Member Article

Yorkshire Mafia Don talks Leeds Business Week

Leeds Business Week is once more on the horizon.

Organising consortium Yorkshire Mafia have roped in a stellar cast of sponsors and event partners this year, including Arup, Leeds City Council, Superfast West Yorkshire, Leeds & Partners, Hammerson, and of course, Bdaily.

In one week, the Mafia intends to bring together city leadership, big business, SME’s, public sector, arts and culture as well as networking and business membership groups.

You may have received an email in your inbox about it, heard people nattering about it, but what can it offer you and your business really?

Here Mafia Don Geoff Shepherd speaks to Bdaily about that difficult second round, and how far the organisation has come in just over a year.

Do you feel you’ve got a lot to live up to after the success of Leeds Business Week last year, like a tricky second album?

Ha! No, we’re not heading for a Second Year Slump. We’re looking to make some changes but we’re not going backwards and we’re certainly not being complacent. If anything, we’re improving and refining.

How far do you think you’ve come in uniting business networks in the region, as was one of your goals last year?

There’s been good progress although it has been made from pro-actively reaching out to other organisations and encouraging them to get involved. There is a lot of apathy out there, even from those organisations that are paid or tasked to promote Leeds. As a minimum I’d have expected any organisation with the word “Leeds” in its title to be knocking down our door to get involved – that’s not the case however.

What would you say to someone unconvinced of the value of events like this?

Wake up. Bringing the wider business community together to share their experiences, learn from each other and develop new and better relationships is a powerful catalyst for growth.

If you could only go to one event on the week, which one would it be?

Smarter Cities Conference. The speaker line up is great – really strong for a regionally based event like this.

That said, I do like the social side of events like this and we have a cracking business lunch and an after work drinks evening…

What are your ’pet peeves’ when it comes to organised business events?

Playing safe: Reworking a mediocre formula again and again. It’s pretty boring.

Do you have any plans for the future of Leeds Business Week?

Plenty! But we’d like more organisations to get involved. It’s not about our plans. Leeds isn’t our city. We’d like some of the senior stakeholders in Leeds to really get behind the event financially and creatively. Leeds is one of the largest cities in the UK and Leeds Business Week should be a significant national business event.

Leeds Business Week is on from October 13 - 17 this year, and includes the Smarter Cities Conference and Leeds City Summit with Councillor Keith Wakefield, Dr. Adam Beaumont, MD at aql, Alison Munro, chief exec of HS2, Roger Marsh, non-exec chair at Leeds City LEP, Helen Oldham, MD at Johnston Press and James Hepburn, development manager for Victoria Gate at Hammerson

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .