Report to City of York Council Shareholder Committee

Monday 2 February 2026

Introduction

This paper provides an update of Make It York’s (MIY) activities from the new Service Level Agreement from April 2025 to January 2026. It also presents:

Appendix 1 – Management Accounts report incorporating Profit & Loss statement, Balance Sheet and Cashflow forecast – November 2025 and 2-year budget 26/27 and 27/28 (Confidential)

Appendix 2 - MIY Strategic Business Plan 2026 – 2035

Appendix 3 - MIY Service Delivery Plan 2026/27

Appendix 4 - SLA strategic linkages Key Performance Data dashboard to December 25

Appendix 5 – MIY Strategic Risk Register Quarter 4

Make It York Celebrated its 10 Year anniversary at the end of 2025. For 10 years MIY have driven and delivered: -

York’s Visitor Economy and City Promotion

Driving York’s Visitor Economy
For over a decade, Make It York has been at the forefront of promoting York as a premier destination, leveraging the Visit York brand to showcase the city to millions globally.

UNESCO City of Media Arts
Make It York played a pivotal role in securing and championing York’s UNESCO City of Media Arts designation, positioning the city as a global hub for creativity and innovation.

International Reach
Through global campaigns, international exhibitions, and targeted promotions, Make It York ensures York’s reputation and profile extend far beyond the city’s borders.

Festivals, Markets & City Experiences

York Christmas Market
Recognised as one of the UK’s most iconic Christmas markets, this event is designed, curated, and delivered by Make It York, attracting thousands of visitors each year.

York Christmas Lights
In partnership with York BID, Make It York transforms the city each winter with spectacular Christmas lights, creating a magical festive atmosphere that enhances the visitor and resident experience.

York Ice Trail
Our UK-leading outdoor Ice Trail has turned February into York’s “coolest” month, drawing tens of thousands of visitors and establishing a signature winter event.

Shambles Market

Managed and grown the historic Shambles Market, nurturing its role as the heart of York’s largest independent trading community.

Supporting People & Businesses

Powering Local Business
Through initiatives such as the Visit York Tourism Awards, business conferences, and promotional campaigns, Make It York celebrates and supports local businesses, helping them to thrive.

York Residents’ Festival
This annual festival provides residents with free access to city attractions, discounts, and a dedicated weekend of events, reinforcing community pride.

Bringing York to Life
Through year-round events including Haunted York, Yorkshire Day celebrations, and city-wide trails, Make It York continually creates memorable experiences that engage residents and visitors alike.

Financial Position (April 2024 – March 2025)

The audited results for the year demonstrate a strong financial performance, reflecting effective financial management, disciplined cost control, and successful income generation across the organisation’s activities. This marks the second consecutive year of positive results, returning Make It York to a strong and sustainable financial position. In recognition of this improvement, the Board approved a dividend payment to shareholders of £50,000. The company’s equity position strengthened significantly during the year, providing a solid foundation for the future.

Financial Position (April 2025 – March 2026)

Current forecasts indicate that the organisation remains on track for another profitable year. Performance to date has exceeded budget expectations, supported by higher-than-anticipated income and continued control over staff and operating costs. While income is slightly lower than the previous year, overall performance remains resilient, underpinned by strong member and partner support and the success of city events.

Key Income Streams

Core income streams, including memberships, Shambles Market, and Christmas activity, have all performed strongly and exceeded expectations. These results reflect sustained demand, effective delivery, and careful cost management across the company’s commercial activities.

Cash Position and Investment

The company continues to maintain a strong cash position, enabling ongoing investment in Make It York and its key assets, particularly Shambles Market. International marketing remains a strategic priority, supporting the organisation’s ambition to promote York nationally and internationally and to drive long-term growth.

The strong financial position of MIY should give CYC confidence that MIY is in a robust position to deliver on all its objectives for the years

MIY Strategic Plan 2026 - 2031

MIY Board has endorsed the Make It York Strategic Plan 2026–2031, included as Appendix 2. The plan sets out Make It York’s vision:

“Creating a vibrant and inclusive city where everyone can thrive.”

It is built around four core priorities:

1. Keeping York the UK’s leading city for residents and visitors alike.

2. Enabling a dynamic, successful city centre where businesses can grow and prosper.

3. Championing social value and sustainability by driving forward regenerative tourism.

4. Strengthening Make It York as a resilient, high-performing organisation.

A service delivery plan is in place to deliver key priorities and objectives of the Strategic plan, and this is attached as Appendix 3.

