Narrative, people and innovation

Advice from successful local business owners and key national and international players teased out three big ingredients to business success at the 2017 York Food and Drink Festival.

Have a narrative about your business and products that customers, employees and distributors can embrace.

Invest in people, whether employees or others who support the business, so they take the same care about quality and service as you do.

Look to innovation in product, processes and service to ensure you maintain an advantage in one of the world’s most competitive markets.

Following on from last year’s successful launch, MakeItYork, the destination management organisation responsible for attracting and promoting business in and around the city, brought together delegates from over 100 local, national and international businesses at the second York Food & Drink conference on the 14th September.

As sponsors of both the 2016 and 2017 conferences, we know these events provide an excellent opportunity for local businesses to hear about the challenges and successes experienced by others and to learn of initiatives to boost activity in this vital sector.

One such iniative is SIAFS - Stimulating Innovation in the Agri-Food Sector - which featured heavily at the conference and combines expertise co-ordinated by MakeItYork and FERA Science Ltd to provide guidance, networking and fully funded voucher schemes for food and drink businesses across North, East and West Yorkshire. For more details about the SIAFS initiative, visit www.agrifoodinnov.com