Business Editor Laura Knowlson takes a closer look at Make It York and how it plans to improve the fortunes of York's economy.

Dubbed a "destination management organisation" Make It York has been tasked with helping improve the economic well-being of the City.

After just over two and a half years in the pipeline the organisation has been officially launched, with a mission is to improve York’s competitiveness and effectiveness for the benefit of citizens, communities and businesses.

Its self proclaimed key objectives are to "capture more value for the City of York by providing a market-facing organisation promoting York, in a joined up way, to residents, visitors, businesses and students, and to promote and sustain collaborative working, avoiding duplication of effort, across York’s stakeholders, aligned around a shared interest in the success of York".

Put simply it has rolled the work of several organisations in the city into one new company to collectively market York to the outside world.

Jane Lady Gibson, chairwoman for Make It York, said: "Literally hundreds of people have worked together to create Make It York and I am honoured to serve as its first chair.

"York plays a crucial role in the economic and cultural life of the North and can claim strategically significant connections in the North, South, East and West, back in time and into the future. But places cannot function effectively without true respect of a wide range of perspectives.

"One of our roles at Make It York is to understand the complex economic and cultural life geography which make a city tick, and to use our networks to problem solve and spot opportunities.

"As we mature we will be judged on whether we helped York and the surrounding area to grow and develop, or did we just add another layer of duplication. Every may we will gather to ask how we did, and will be judged on results and held to account.

Make It York's Targets Although operating as a separate legal entity Make It York is subject to a commissioning agreement with City of York Council which specifies objectives and required outcome for Make It York over its first three years.

Make It York is tasked with creating 700 jobs, with at least 500 to be paid above national median wage of £11.62 an hour, while also safeguarding 100 jobs through interventions.

It should also assist 500 business, or creative/cultural organisations to improve their performance, and provide information to 1,000 businesses, start-ups and organisations.

In a bid to attract new business Make it York is required to develop activities to ensure it received at least 250 inward investment enquiries from businesses outside the region, with 20 projects converted.

The commissioning agreement reveals the council will contribute £544,000 worth of staff and budget towards Make it York’s first year in operation, £337,000 of which is allocated to economic development, £100,000 towards Science City York and £232,000 for the visitor economy.

The city centre, arts, culture and events will receive £220,000, while a £20,000 contribution will be made towards the managing director’s salary. In return, the council will receive a £374,000 return payment relating to net income from operating the markets, and city centre events and festivals.

Visit York York's tourism board Visit York will continue to operate under its own branding after falling under the Make It York umbrella.

One of Make It York's initiatives, through Visit York, will see York’s burgeoning gastro scene promoted internationally in a new ‘Taste York’ campaign, featuring a new foodie video, hosted on the travel website www.britainisgreat.com and at www.visityork.org/taste.

Make It York has also submitted a bid for £100,000 of funding to the Visit England GREAT UK Challenge Fund. If successful the funding will be used to deliver on the ambition to make York ‘the most China Friendly City in the UK'.

York will also be part of a new 12 month campaign to market the North of England in key international markets through a £10 million fund, managed by VisitEngland, working with VisitBritain and other partners across the North.

Kate McMullen, head of consumer products and marketing at Make It York and head of Visit York, said: "Being part of Make It York will really strengthen the work that Visit York has done not just recently but over the past 25 years.

"It gives us new opportunities to target new visitors through the wider marketing of the city."

Science City York Also continuing under its own brand is Science City York, which as part of Make It York will undergo a strategic refresh.

Working with the SCY advisory board, chaired by Chris Danks, Science City York will play what has been described as a "key role" in attracting inward investment to exploit opportunities for high growth science sectors of biosciences, creative and IT/digital.

A part of this is the establishment of a new fund available for start-up businesses operating in the city’s creative, science and technology sectors.

Heather Niven, head of Science City York, said: "There are a lot of synergies between science and business, and having everyone working together proves to be very helpful as we can quickly pull together a fast and cohesive response when faced with new and exciting business wanting to move to the city."

Attracting Investment and Business Support One of the first tasks cited by Make It York is to update and refresh the sales story for locating or re-locating a business in York, and developing a ‘tool-kit’ of resources to help tell that story.

Supported by Stirling Kimkeran, head of Omnicom Engineering Ltd, a bespoke mobile App will be developed to promote York to businesses in an innovative and ‘real time’ way.

Make it York will work to enhance York’s retail sector, encouraging yet more contemporary and stylish retailers to locate in the city, while a campaign has also been launched to help put York’s Shambles market on the map as a ‘must visit’ for both visitors and residents, as well as promoting events locally and nationally.

Make It York has also partnered with website york.sharemyoffice.co.uk to foster co-working across the city. A new bespoke website for York, it will offer businesses who have spare offices the opportunity to connect up with small and start-up companies looking for a desk or two.

Make It York has also pledged its support for the Business Improvement District initiative, spearheaded by the City Team York, under chairman Adam Sinclair’s leadership and project managed by former Editor of York Press, Steve Hughes.

Legals Ware & Kay Solicitors, based in Peasholme Green, was chosen to act as the solicitors for Make it York.

Peter Kay, senior director at Ware & Kay Solicitors said : "We are delighted that Ware & Kay has been chosen to act as the solicitors for Make it York.

"York’s new Destination Organisation has an overarching remit to market the city and its surroundings, nationally and internationally, as an exciting place to live, visit, study and do business.

"There are so many businesses across a range of sectors where growth can be stimulated and we look forward to working with Make it York in order to address the challenges."