City centre businesses gained an insight into the physical, virtual and cultural development of an area once central to the region’s economic wellbeing.

The agenda at the latest HullBID networking event embraced the demolition of redundant buildings in the old fruit market area, the plans to replace them with the ultra high-tech Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) and the current use as a home for Hull’s major festival programme in the build-up to City of Culture and beyond.

Kathryn Shillito, HullBID City Centre Manager, said the thread was the commitment to generating new opportunities for businesses by improving the physical and virtual environment in which they work.

She said: “It is about working in partnership and engaging with other people to tell them how great Hull is and what is happening here.”

The audience at the event, which was hosted at C4DI, ranged from retailers to the leisure sector and professionals from property, academia and law.

They heard Kathryn outline the success of this year’s Yum Festival and the mounting excitement as HullBID builds towards the Trinity Festival later this month and a Christmas campaign which will focus on promoting the attractions within the city centre.

Kathryn said: “Yum was a phenomenal event and there is no doubt that it really helped get people into the city centre. Trinity Festival featured six bars when it started three years ago and this year will involve 28 different venues as well as a main stage.

“The Christmas campaign will again feature a Victorian Christmas event in partnership with Hull Museums and Heritage Learning Services plus an extended Santa parade in conjunction with Princes Quay Shopping Centre which will cover more of the city centre than in the past.

“Our campaign will be about getting people into Hull to show them the attractions. There are not many cities that have three shopping centres and two Victorian arcades.”

Kathryn added that the longer term future would be influenced by the themes of the networking event – sharing stories about Hull’s creative communities.

Jon Moss, co-founder of C4DI, told how during the next year the centre will move into a new home which will be equipped with the technology and expertise to support the creation of a new generation of start-up businesses.

He also challenged businesses to seize the opportunities offered by digital innovation: “What we are trying to do is help traditional businesses be more successful by using technology. It’s not going to slow down – it’s going to get a lot quicker and lot more interesting.”

Jenny Coombes, Partnership and Development Manager for the Freedom Festival, outlined the economic benefits of the event, which last year attracted more than 81,000 people and generated £2-million additional spend in the city.

Jenny revealed subsequent evaluation of the event revealed that 91 per cent of visitors said they would return to Hull, and 92 per cent felt the festival enhanced Hull’s reputation regionally, nationally and internationally.

Kathryn added: “One of the biggest criticisms from some businesses about Freedom Festival used to be that everything was focused in the fruit market area but as a direct result of collaboration between HullBID and Jenny more of the activity has shifted towards the central area, bringing benefits to more businesses.”

Picture details:(l-r Jenny Coombes (Freedom Festival), Kathryn Shillito (HullBID) and Jon Moss (c4Di).