Governance

Board of Directors

Director Appointments

A recruitment campaign for new directors commenced in January. This ensures that the board maintains an appropriate mix of skills, experience, and fresh perspectives and operates with strong capability and strategic oversight.

Interviews will take place with shortlisted candidates soon.

Director Resignations

There have been no resignations from the board since the last report to shareholder.

Performance

We continue to be transparent in measuring our impact. A copy of the most up to date Quarterly Strategic Linkages Key Performance Dashboard Report is included in the report pack (Appendix 4). This report has become stronger in terms of data reporting to show how we are having an impact and the return on investment, which is wider than a financial return on investment.

Accountability and Transparency

We have transparent and accountable processes and procedures along with a clear governance structure in place for Board members, Managing Director, and Heads of Service.

The board of directors meets bi - monthly and all board papers are circulated one week in advance with managers attending to present reports and answer questions.

Data reports are provided to the board including key performance data, evaluations including customer satisfaction, and industry data such as tourism data.

Challenge on delivery of agreed outcomes

The Service Level Agreement (SLA) is monitored, and performance data is challenged as part of quarterly monitoring meetings with the City of York Council officer and members.

Health and Safety

Health and Safety – We have had no Health and Safety incidents.

All MIY delivered events are risk assessed and have event management plans in place and are discussed at CYC Safety Advisory Group. All third-party events taking place on MIY managed spaces are required to complete detailed application forms and submit risk assessments, event management and noise plans and the organiser is required to attend a Safety Advisory meeting.

Risk Management

We manage businesses risks adequately and effectively. The latest Strategic Risk Register is attached as Appendix 5.

· As a result of an in-depth security review of our system to safeguard from hacking and phishing we have introduced additional measures to protect our systems with regular testing of these in place.

· Our contractors provide adequate protection and assurances of securing our data held on their systems.

· We have an adequate Risk Register in place that is reassessed on a quarterly basis and monitor the top 3 risks.

· We have a full and comprehensive business continuity document that is tested and reviewed twice a year.

Assets

All our equipment in use is safe, maintained and employees are adequately trained on how to use the equipment prior to commencement of use. Appropriate maintenance contract in place for relevant equipment.

We have a retention and disposal asset schedule which is reviewed on a quarterly basis.

Tourism Advisory Board

Tourism Advisory Meetings (TAB) meetings are held monthly and chaired independently. Representatives of CYC at meetings as do MIY. They are tasked with collectively delivering the CYC Tourism Strategy.

Tourism Economic Impact

Data and Analysis

• Achievements

o Tourism contributed an outstanding £2.01 billion to York’s economy in 2024 – a 5.4% increase from 2023.

• 34% of visitor spend went to York’s vibrant retail offering,

o 27% was spent on our diverse food and drink scene,

o 25% supported the city’s accommodation sector,

o 11% went toward recreation and entertainment, and

o 3% was spent on transport and getting around the city.

o Overseas visitors alone accounted for nearly a quarter of the economic impact, injecting £0.5 billion into York’s economy.

· The number of staying visitors reached 1.7 million, with an average stay of 3.3 nights – a slight increase on the previous year. Most overnight visitors, 54%, continued to stay in serviced accommodation and hotels, with non-serviced accommodation a close favourite.

· In 2024, 16,788 employees (FTEs) were supported directly and indirectly by tourism, up 4.8% from 2023.

Steam Data 2024

Quarterly Tourism Data

International Tourism

Showcasing York as a word-class destination, connecting with international travel and tourism buyers to inspire future visits and partnerships – events included: 

· Destination Britain in China Northeast Asia - meeting with high quality buyers from China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. 

· World Travel Market London - one of the most influential travel and tourism event globally. 

· The Global European Marketplace (GEM) - targeted audience of decision-makers and tourism professionals. 

· Destination Britain Americas - reaching the North American and Brazilian travel trade, meeting with high quality buyers from the USA, Canada and Brazil. 

· Following the BETA Annual Summit in Leeds, we hosted 31 key contacts on an educational visit to spotlight York’s appeal for the youth and student travel sectors. 

· In partnership with VisitBritain, we welcomed press visits from Denmark and Sweden – one producing a feature on Railway 200, and another preparing a multi-page magazine spread on York’s ghostly and spiritual heritage. 

· We also met with the UK Senior Product Manager for Delta Vacations, who is expanding their portfolio to include York through curated destination activities. 

· As part of our national promotion for the city, York is on display at the only official City Information Centre (CIC) located next to St Pauls Cathedral in London, with over 400K visitors per year. 

