A major campaign has been unveiled to bring the worlds of arts and business together in North Wales.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s being masterminded by Cath More, the newly-appointed manager of the Arts & Business Cymru organisation in the region.<\/p>\n
Ms More, 28, said that getting the job was a \u201cdream come true\u201d.<\/p>\n
She believes passionately that working in partnership can create huge mutual benefits.<\/p>\n
But her career almost took a completely different direction after gaining an honours degree in psychology and biology from Liverpool John Moores University.<\/p>\n
Her first brush with Arts & Business Cymru came when she got a temporary job at their North Wales office in Llandudno through a temping agency.<\/p>\n
Cath returned to the organisation in 2006\u00a0 following a period working for a hearing loss company.<\/p>\n
She hasn\u2019t looked back since and, after initially being appointed as an administrator, she has been successively promoted through the ranks until getting the top job in North Wales.<\/p>\n
Cath said: \u201cBeing the manager of Arts & Business Cymru in North Wales is a dream come true for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am a natural lover of the arts and I am fascinated by the world of business, so this job is the perfect combination for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get to meet so many different people – from brilliant artists who create wonderful projects, to the businesses who actually really appreciate those projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur mission is to partner cultural organisations with businesses for mutual benefit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a number of services and training that we offer to both the arts world and businesses as well. A number of programmes of which are very beneficial to both sectors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is all really about creating fantastic partnerships and there are some brilliant examples across Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cValue for money with the arts is actually quite spectacular. A marketing campaign can cost tens of thousands of pounds but if you spent that money on the arts you could get so much more return for your investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe make sure that each project is tailored to that business\u2019s and it works. You don\u2019t have to spend an awful lot of money – we work with small businesses and multi-national companies so it can work across the whole spectrum of business.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe highlight of the year is our annual awards at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff where our truly remarkable projects are honoured.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmong them is the ground-breaking collaboration between the care organistion Pendine Park and the Hall\u00e9 orchestra and the long-running partnership between the Ruthin hotel and restaurant, the Manorhaus, and the North Wales International Music Festival which is one of the highlights of the UK\u2019s cultural calendar.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe festival\u2019s co-ordinator, Katy Williams, and her photographer father have been involved in an amazing project with Peninsula Home Improvements while Holyhead Boatyard have been recognised for their unstinting support of the town\u2019s Ucheldre Centre.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach partnership is bespoke though they all have common underlying themes like creatively as a means of marketing themselves, promoting corporate social responsibility or staff development.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach project works in a different way for each business so they might have specific priorities within those key objectives.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother opportunity that we offer to our businesses is the chance to network in a unique arts environment, so you get to meet businesses who are also interested in investing in the arts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt may seem counter-intuitive as we\u2019re in difficult economic times but there has never been a better time to embrace the arts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can help business stay ahead of the game and ahead of the competitors because they are doing something really unique, innovative and creative while at the same time still meeting business objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information contact Cath More, North Wales Manager, Arts & Business Cymru by emailingcatherine.more@artsandbusiness.org.uk<\/a> or ringing\u00a0 01492 574003<\/strong><\/p>\n