Rollits’ Director of Marketing takes on role of Chair of annual business festival

Hull Is This had a chat with Pat Coyle about her new role as the Chair of Humber Business Week.

“As chair I see myself as a custodian of “Biz Week” alongside the others on the steering group who volunteer their time to pull it all together,” said Pat when asked to describe her role. “The event was started twenty years ago in 2004 by Dr Paul Sewell OBE. Originally it was focused solely on Hull and the East Riding, but over time it expanded onto the south bank and was renamed Humber Business Week.

“Our objective is to create a real festival feel for business events and showcase how proactive and vibrant the business scene is in the Humber region. Dozens and dozens of events take place in a single working week, culminating with The Business Day on the Friday. This year Mark Lonsdale and the team at Bridlington Spa have pulled it out of the bag and secured Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA as their keynote speaker, so there’s a real buzz of excitement!”

Seeing how Humber Business Week has been a staple in the region’s annual events calendar for some time, we asked Pat if there’s anything new in store for this year.

She said: “My philosophy is if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. However, we’ve tried to add some new strands this year, as we’re trying to engage charities, not-for-profits, and organisations from the culture and creative sector on a deeper level. We’ve already brought people onto our steering group from these sectors and they’re providing a fresh perspective that’s extremely valuable to the week.

“We are also passionate about engaging the next generation of business leaders, which is why we work hard to remain relevant and exciting. It’s crucial that we get young people invested in Biz Week as they’ll be the ones who get benefit from it over the years and even take over the reins in the future.

“As Humber Business Week celebrates its milestone 20th year many more local companies also mark significant anniversaries.  It’s incredible how many businesses and organisations are celebrating milestone years in 2024, including Andrew Jackson Solicitors, Smailes Goldie Group and KCOM and Hull City who were both founded in 1904”

“In addition, Bondholders are 30 years old this year and Hull University Business School is celebrating its 25th birthday.

Humber Business Week takes place from Monday 3 to Friday 7 June 2024.

“There are so many opportunities to get involved,” added Pat. “You can attend an event or even hold your own, as well as take part in a range of seminars, networking sessions or celebration events.

“In my opinion, if you’re always giving your staff the opportunity to learn and develop, it has to be good for business, so make sure to bring your teams down to Humber Business Week 2024. You can do a month’s worth of business development in a week!”