England’s Heritage Cities Travel Trade

York is part of the ETOA Membership and will attend a meeting of the EHC travel trade leads to discuss making the most of ETOA membership and future opportunities and utilizing this as another avenue for promoting York.

Digital Statistics

Visit York’s digital strategy has delivered outstanding results from October to December 25 leveraging web, social media, and email marketing to engage audiences, promote the city, and support its stakeholders.

Marketing & Communications Campaigns 

Campaigns

Visit York’s “Haunted York 2025 – Trick & Treat” ran across; social, web, Video on Demand and email channels and positioned York as the UK’s must-visit Halloween destination. Activity combined always-on storytelling (short-form video, carousels, and image posts), event listings and hub content on visityork.org, and a drumbeat of targeted email sends. The campaign delivered multi-million social reach, strong web discovery for Halloween pages, and high email open rates at scale - driving partner visibility, outbound clicks to attractions, and intent to visit. 

This Campaign saw another record-breaking month on social media, 4.2 million overall impressions achieved in October, and 2 million organic impressions – both the highest ever achieved in a calendar month! Partner engagement and traffic to website, again, saw a record number during this campaign. 

'Starring York' in partnership with North York Moors National Park goes live this week, with a social media campaign, Visit York Hub page and London Underground advertising took take place first week of December.

Positive PR and Promotion for York: 

· York’s Shambles Market is in the running for the ‘Best Outdoor Market’ at NABMA’s Great British Market Awards 

· Make It York Celebrates 10 Years 

· York Has Been Named in The UK's Top 10 Best Christmas Markets 

· Budget-Friendly Christmas Shopping Breaks: 5 UK Cities That Feel Like a Festive Movie Set 

· Yorkshire has UK's 'most magical street' filled with quirky shops 

· 12 Unmissable Things You Can Do in York with the Visit York Pass 

· York named city of 'wonder' that's officially one of UK's happiest places to live 

PR stats from September - November 2025: 

· 329 print and online articles  

· £1.45M sum of advertising value equivalent (AVE)  

· 274M opportunities to see (OTS)   

Visit York Tourism Awards

On 12 March 2026, the annual Visit York Tourism Awards will be held, celebrating excellence in the city’s tourism sector.

Markets

It has now been 12 months since the introduction of the new Rules and Regulations, and in line with the agreed implementation plan, a scheduled review has been undertaken. The purpose of this review is to evaluate how effectively the new provisions have been implemented, determine whether they are achieving their intended outcomes, and identify any areas where refinement may be required to enhance clarity, compliance, or practicality. The review has found that the Rules and Regulations are operating as intended, with only minor adjustments proposed to improve clarity and ensure continued effectiveness. 

Markets Strategy

The Market Strategy identified 5 priority areas to improve. These being: -

· Mix and offer of the Shambles Market

· The environment and physical experience of the Shambles Market

· Targeted operational improvements and efficiencies within the Shambles Market

· Improved the marketing & promotion of the Shambles Market

· Improved & extend the markets provision across the city

·

A strategy delivery plan and an investment plan are now underway to align initiatives with the MIY’s strategic objectives, to identify resources to deliver, and deliver measurable outcomes that support long-term growth of Shambles Market.

Events and Festival

Christmas Market

In September 25 CYC received a formal recommendation from North Yorkshire Police that an Anti- Terrorism Traffic Regulation Order (ATTRO) be put in place for the 2025 Christmas Market. Once granted, the ATTRO prevented all non-emergency access within the hostile mitigations (HVM) zone between 10.30 – 7.00pm. 

Following detailed discussions CYC and Counter Terrorism Police subsequently agreed to a small number of exemptions for essential services for waste management, Royal Mail, and Boots, as these are deemed essential for removal of waste, delivery of critical medicines, and collection of important documents. This however resulted in extra control measures and costs. Blue badge access was not agreed.  

Following the approval of the ATTRO, CYC requested that MIY assume responsibility for the additional costs associated with the ATTRO measures.

Parallel to this MIY in liaison with Counter Terrorism Police agreed additional costs for provision of explosive sniffer dog each day and additional stewarding which incurred an additional cost of £34k.

In approving the ATTRO CYC, the Executive agreed to receive a report in early 2026 reviewing the strategic rationale and ongoing delivery of the Christmas Market and other major city centre events. This report is expected to provide a detailed assessment of both the positive benefits and negative impacts, informed by engagement with key stakeholders. It will evaluate whether the Christmas Market is meeting community needs effectively, whether the current operational approach remains practical and efficient, and whether event planning and management arrangements continue to be robust in a dynamic operational environment.

