lodging, Kennedy's, Lucia Bar, Mansion House, Monks Cross Shopping Park, National Railway Museum, North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pandora, Premier Inn, Shambles Market, Stockeld Park, Stormfront, The Botanist, The Cat Gallery, The Escapologist (Selby), The Grand Hotel, & Spa York, The Ivy York, The Principal York, Turtle Bay, Vangarde Shopping Park, York BID, York Dungeon, York Minster, Yorkshire's Winter Wonderland

York Top 100

VYCON18

York Food & Drink Conference 2017

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businesses and students alike and benefitting the city’s economy.

Headline Sponsor: Hiscox

Sponsors: First Group, Hungate York Regeneration, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Lotte Inch Gallery, Red Publications, Redrow, The Rise Restaurant Terrace and Bar, University of York, Viridian FX, York St John’s University, Yorkshire Ventures

York Easter Festival 2018 Lead Partners: Little Vikings, York BID

The Great York Ghost Search 2017

The Great York Bunny Search 2018

Sponsor: Acomb Travel

Partners: Nestlé, SuperBreak, The York Teaching Hospital Charity

York Residents Festival 2018

Seven days in York newsletter

Headline Sponsor: First Group

Headline Sponsor: TalkTalk

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York Culture Awards 2017

Headline Sponsor: Leeds Bradford Airport Sponsors: Cellhire, Emirates, Kashing, Rain Drop Digital, Saville AV, Streamline Taxis, The Mountain Goat, Yorkshire Laundry, Yorwaste

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Annual Review 2017-18

Strategic priorities for 2018 and beyond

Inward Investment:

Science City York:

Business Support:

Maximise support for York’s key development projects eg York Central.

Complete the SIAFS programme and launch the new creative strategy.

Maximise support for York's key sectors.

Leisure Tourism:

Business Tourism:

Shambles Market:

Maximise tourism growth through exceptional marketing.

Continue to focus on York’s core industry sectors.

Invest in further infrastructure improvements.

Events and Festivals:

Cultural Development:

Student City:

Introduce a new events framework/ strategy for the city.

Build a new cultural strategy through the cultural leaders group.

Work with the universities and colleges to assist student recruitment.

Business as usual:

Known developments:

New priorities:

Develop and support Visit York membership

Supporting an unprecedented array of new festivals (Bloom!, Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, York Mediale)

Enhance support given to new businesses in York

Delivery of the creative strategy

Complete the SIAFS project

Delivery of the cultural strategy

Shambles market development

Refreshing the tourism and events strategies

Promote business tourism

With partners, work on a retention strategy for young talent Reinvigorate York Business week - give it a real purpose Develop York as a hotbed for innovation in the tourism sector

Key account management

New CYC Service Level Agreement requirements (to be confirmed)

Annual Make It York events and networking programme

Develop the new Visit York website

Produce marketing publications

New approach to curating Visit York tourism content

Support existing festivals

CRM database project

Manage the Ad:Venture programme

Support the Guildhall development

Enhance support for the hospitality sector (launch new hospitality awards)

Deliver marketing and PR strategy

Bid for elements of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup (Community stadium)

Understand the support we can give to new developments e.g. York Central

Address the infrastructure issues in Shambles Market Streamline and improve digital output Improve the dissemination of PR content for York business

Horizon scanning for large-scale events and fund-raising

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Build the business ambassador programme

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Meet the board: Jane Lady Gibson Chair Make It York

Steve Brown Managing Director Make It York

Professor Chris Bailey Cultural Policy Consultant

Councillor Ian Gillies City of York Council Leader

Councillor Ashley Mason City of York Council

Joan Concannon Head of External Relations University of York

Peter Clinker Head of Property & Facilities Management NestlĂŠ UK

Mark Fordyce Managing Director York Data Services

Sally Joynson Chief Executive Screen Yorkshire

Professor Karen Stanton Vice Chancellor York St John University

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Board advisors: Lyndsey Turner-Swift Head of England Action Plan VisitEngland

James Farrar Chief Operating Officer York, North Yorkshire & East Riding LEP

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Andrew Sharp Head of Business

Heather Niven Head of Science City York

Chris Price Head of City Centre & Markets

Kay Hyde Head of PR & Corporate Communications

Michelle Brown Leisure Tourism Marketing Manager

Laura Freer Business Tourism Marketing Manager

David Honan Digital Marketing Manager

Rebecca Francis Commercial Manager

PJ Edgar Membership Executive

Sue Frumin Membership Engagement Manager

Julie Brookes Visitor Centre Manager

Christine Hogan Senior Inward Investment Manager

Steve Bailey Partnerships Manager

Simon Middleton Business Growth Manager

Charles Storr Business Growth Manager

Elaine Moss Product Manager York Pass

Dominic Berry City Centre Events Manager

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Sally Greenaway Head of Visit York

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Meet the team:

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Grateful thanks to all sponsors of the annual Make It York Stakeholder Meeting

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Sponsors and Exhibitors

Ways to stay in touch: Visit us online at makeityork.com Follow us on Twitter @makeityork Email us at info@makeityork.com Visit us at 1 Museum St, York YO1 7DT

PUBLISHED BY

Make It York is the city’s Destination Management Organisation. Our purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings - nationally and internationally as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business.