Humber Place Brand Ambassador Meeting

The first Humber Place Ambassador Meeting brought together a committed and passionate group of advocates at Docks Beers Academy, Grimsby. This wasn’t just a gathering; it was a powerful call to action for ambassadors to take ownership of the Humber Place Brand. 

Diana Taylor, Managing Director of Future Humber, opened the event with an energising welcome, emphasising the importance of the ambassador role. This meeting was a vital step in building belief, fostering collaboration, and creating a group of ambassadors ready to champion the Humber’s values of being Revolutionary, Remarkable, Real, and Resourceful. 

Building Belief: The Role of a Place Ambassador 

Members of the Humber Place Brand Steering Group - Deb Oxley OBE, Nina Stobart, and Anja Hazebroek - delivered a compelling session on the role of a Place Ambassador. They tackled key questions: 

• What is a Place Ambassador? 
• What does it mean to you, and what value does it add to your business? 
• Why is being a Place Ambassador so important? 

They emphasised that a Place Ambassador isn’t just a title, it’s a responsibility to embody and champion the region’s values in every action. By uniting under the Humber Place Brand, ambassadors amplify the region’s influence, ensuring Humber is recognised as a hub of opportunity and innovation. 

Exploring the Four 4Rs 

Olly Burdett from Future Humber led a short and focused activity centred around the Humber Place Brand’s values: Revolutionary, Remarkable, Real, and Resourceful. Attendees picked a word associated with one of the values and explained how it aligned with their business. This sparked a lively discussion, as ambassadors made meaningful connections between the values and their own work.

Showcasing Humber’s Reach 

During a 15-minute comfort break, attendees took part in two engaging activities. First, they marked stickers on a UK map and a world map to showcase where their work reaches beyond the Humber. This exercise powerfully demonstrated the region’s far-reaching influence. Attendees also placed stickers on their favourite value from the 4Rs, highlighting which aspects of the brand resonated most with them. 

Exploring Touchpoints and Immediate Opportunities 

Diana Taylor led an interactive session on touchpoints, explaining how people experience a brand through what they see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. She gave tangible examples, such as speeches, presentations, websites, job adverts, and events, emphasising that touchpoints are opportunities to demonstrate and reinforce the Humber Place Brand values. 

Attendees identified the touchpoints their businesses control, individually reflecting on opportunities before pairing up to share ideas. Groups then discussed which touchpoints could be immediately acted on to align more closely with the brand values. Ideas were shared with the room, generating practical solutions and fresh opportunities for ambassadors to make an impact. 

Demonstrating Success with the Brand Filter 

Simon Jones showcased how the brand filter can elevate projects and deliver success. He shared insights into its role in shaping the Hull and East Yorkshire Business Awards, demonstrating how the filter ensured the event reflected the Humber’s identity and values. This success story set the stage perfectly for the next session, inspiring attendees to apply the brand filter to their own projects. 

Challenging Projects Against the Brand Filter 

Two key projects were put to the test during this session: 

• Engineering and Construction Week, led by Mark Riley from Phillips 66
• Whitefriargate Redevelopment of M&S, led by Jonathan Stubbs from Wykeland

Facilitated by Rob Jones and Wayne Willis from Edenic, this session challenged attendees to apply the brand filter to these projects. Groups worked collaboratively, using the values of being Revolutionary, Remarkable, Real, and Resourceful to evaluate and refine the projects. Post-it notes and discussions filled the room as ambassadors identified strengths, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. 

This practical exercise showcased the power of the brand filter, reinforcing its value as a tool to ensure projects reflect the region’s identity and aspirations. 

Call to Action 

This is just the beginning. If you’re not yet a Place Ambassador, now is the time to step forward and join this movement. Be part of the story that’s shaping the Humber region, building belief in its potential, and creating opportunities for growth and innovation. 

We have two more Place Brand Ambassador Meetings planned for this year. Don’t miss your chance to get involved, contribute your ideas, and play a role in driving the Humber Place Brand forward. Together, we can ensure the Humber stands as a beacon of opportunity, resourcefulness, and innovation. 

Click here to become a Humber Place Brand Ambassador. 

Thank You and Next Steps 

Diana Taylor concluded the event with a thank you to the ambassadors for their enthusiasm, commitment, and valuable contributions throughout the morning. She also expressed gratitude to the project leads, Mark Riley and Jonathan Stubbs, for presenting their projects, and to Rob Jones and Wayne Willis for facilitating the brand filter session. Special thanks were extended to Docks Beers for hosting the event and to Riverhead Coffee for providing the delicious smoothies and powerballs that kept everyone energised.