From bid, to delivery, to legacy: maintaining vision and cohesion throughout the journey Martin Green Chief Executive, Hull Culture Company
Uniting a great city... telling the world
Starting at the bottom - always the butt of jokes For years, the city of Hull carried a negative reputation. Though sometimes unfounded and based on outdated statistics, (mis)perceptions of the city were reinforced by less-than-favourable national representation
Yet another joke? The announcement that Hull would be bidding for UK City of Culture codhead99 | Wednesday, March 6 2013, 8:55AM 2017 was met with some cynicism This is a wind up right? - not least among its own residents (the announcement followed a You'd find more culture in failed bid attempt in 2009 to be UK a pot of yoghurt. City of Culture 2013). In a poll of Hull Daily Mail readers 60% thought that Hull SHOULD NOT be UKCoC
meldrewvic | Wednesday, March 6 2013, 3:24PM Must have been asleep for a couple of weeks and woken up on 1 April - could have sworn I saw the words "Hull" and "City of Culture" in the same sentence. Illogical1 | Wednesday, March 6 2013, 11:10PM What a waste of money, we're not going to win it, and it'll probably cost a fortune putting a bid in for something that we won't get like we did with the World Cup a few years ago, save your money council and spend it on something more worthwhile!
8 months later... and the story was totally different! UK Prime Minister @Number10gov Congratulations to Hull #CityofCulture2017. I’m sure it will be a huge success for Hull & Humberside #PMQs
So how did we do it?
We wanted to ‘Tell the World’ but first had to give Hull itself the “Unlike other meetings of belief that we could succeed public, private and voluntary sectors we have experienced, there was a real level playing Over 250 local artists, musicians, writers, historians, field here, and no sense that decision making and the promoters and community members came together to process of bidding for UK create the bid’s central themes. City of Culture was top- down.” Thousands more joined the conversation on social media. Dave Windass, playwright and company director, Ensemble 52 Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced as UKCoC 2017 Submitted to Manchester 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
To succeed we needed people to believe in our vision Local media partnerships played an essential part in making this happen. A constant flow of positive, thought-provoking coverage ensured the bid was always high on the agenda, increasing awareness and positive opinion. Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
We also needed to change the conversation in the national media We specifically targeted outlets the judges were likely to see and promoted our key message: Hull has some serious challenges and needs - but also tremendous potential for positive change. Peter Mandelson pays tribute to Hull’s entrepreneurial derring -do: "What I like about it is the confidence: the buoyancy of the place” In an article by John Harris, The Guardian, Monday 9 Sept 2013 Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
Making the shortlist, starting to believe Initially viewed as the bookies’ rank outsider, Hull was announced as one of four ‘candidate cities’ shortlisted for the title. The bid was buoyed by positive media coverage, a growing social media following and support from across the city Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
Back the Bid Our campaign focused on building support From connecting with the local creative community... Fourteen local bands record a CD ‘Cultur’Ull’ Local writers show their talent in the ‘Ten Miles East of England’ pamphlet HullBID back the bid Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
over 1,000 people got in the frame ...to Inspiring local people to believe we could win... Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
...to winning the support of the local business community 22 Hull 2017 Angels donated £17,000 each towards the bid. Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
We used stand-out events to create press excitement ...and social media to engage our community. Support was growing rapidly Total number of supporters (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube) Leicester Swansea Bay Dundee Hull Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
“This was something else. It was magical. I’d say that for many it was the turning point.” Hannah, local resident The festival brought in £2m revenue to the City - and showed the world we were ready to deliver. “ I felt privileged to be part of a city realising that maybe we had something to offer, it felt like people putting aside a notion of woe is me and thinking wow is us!” David Burns, BBC Broadcaster Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
Freedom Festival gave us a platform to talk to local supporters of Hull's cultural scene. The ‘Back the Bid’ camper van invited people to hop on board and share their thoughts. Watch the video here. Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
Pedal power The custom-painted bikes used to deliver the bid were created by local artist Mark Wigan. They were ridden to Manchester by a team of community and cultural ambassadors with the local media in tow. People followed their progress on social media, generating huge backing for the bid. SEPTEMBER 30TH 2013 Meanwhile, Hull’s Twittersphere exploded as #HULLYES launches, tweeted once every 3 seconds at its peak. The hashtag was tweeted 12,545 times and trended UK-wide. 14,607 Likes Gary Verity @GaryVerity Sep 30 All eyes to the East today #HullYes ...all of and counting #Yorkshire is right with you Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
Going for Gold To celebrate the bid submission, Hull’s “Gold Man” Andy Train took to the East Coast mainline to hand out copies of the Hull Culture Map. Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
A noticeable shift in attitudes Back in March a whopping 60% of HDM readers thought Sam Campbell @CamSampbell Nov 19 that Hull should not be City of Culture. A new poll in @2017Hull Even if Hull doesn’t win tomorrow, it takes nothing away from this fantastic city. I feel September showed a positive and significant shift. proud to live in Hull. #HullYes People’s Q: Are you aware that Hull has been shortlisted for UK City of Culture 2017? panel Q: Do you think Hull will benefit by being UK City of Culture 2017? “Hull City Council deserves immense credit for not only Jon Witts @jonwitts Nov 19 leading and co-ordinating the City of Culture bid, but also for Finders crosses for @2017Hull for the City of embracing and promoting the support and input of so many Culture tomorrow. We deserve it! Arts scene is what made me stay in Hull! #HullYes organisations across the public, private and third sectors.” John Meehan, owner, Meehan Media & Comms Ltd Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
Ahead of the pack? Our success at engaging our community captured the interest of the national press. Initial bid Shortlisted Full bid delivered Hull announced Submitted to Manchester as UKCoC 2017 2013 MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
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