IDEAS are already taking shape for next year's York Business Week with plans to make it bigger and better.

Organisers of this year's fixture have hailed it a success, with praise coming in from delegates who attended the key Future York and York Hospitality conferences as well as those who supported the seminars, workshops and other events.

The week-long programme, delivered by Make It York, is designed to bring the business community together, to encourage networking, collaboration and showcase opportunities. It aims to help businesses grow, learn new skills and develop their workforce.

Sean Bullick, managing director of Make It York, said York had “a phenomenal range of businesses across key sectors”, and the week provided “a real opportunity to celebrate, promote and build into the narrative the idea of this modern, diverse economy”.

Charles Storr, also of Make It York, said: “I think the week has gone fantastically well. There was the [Future York] conference with some fantastic speakers; that went down very well. I have heard really positive things. I was particularly impressed by Nicky Spinks [ultra long distance runner and conference speaker]. It was interesting to see that link between sport and business.

“The Top 100 event was really good with some fascinating companies there. The joy of that is getting all those companies together so they can network among themselves and we want to encourage that, encourage collaboration; that sparks innovation.

“Next year I want a wider reach,” he added, outlining hopes of attracting delegates from beyond York and the surrounding area.

“I want to look at international names. Most of the people we had were York based. I want to bring speakers from further afield.”

Juliette Healey, Yorkshire & The Humber agent, of the Bank of England, said: “York Business Week is a great opportunity to hear about where the city’s economy is and where it is going. It also gave me a chance to describe the key issues highlighted in the Bank of England’s latest economic assessment.”

Andrew Digwood, president of the York & North Yorkshire Chamber and a partner at Rollits Solicitors in York, said: “This is a great opportunity for businesses to get together in one place; to create some breathing space out of the office; to hear speakers and share some thoughts about the issues that are pertinent for us all.”