Why Derby’s visitor economy is on the cusp of something ‘very, very big’

In the latest edition of Marketing Derby’s Innovate Magazine we meet the people behind efforts to boost the city’s visitor economy.

Stella Birks is Derby’s visitor economy development manager, while Rob Gorton is the chair of Destination Derby Development Board, whose members are drawn from businesses and organisations directly involved in the visitor economy and those with a stake in improving outside perceptions of the city.

Together, they explain why there is growing confidence about Derby’s potential as a visitor destination.

That confidence has been boosted by the recent opening of two major attractions in the city centre, the Vaillant Live arena and the restored and reimagined Derby Market Hall.

Stella told Innovate: “I’ve been doing this job for around 14 years, and what’s kept me here is a feeling that we’ve been on the cusp of something … but now we really are on the cusp of something very, very big.”

As well as spectacular new attractions, which will draw more people to the city centre, Stella is buoyed by what she believes is a much greater appreciation of the value of the visitor economy and of the role it can play in driving regeneration and attracting talent and investment into the city.

She is now able to call on the expertise of an impressive group of businesses and stakeholders brought together to form the Destination Derby Development Board, which is chaired by Rob.

The region’s visitor economy is already worth nearly £3 billion. And Derby’s alone generates more than £426 million and supports around 5,000 jobs.

Venues such as the cathedral, Museum and Art Gallery and the Museum of Making and events like the Format International Photography Festival are already a draw, and Derby’s location as a gateway to the Peak District is in its favour. But there is acknowledgement that the city needs to up its game.

Stella told Innovate: “Making the city an attractive place to live, work and visit is all connected, and the visitor economy isn’t just about visitors.

“It’s about the experience of being in the city. If you haven’t got good quality of life in a city, if you’ve not got attractions, events, festivals and great places to eat and drink, how are you going to recruit the right people that you need to be engineers in Toyota, Rolls-Royce and Alstom? How are you going to attract new business investment?”

Rob, a member of the senior management team at Toyota Manufacturing UK’s Burnaston plant, is quick to support Stella’s belief that improving the appeal of Derby as a place to visit will have significant spin-off benefits for business.

He told Innovate: “Derby has got to be a great place for visitors in order for it to be a good place for the people who live and work here.

“For Toyota, it’s a business imperative to get involved and support our communities, but this is actually a two-way thing, because the more successful we are with this, the more we’ll develop a place where our members will want to make their lives.”

To read the feature in full visit https://heyzine.com/flip-book/0fb028e91f.html.