Harrogate Place Network – what is it and why do we need it?
When we launched The Harrogate Story in March an integral part of what we intended was to create a Place-led ‘Ambassador’ programme; where businesses and individuals from across the district would meet to network, share news, learn about initiatives and come together to celebrate and promote our place. Despite the restrictions that are currently in place preventing us from meeting in person we are more committed than ever to bringing people together to collaborate in a meaningful way – so are holding the first ‘Place Network meeting online.
“Through crisis comes collaboration; and collaboration builds confidence.”
- We’re very lucky in that we already have many individuals and companies who are quietly great ambassadors for the Harrogate district – who promote the place, speak up for it and want to be part of taking the area forward. We want to build on the fantastic work these individuals and companies are doing by creating a ‘team Harrogate’ approach.
- We want to build our own Ambassador Network for the Harrogate District, to bring businesses and community organisations together using a place-based approach to really put Harrogate on the map. We have such a great story to tell and we have much to be proud of but to have the greatest impact we need all of us to be doing this together – to all act as ambassadors for Harrogate District and to cascade the story about our wonderful place.
- A Place Network can also enable members to create relationships that benefit themselves and the area, to influence and learn about the development of the place, to act as spokespeople in the media and to develop new initiatives with each other. This is the first meeting; our intention is to come together every two months to hear from leaders and others across the district, share best practice, network and come up with new ideas for how we can promote our place.
Right now we need to galvanise this collaborative approach to help us all over the next few months as we come out of lockdown into a more uncertain future. By working together we can show that our place is confident about its future and we all have a part to play in driving the recovery and future prosperity of Harrogate and district.
Outline agenda:
- Welcome from Mark Roberts, Chair of the Place Leadership Group and Founder, Beer Hawk
- Introduction to the Harrogate Story, the four themes and the ‘big idea’
- The role of a Place Network Group; and how to get involved
- Economic recovery update from HBC
- Q&A
- Close
Please join us for the first Harrogate Place Network ‘Ambassadors’ Meeting, Friday 26th June at 10am, by registering using this link: Harrogate Place Network ‘Ambassadors’ Meeting