The importance of citywide teamwork in securing business and raising a destination’s profile

Collaboration and teamwork are critical elements to securing business and raising a destination’s profile. Jim Vincent, Managing Director of Royal Armouries International PLC, discusses the importance of teamwork in bringing conferences to his venue in Leeds and the role that ConferenceLeeds plays in this:

“Every individual business has its own responsibility to work hard and bring in its own business to the city, but working collaboratively with ConferenceLeeds and other businesses adds value to this. Often, clients will come to me wanting to hold an event at the Royal Armouries, but will want more information and a wider expertise of the city or their sector. Whilst we can of course provide the venue, ConferenceLeeds has the citywide expertise and capacity, as well as access to industry leaders, in order to cater to every other aspect of the conference – whether that be sourcing accommodation or arranging a city welcome – which completes the whole delegate experience. Essentially, ConferenceLeeds provides a strategic overview, whilst we are there to organise the event and make sure the conference runs smoothly. The two work hand in hand to provide a full service to the client.

“In terms of bringing conferences to the city it is very much a two way street, ConferenceLeeds may fit a client to our venue, or we may go to ConferenceLeeds for information and expertise – we make each other stronger and complement each other.”

Jennifer Young, Head of Conference Leeds, also discusses the benefits of collaborative working to strengthen the city’s offering and bring conferences to the Leeds:

“The conference industry thrives when everyone involved in the process works to each other’s strengths and we work collaboratively as a city to facilitate the perfect conference. Our conference ambassador programme epitomises this collaborative way of working, where we work with industry leaders across the city to utilise our knowledge hubs and capitalise on the expertise that exists in our key sectors. Through utilising the ambassador’s expertise in their sector and combining this with our extensive knowledge of the city, we are able to create the perfect partnership in bringing conferences to Leeds. The next step would then be working with venues, such as with Jim at the Royal Armouries, to organise the conference itself.

“Looking further afield, we also work closely with our northern counterparts: Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle, in order to showcase the North of England as an attractive destination for international delegates. We often liaise with one another to share opportunities and provide an efficient solution to conference buyers.”