Making the most of… cross sector partnerships
CBC has been a great advocate of cross-sector partnerships, and we are proud of the substantial inroads made within the business sector. It demonstrates creative participation is possible everywhere and draws out the potential to bring together business and culture.
Cross-sector partnerships have benefited from an exchange of investment to skills and resources. CBC has built relationships with business from scratch with the starting point being the Black Country Chamber of Commerce.
Networking meetings were attended, which have led to more opportunities to build further relationships and understand how we can support each other.
During our six years, the following events and relationships have played a key role in the two sectors coming together...
Stan and Ollie at Black Country Business Festival 2019 - Funny Things commission - Image by Tim Thurston at Express & Star
Working with Black Country Chamber of Commerce (BCCC)
(2018 to present)
CBC contributes to an annual business festival led by the BCCC programme. We started by hosting an introduction to Arts Council England funding strands, and after that, each year, we have refined our ideas. With 2020 being the best year yet, CBC hosted 9 workshops around partnerships, funding and digitising disability.
Fantabulosa at Funny Things 2019 - image by Dee Patel
Funny Things Festival of Black Country Comedy
(2017 & 2019 – Wolverhampton)
The Festival of Funny Things provided the ideal opportunity for businesses across the city’s Business Improvement District to get involved with many of them hosting events and displaying jokes in their premises to promote the festival. One of the highlights included feedback from the partners and businesses involved who said that they felt the festival ‘encouraged a positive and fun association with the city centre’.
“Great inclusive, fun event. Brilliant experience for young people to learn diversity, love and to be fabulous.”
The Positive Postcards were sent out by the Holly Grove Art Club during the Lockdown - Image by Ruth Turnball
Partnership with Paycare (2021) Wolverhampton Based Health Cash Plan provider
Paycare soon became firm supporters of our programme offering support on many levels, even helping us with a storage issue by taking a large wooden ‘wish tree’ commissioned for an event which they resourcefully used in their communal staff area.
We have had an ongoing dialogue over the years that has led to a level of trust between our programme and this not-for-profit business.
In late 2020, Paycare reached out and asked how us how they could support local communities in the Black Country through creative activities.
What emerged from this question was an extension of our creative commissioning strand in 2021 with a significant donation to support the successful projects.
This partnership is sincerely valuable, and in the future, CBC and Paycare will be exploring other ways to develop this relationship, including sharing expertise amongst across both teams.
“I now feel like I have the creative confidence to produce a much bigger project on my own with members of the community and I wouldn’t have done that without taking part in the Creative Connections Commissions’.”
Key lessons learnt:
Reach out and see how you can support others first, whether it's suggesting a designer to someone or recommending a venue to a business
Invite influential speakers to events who will attract an audience
Be patient, stay visible and prioritise energy into attending specific strategic networking events to develop genuine relationships
Whilst drafting a sponsorship pack, ask a trusted business friend for their critical feedback and create bespoke packages
Stick to one core idea instead of oversharing everything that you do in a creative programme