A Busy Month - Here's What We've Been Up To
March has been full on, and I wanted to give you all a bit of an update in what your Chief Exec get up to between our monthly meetings and how the Chamber works for the benefit of our members and the business community as a whole.
Our monthly Chamber meeting at The Crown Hotel was one of the strongest yet. Coordinated by Zach Greaves of Artus Digital, the evening brought together experts on marketing, data, and AI - and the room was genuinely engaged throughout. The headline? As AI-generated content becomes the norm, authenticity is now your competitive advantage. If you missed it, the full meeting report is on our website, along with ‘The Floor is Lava’ from My Digital Hero.
Closer to home, I sat down with Steve Brown, Head of Parking Services at North Yorkshire Council. Parking might not sound glamorous, but for our town centre businesses it's one of the most practical levers we have - so keeping that conversation open matters. I also attended a number of Harrogate Town Council meetings on new signage around town. Clear, well-placed signage helps visitors find businesses more easily, and that's a conversation worth being in.
On a different note entirely, I was delighted to attend the belated RAF Menwith Hill Thanksgiving - originally cancelled in October due to the US government shutdown. It was a privilege to represent Harrogate's business community at such a significant event, and a reminder of the important relationship between the base and our local economy.
I also took a Sunday afternoon to attend the final of the Harrogate Competitive Festival for Music, Speech and Drama. Harrogate's cultural life is a genuine asset to this town - it attracts visitors, supports hospitality, so having the opportunity to see our upcoming stars is a real pleasure. I would expect to see at least a few of the performers in a few years time on the national or even global stage and being welcomed back to Harrogate by Harrogate International Festival.
At the regional level, I attended the Visit North Yorkshire Tourism on Track event, which included a steam train networking session through some of North Yorkshire's finest scenery - an inspired setting for an afternoon's conversation. I had the pleasure of meeting Lady Victoria Borwick, Chair of the VisitEngland Advisory Board. Connections at that level matter when we're making the case for Harrogate as a destination worth investing in.
Finally, I'm pleased to confirm our upcoming Chamber Business Safari, hosted at Harrogate Ladies College on 13th April. More details to follow - but do keep the date free. It's going to be a good one.