Planning for Christmas market 2026 commences in January and therefore it is essential that this review is completed and presented in a timely manner to inform decision-making and ensure continuity of planning. Early insights will allow MIY Board to consider adjustments to its strategic approach, resource allocation, or operational processes of the Christmas Market.

The introduction of the ATTRO potentially has impact on the delivery of other events including third-party bookings and this will affect revenue, partnerships, and community engagement.

2026 Christmas evaluation

Culture

MIY will deliver The Watchers of York is an innovative, sculpture trail bringing the historic grotesques of York Minster to life. For centuries, these stone guardians have watched silently over the Minster, each imbued with its own character, humour, and air of mystery. This project celebrates their quirky charm by allowing them to step off the stonework and wander the streets of York, engaging residents and visitors alike.

The event will have.

Interactive Trail:A series of large-scale, whimsical sculptures placed throughout key locations in York. Each sculpture is inspired by a grotesque from York Minster, capturing its unique personality.

Storytelling: Each sculpture will have accompanying storytelling, revealing its origins, symbolism, or a playful backstory.

Artistic Collaboration:The trail will work in partnership with local and national artists to interpret the grotesques in creative, contemporary ways.

The trail will be installed in prominent locations around the city (in privately owned gardens and public spaces) for a period of 9 weeks between 29th June - 31st August 2026.

UNESCO

The UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO was held between 5-7 November 25.

The UNESCO City of Media Arts EXPO hosted 40 exhibitors from across York & North Yorkshire, showcasing the full breadth of the contemporary creative economy, including screen, games, music, design, fashion, immersive technologies, theatre, and visual arts. Its strategic alignment with the BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival significantly amplified its reach, credibility, and commercial impact.

The EXPO attracted over 200 high-profile national and international delegates from organisations such as the BBC, Channel 4, Film4, Aardman Animations, Ridley Scott Associates, Universal Music Group, The Guardian, and The New York Times. In total, 3,000 people attended over 2.5 days, including 500 young people from the region.

By leveraging the festival’s international platform (delegates from over 60 countries), the EXPO positioned York & North Yorkshire as a centre of creative excellence, not a regional showcase. Media coverage and engagement from bodies such as Innovate UK and the Department for Business and Trade reinforced its national significance and policy relevance.

The EXPO delivered tangible business outcomes. Exhibitors secured commissions, production contracts, studio enquiries, meetings with major production companies, and new national and international leads. Many outcomes are still emerging, underlining the EXPO’s role as a catalyst for longer-term deal-making rather than a one-off marketplace.

It also played a strong role in skills development and employability, inspiring students and early-career creatives through direct access to industry professionals, workshops, and real-world insight into creative careers.

Strategically, the EXPO aligns tightly with:

• The UK Industrial Strategy, supporting innovation, IP development, exports, and high-growth creative sectors.
• The York & North Yorkshire Local Growth Plan, by retaining talent, strengthening SMEs, supporting inclusive growth, and enhancing place-making.

Looking ahead, the EXPO has clear potential to scale as a national platform, including acting as a convening hub for the UK’s UNESCO Creative Cities network. Future ambitions include expanded programming for commissioners and policymakers, deeper cross-sector collaboration, stronger skills pipelines, enhanced national and international marketing, and robust impact evaluation.

Conclusion:
The EXPO is a proven, high-value platform with demonstrable economic, reputational, and sector-development impact. Its partnership with the Aesthetica Film Festival is the critical differentiator, giving it national credibility, international reach, and scalability. With strategic investment, the EXPO is well positioned to become a flagship national event for the UK creative industries, anchored in York & North Yorkshire.

Contemporary Art Galley

A grant of £30,000 from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has been successfully secured. This funding will enable a feasibility study to evaluate the potential for establishing a new contemporary art gallery in York and North Yorkshire.

The proposed gallery would have a strong focus on media arts, encompassing film, photography, digital installations, and immersive technologies. The study will examine demand, economic impact, and delivery models, providing the evidence base required to assess whether such a cultural investment is viable and sustainable for the region.

Conclusion

MIY delivered an exceptional performance in 2025/26 and met the key targets as outlined in the SLA. MIY have also cemented York’s position as a leading place to live, work, study, and visit. The city’s brand is gaining stronger national and international traction, driven by focused marketing activity, the continued success of the Visit York Pass, and the appeal of its culture, heritage, markets, and events. MIY’s growing digital reach has amplified this momentum, keeping York firmly on the radar of a wide range of audiences.