April Review : Spring Business Safari Success at Harrogate Ladies' College
Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce returned to one of its most popular event formats this week, welcoming nearly 70 members to Harrogate Ladies' College for our first Business Safari of the year. As usual, there was a high-energy atmosphere in the room as Chamber members engaged in a series of structured, fast-paced networking rotations.
The meeting began with an introduction from Sam Finn, representing Harrogate Ladies' College. Sam provided members with an update on the historic institution’s future - specifically its transition to Duchy College this coming September. This change marks a significant move to a co-educational model, expanding the college's offering within the district. Sam also highlighted that the college offers a variety of spaces for venue hire, providing local businesses and organisations with an elegant and professional setting for their own events.
Maximising Opportunity for Members
Our Business Safari format is unique in the sense that it offers every attendee the opportunity to speak and listen in a structured environment. Throughout the evening, members are seated at various tables, each led by a dedicated table host. Every participant had 60 seconds to introduce their business, repeating this process six times across different groups.
This format ensures that attendees don’t just stay within their existing circles but are instead introduced to a broad cross-section of the Chamber’s diverse membership.
A Productive and Inspiring Evening
The post-event feedback has underscored why the Safari remains one of the most important meetings in the business calendar. Members highlighted the unique "community business spirit" of the evening, with one attendee commenting that the "genuine interest and championing of each other was so encouraging and inspiring."
For many, the structured nature of the event made it a highly effective use of time. Feedback included:
"This was the most comfortable networking I have been to. Your hosts on every table were informative and really kept the conversation flowing. I came away with 14 business cards. It was a good vibe."
"The Safari events are good because you get one-on-one introductions to other members and their businesses in a way that doesn't happen at other meetings."
"It was a great opportunity to meet and catch up with so many people in one meeting. There are some very talented and passionate people in our business community."
