Three is the magic number, with any luck…

Here, in his latest monthly column reflecting on the news over the past month, our Press and PR Executive Robin Johnson looks at the headlines.

Over the past few weeks, major Marketing Derby events have been a bit like buses, with three coming along in quick succession.

We kicked off our hat-trick with the Food and Drink Awards, which was then followed by the first ever Bondholder Spotlight expo and then earlier this week, the London Embassy.

Busy times – almost as busy as the bloke who opens and closes the door at Number 10.

I’m sure, like me, you watched mouth agog at the extraordinary soap opera that played out at Downing Street – first it was Boris, then Liz and now Rishi.

The new Prime Minister has a bulging in-tray, stabilising the economy, tackling the cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine, are just a few of the key issues that need addressing.

Rishi certainly has plenty on his plate – which brings me onto the first of the three major Marketing Derby events that took place in recent weeks – the Food and Drink Awards.

In October, at an event held at the Chocolate Factory attended by 300 people, we crowned the very best places to eat and drink in Derby and Derbyshire.

Hospitality is a sector that has had to endure the roughest of rides in recent years.

And if I was wearing a hat right now, I would doff it in the direction of all our winners and finalists.

In the same week as the Food and Drink Awards, Marketing Derby held its first ever Bondholder Spotlight – an expo-style event featuring keynote speakers, panel debates, award presentations, interactive stands and more.

It was a fantastic day, brilliantly organised by the Marketing Derby team led by Lindsey Hatfield, and again attracting 300 visitors to the Reach Centre on Pride Park.

I don’t know about you, but the overriding feeling I came away with was that of togetherness – that if we all stick together, then we will come through this economic turbulence.

A particular highlight was seeing Marketing Derby finally be presented in-person with its Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

Marketing Derby won the award back in 2020, a few months before I joined the company, so, sadly, I cannot take any credit for it whatsoever!

From Royal recognition to surroundings fit for Royalty, earlier this week, 200 of us were at the stunning Lancaster House for our London Embassy.

An incredible building and an incredible event, which was made particularly special for the fact that it was the 15th anniversary of our London Embassy events.

I remember attending the very first one when I was business editor at the Derby Telegraph, which was hosted by the then Foreign Secretary Dame Margaret Beckett at the Houses of Parliament.

It is a great measure of the support Derby and Derbyshire has given over the years towards our efforts to attract new investors that the London Embassy continues to thrive.

But I really don’t know how we’re going to top Lancaster House.

What an astonishing building, steeped in history – and, as I found out, a key filming location for movies and television series with a Royal flavour, including The Crown.

Talking of things being crowned, we are now well into awards season – and the past few weeks have seen a number of Bondholders enjoy success.

Perhaps one of the most notable was East Midlands Chamber being named the best in the country at the British Chambers of Commerce Awards.

Marketing Derby has an excellent relationship with the chamber, which does much to support businesses across Derby and Derbyshire. It was great to see this recognised.

There was also individual success to be celebrated in October.

Entrepreneurs are absolutely vital to our future (something that I will be recognising in a special eshot later this month to mark Global Entrepreneurship Week).

Here, in Derby, we are lucky to have many such individuals driving their companies forward.

Among them is Vicky Critchley, of Bam Boom Cloud, and Marc Brough, of Cubo.

Both of them appeared in the recent LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme for 2022, with Vicky appearing on the list, while Marc was included in the ‘ones to watch’ section.

I firmly believe it is people like Vicky and Marc who can help Derby push through the strong economic headwinds we’re facing at the moment.

Happily, despite those headwinds, investments are still continuing to be made in Derby and Derbyshire, with a number of key projects progressing at pace.

The rapid progress at Becketwell never ceases to amaze me – and it was fantastic to be able to report that as well as the impressive Condor apartments, work has now started on a new multi-purpose public square.

Meanwhile, another ongoing regeneration scheme – Castleward – is continuing to take shape, with the £100 million project set to move to its fourth phase.

Moving slightly out of the city centre, St. Modwen Logistics announced that it had completed the first phase of its £46.5 million St. Modwen Park Derby scheme.

And over at Infinity Park Derby, the new Rolls-Royce Nuclear Skills Academy welcomed its first cohort of apprentices.

The academy has been created, seemingly in double-quick time, at the iHub, with the help of Derby City Council and the University of Derby.

The university is proving to be a real powerhouse for driving change in Derby.

It is involved in so many excellent initiatives designed to make the city better.

So, it was great to report that the university had made it into the Top 50 of an influential guide, compiled by The Guardian.

Another project I was delighted to finally see come to fruition in October was Great Northern Classics’ plan for a heritage vehicle centre at the former Rolls-Royce Light Alloys site in Derby.

I know that the team behind it have been working for years to get the idea off the ground.

The cost of the project is £3 million.

Well, they do say things always come in threes – just ask the Government.

Anyway, have a safe and productive November and I look forward to catching up again soon.