NEW ideas for how York Business Week will promote business in the city are being presented to business leaders today.

Organisers will unveil their plans to extend the reach and impact of the week, which takes place from November 14 to 18, to build on the success of last year’s multiple award-winning event at a breakfast hosted at the Mansion House by the Lord Mayor of York, Coun David Horton.

One idea to make this year’s event bigger and better is a competition in which businesses will pit their entrepreneurial wits against each other to turn £100 into stacks of cash for charity.

The Inter-Business Challenge, organised by York Professionals, will feature up to six teams from organisations across York who will compete to make the most profit from their £100 entry fee within a single business day. The winner will be announced at The Press Business Awards with all profits from the Challenge donated to charity.

Other new events for this year include York and North Yorkshire Chamber’s Growth Expo at York Racecourse, a headline event with keynote presentations, exhibition areas and workshops centred on promoting and facilitating business growth.

NYBEP will hold Nuturing Talent at Joseph Rowntree School in York, inviting businesses back to school to debate key issues relating to developing the workforce of the future, with keynote speaker Barry Dodd, chairman of the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (YNYLEP).

The Federation of Small Business will welcome former advisor to central government Winston Kobylka to the city on Monday, for a procurement masterclass on Opportunities In The Public Sector. Mr Kobylka worked in both Houses of Parliament and within the Department of the Environment during the major London Docklands regeneration before becoming a specialist in procurement, a farmer, and recently taking over the running of the traditional rope-making shop Woodalls, in Malton.

Peter Kay, chairman of York Economic Partnership and a director of York Business Week, said the event aims to increase awareness of York as a place for business creation, growth and sustainability; increasing positive attitudes and skills towards enterprise; raising awareness of the support services available locally for both existing and new businesses; and celebrating York’s success in business.

He said: “This is a celebration of York’s business achievements past and inspiration for York’s business achievements yet to come. York has good reason to be proud and should have the confidence to be ambitious. That is what York Business Week is all about.”

Coun James Alexander, Labour leader of City of York Council, said: “Business Week is really important for York to create new business opportunities, boost the city’s economic vitality, bring jobs and attract tourism – all vital to the city’s future prosperity.”

The organisers of the event have formed York Business Week Community Interest Company (CIC), a public and private sector partnership, to progress its ambitious objectives focussed on driving the economic sustainability of the city.

The CIC status has enabled them to attract sponsorship to spread the word even further afield, with York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce backing the event as headline sponsor. Susie Cawood, head of York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are delighted to be involved in York Business Week this year. The chamber is totally committed to supporting the business community in York & North Yorkshire and is currently working on a range of support services dedicated to helping businesses become stronger, fitter and more profitable organisations.”

Last year’s York Business Week, which was centred around headline annual events in the city, The Press Business Awards and the Tourism Futures Conference, brought together 40 separate events and workshops attended by an audience of about 2,000 business people, start-ups and students.

The event, organised in just three months by private and public sector partners, including City of York Council, was awarded an Outstanding Impact Badge of Honour from Enterprise UK, the organisers of Global Entrepreneurship Week, for its series of inspiring and impactful events.

One of the events within the 2010 programme – Create Your Future, an event involving an exhibition and workshops for cultural and creative practitioners, led by the North Yorkshire Business and Education Partnership (NYBEP) and Science City York’s business network Creative York – was also singled out for an Outstanding accolade by Enterprise UK.