The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 7: Spring 2018 | Page 5

BUSINESS NEWS CALLING ALL CREATIVE START-UPS Apply for a growth package with Network for Creative Enterprise Network for Creative Enterprise (NfCE) helps creatives across the West of England make a sustainable living from ideas. It is a partnership between The Guild (Coworking Bath), Knowle West Media Centre, Spike Island, UWE Bristol and Watershed. It offers residency opportunities with free space, tailored events, workshops and mentoring for individuals and small enterprises to support their business development from the idea stage through to start-up and on to growth. The project is funded by Arts Council England and the European Development Fund and is designed to remove barriers that stop artists and creatives from exploring the business capabilities of their skills. Charlotte Godfrey, Hub Producer for Network for Creative Enterprise, based at The Guild said:“The NfCE is a true collaboration between two creative cities and the central creative hubs within them. We are there to take away the isolation, provide expertise and give support through the crucial stages of business start-up, growth and development - wherever a creative individual or business is along their growth journey. Our ultimate aim is to create sustainability and employment through creative and cultural practices. The talent and entrepreneurial spirit within Bath is extraordinary and it’s a huge privilege to work with people who have so much scope to succeed. I work with each individual resident to set out a plan that works for them, rather than them just trying to fit in with a preset schedule of events and services, which is the usual approach to business support schemes. We explore the importance of soft skills such as confidence, networking and presentation skills. We also have business experts giving 1-2-1 mentoring, business planning and the opportunity to apply for bursaries to help accelerate the start-up or business growth process. We are also unique in offering free office space for the duration of time that a resident is part of the NfCE. Our residents are given full membership of The Guild. Again, creating a feeling of “going to work” in our co-working space can really aid motivation and help with keeping up momentum during the early stages while also offering great networking and potential collaboration. The free tea and coffee and cake Wednesdays are also a bonus!” James Shaw is a graphic designer and was one of The Guild’s first NfCE residents, he said:“I founded Volley Design in June 2017 with support from the NfCE. They were able to offer me mentoring and bursary assistance to launch my website. Despite being a relative newcomer on the freelance scene, Volley has already built up an impressive body of work. Volley h as worked on a range of projects from the identity for the Sylva Foundation winter festival, marketing materials for Bath’s Coworking operator Cowork Inc and a mix of logo, print and layout design for local businesses, UK hotel brands and consultants.” Lucy Saunders, founder of Flourish Magazine is also on the NfCE programme at The Guild and is publishing her first volume this March. Lucy said: “As a photographer and a designer I decided to craft Flourish after my travels around Asia and my passion for outdoor living which I just needed to share. The publication aims to inspire this concept of living in a physical existence and exploring this pursuit for culture and nature.” To find out more about the NfCE, visit The Guild Website or email: [email protected] www.theguildhub.co.uk/en/page/creative-ent Bath Tourism Leslie Redwood, Head of Business Development and Partnerships at VisitBath gets a spring in his step as he talks renewal and growth for the city. Spring is often seen as a time of rebirth or renewal and at VisitBath we’re using the season to do exactly that, reinventing and reinvigorating the city’s destination marketing organisation. As many of you will be aware, we have relocated the retail offering and the offices to two new locations in the city centre. The Visitor Information Centre is now in Terrace Walk, next to the Huntsman pub, and the VisitBath offices are now above the Primark store on Bath Street. This has enabled us to deliver substantial cost savings and more efficient ways of working, giving better value to our members and stakeholders. We also have a fresh marketing strategy being delivered by a new marketing team. Neil Priscott has joined as head of marketing and Charlotte Stephens is our new head of digital, overseeing our new VisitBath website and social media activity- the most rapidly growing area of our organisation. As part of the new marketing strategy for Bath there will be lots of opportunities for partners to support the promotion of our beautiful city, please get in touch to find out more. Memberships and partnerships continue to grow at VisitBath as we work and consult on our Destination Management Plan for Bath- the five-year vision for the growth of the visitor offering for the city and its surrounds. One of the points to come out of this consultation was for more partnership working on a local, regional and national level, so David James and I joined John Hirst, CEO of Destination Bristol at The Houses of Parliament in early February to lobby jointly for our regional Combined Authority (WECA) to directly support the visitor economy in Bath, Bristol and South Gloucestershire. A number of MPs, Metro Mayor Tim Bowles and Visit Britain joined us in this successful event in London to secure extra direct funding for the region. Finally, we are working more closely than ever before with our sister organisation Bath Festivals to enhance, support and sustain our cultural and events programme, especially given it’s the Festival’s 70th year and the amazing celebration weekend planned for 26th and 27th May at the Rec. We are also continuing our Bath Boules Charity partnership relationship for the Boules weekend of the 15- 16 June in Queens Square-set to be the biggest yet. Plenty to look forward to in our amazing city! For more info: www.visitbath.co.uk [email protected] @VisitBath THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2018 5