Chamber of Culture seminar hears how arts can benefit business
The Chamber of Culture panellists pictured during the presentations.
A LARGE audience of enthusiastic business people heard how the arts can benefit local businesses at the first “Chamber of Culture” breakfast meeting.
Held at the Mercure Hull Royal Hotel, the event was organised by Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce board member Phil Ascough, of Ascough Associates, who is leading the Chamber’s contribution to City of Culture 2017 preparations. He introduced David Burnby, from David Burnby Associates, who introduced the panellists and compered the event. The panellists were Clare Huby, from Three Ways East, Fran Hegyi from Hull 2017 City of Culture, Rick Welton from the Amy Johnson Festival and Malcolm Joslin from Strategy Engage.
Clare Huby explained the challenges the Hull Larkin with Toads project faced five years ago, and the initial scepticism. “At first, it was a difficult start with a lot of negativity – until businesses came in and backed the plan, with 33 companies sponsoring a toad, with the same number again saying they wished they had”.
When the 40 toads eventually appeared on the streets, the comments changed, the city embraced the toads and people wanted more of them. The project won three tourism awards, and the auction of the toads raised £50,000 for good causes. The Toads project raised the profile of the city and the region, and inspired a similar Hello Koalas project in Australia.
Rick Welton, the Project Director of the Amy Johnson Festival, said: “Amy was a heroine of the city and next year is the 75th anniversary of her death. She was a female engineer, which is very relevant today and we will be celebrating Amy Johnson’s achievements as an aviator, an engineer and a woman of her time”.
He said the festival will have something for everyone and they are looking at extending the festival beyond England to Australia and involving all the places where Amy landed during her pioneering trip in May 1930.
The Amy Johnson Festival will run from July 1 to September 6, 2016, and will be the perfect lead into the City of Culture year.
Fran Hegyi, who was involved with the London 2012 Olympics, said: “We are now in a different time, working on a difference scale and in a different city. Some people are facing difficult times and we have to persuade people that joining into the project is worthwhile. £18-million is a lot to raise for City of Culture 2017, but we’ll get there,” she promised.
Malcolm Joslin said there were a number of reasons for businesses to get involved. “It was a chance to get some profile in the media, it was a chance to do something special for your staff, maybe give them tickets to events, go to behind the scenes visits to reward them and make them feel special, and it demonstrates that the Hull and Humber area is a great place to work and live. It could also help with corporate social responsibility and create lots of jobs”.
Rick Welton drew parallels with Liverpool’s year as City of Culture, and pointed out that partnerships are important to make things happen and said that political support was crucial to success.
Lia Nici, from Estuary TV, asked how small businesses can get involved in 2017. Fran Hegyi told the delegates that City of Culture will be launching a Business Club early next year for smaller businesses in the city, but she couldn’t say any more than that at the moment.
Rick Welton was certain of a boost in confidence for the city, raise perceptions nationally, and will help people to feel good about the city. “People will want to stay in Hull and spend their money instead of going elsewhere,” he said.
Asked about the City of Culture year’s legacy, Fran pointed out that physical changes are already starting in Hull, and the council is spending a huge amount of money. “We’re already seeing new businesses open, and other businesses staying open for longer”.
She added: “It’s incumbent on us that we do things outside the city centre and we are absolutely determined to do that”.
Malcolm Joslin said: “The legacy will be pride, we will be proud of what has been achieved in 2017”.
Thanking the panellists, Phil Ascough urged every business to appoint a City of Culture Ambassador to see what individual businesses can do to be part of City of Culture 2017, and to help them get involved in what promises to be a transformational year for the Hull and the Humber region.
A packed audience listens intently to the speakers and learns how to get involved with City of Culture.
