Major shake up of tourism organisation
The new managing director of Make It York has announced plans to restructure the organisation to respond to “changing conditions and opportunities” in the city.
Sean Bullick – now six months into the role – has announced that there will be an internal restructure and that four staff members have already left. He said there were initial plans to recruit into three brand new roles created as part of Make It York’s growth approach.
Bullick has also said that five ‘brands’ will be reduced to two, as managing director makes his first significant changes to take the destination management organisation into its “second phase of operation.”
Visit York will be the consumer-facing side of the organisation, continuing its focus on the tourism sector, whilst Make It York will focus on wider economic development. The work delivered primarily under the banners of VisitYork4Meetings, Make It York for Business and Science City York will be absorbed into the new combined teams, “with businesses able to contact the core team across the organisation.”
The organisation said that the move comes as a response to “changing conditions and opportunities” in the city since Make It York was established four years ago, including the UNESCO City of Media Arts designation, plans for the development of the York Central site, the development of York’s cultural strategy and the place-based narrative work that has been commissioned by City of York Council.
Bullick said: “Make It York was set up to deliver marketing, inward investment, city centre management and cultural development for the city under one roof. Over our first four-year term, we found our feet and showed where we could make most impact, from supporting and delivering festivals like Bloom! and the city’s Christmas celebrations to managing the re-vamped Shambles Market.
“Coming in with fresh eyes, I am really excited by the opportunities out there and am confident that we have the expertise to build on the work that has already been done. By bringing all our consumer activity together under the Visit York brand, and our commercial focus under a broader Make It York banner, it will be easier to support businesses, established and new to the city. We must keep building on exciting opportunities that make a real impact to those living, working and studying in the city.”
“Within Phase Two, over the next four years, we will continue to grow our self-funded activities, though we will remain a not-for-profit company, with any income generated above operating costs invested back into the city.”
Businesses working with Make It York will receive briefings on the changes at Make It York over the coming weeks.
