York’s focus on its business community over a month of activity forming Business Festival 2022 has been hailed a success.
Rather than being focused on a single week, for the first time in over a decade, the business festival took place during the whole of November.
This year’s programme, developed around City of York Council’s objective of ‘Growing the Economy for Today and Tomorrow’, featured a total of 30 free events, both in-person and virtual.
The festival kicked off by focusing on building an economy driven by good business as part of a launch event at the Guildhall. The four weeks of the festival featured themes of good business and ethical, inclusive growth, sustainable growth, carbon reduction, workforce development and the city’s global links.
Councillor Ashley Mason, Executive Member for Economy and Strategic Planning, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who participated in the festival, whether as an organiser, speaker, venue provider or attendee.
“The festival has showcased the very best of York’s business community, helped develop ideas and links and inspire local businesses. It’s been truly inspiring to meet local entrepreneurs, whose innovation and ambition are building a bright future for the city.
“There are a wide range of organisations supporting York’s businesses, especially at this challenging time. We’re encouraging anyone who took part in this year’s festival to complete our feedback survey and help to shape the future of the festival.”
Each week of the programme was structured around one of the five themes of York’s 10-year Economic Strategy, which was formally approved by the council’s Executive on 22 November 2022. The strategy includes a set of key agendas aimed at improving living standards and livelihoods for all of York’s residents and businesses through increasing productivity, raising earnings, and maintaining and developing the city’s skills advantage.
During the festival, the spotlight was on York as a global city, celebrating the city’s strengths as a centre for inward investment and highlighting opportunities for businesses to attract customers from overseas.
Business leaders from across York’s food and drink sector heard from the Department for International Trade about ways to break into international markets before a reception in the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall brought this year’s festival to a close on Wednesday 30 November.
