Humber Business Week 2022 was a fantastic opportunity for businesses around the region to get connected and be inspired.
The Aura Innovation Centre was a key part of the week, with our agile and adaptable facilities hosting everything from small bespoke workshops to larger events with audiences of 100 people. The AIC was also involved in other Business Week events around the region, spreading the message of net zero to business leaders across the Humber.
Our week kicked off with Monday’s Oh Yes! Net Zero’s ‘Finance, Football and Fish’ event at the MKM Stadium, a lively panel discussion on funding net zero action which was chaired by Aura Director Louise Smith. The event was summed up by panelist Matt Dass of Springfield Solutions, who said: “We always look at the cost of getting to net zero. But we need to ask ourselves – what will it cost if we don’t? It will cost us our businesses.”
Find out more about how to sign up to Oh Yes! Net Zero.
The AIC also hosted the Humber Internships Programme’s Finding New Talent breakfast event, which matched ambitious Humber SMEs with the best emerging and graduate talent the region has to offer.
Find out more about getting an intern for your business.
On Tuesday we welcomed Tony Blair’s former spokesperson Alastair Campbell to the AIC, for a sold out interview with local businessman Paul Sewell. Alastair Campbell spoke about his book ‘Winners and How They Succeed’, and how people can be successful in all walks of life. “You can acquire a winning mindset – that’s why all the top sports teams have psychologists now,” he said. “People can achieve more than their natural talent, it’s all about mindset.”
Wednesday morning saw the Aura Innovation Centre host our own event: “Climate Change? It’s Not My Problem.” This interactive workshop gave businesses practical tips to help them start their journey to net zero, walking them through the first stages of adapting to the changing climate and building up economic resilience. One delegate said: “I knew a bit about climate change before, but I’ve learned loads about the science behind the headlines. It’s really brought it home to me that we need to take climate change seriously – I’m going straight back to the office to make sure my organisation takes action now.”
If you couldn’t attend the event, you can still see our Journey to Net Zero roadmap – it walks you through the steps you need to take to make your business sustainable, and there are loads of links to resources and groups that can help you along the way.
The Flood Innovation Centre held a sister event in the afternoon – “Greening our City: Sharing Opportunities for Businesses Living With Water”. Local businesses could find out how they could play their part in Living With Water’s Blue-Green vision for Hull and East Riding – a city-wide investment to manage our shared surface water flood risk.
Find out more about the Flood Innovation Centre.
Wednesday was a busy day for us, because as well as hosting the AIC and FIC events, we also welcomed theatre stars John and Martha Godber to the AIC, as they reflected on their lives as linchpins of the cultural scene in Hull.
Thursday saw the Young Talent Network and Marketing Humber holding “Making Good Connections for Career Success”, a seminar giving the tools and guidance to get out there and network fearlessly.
See a round-up of the key messages around networking.
After a busy few days, we ended up the week at the Business Day at Bridlington Spa, where the University of Hull’s ‘Race to Net Zero’ stand was a fun and engaging way to get our low-carbon message through to the region’s business leaders. Over 100 people played our ‘net zero’ game, and we spoke to loads of new connections to spread the word about how the University can help businesses become more sustainable.
Want to work with us to bring your green idea to life? You don’t have to wait until next year’s Business Week, get in touch at any point, we’ll look forward to hearing from you. See some examples of ways we’ve helped other businesses on our Case Studies page.