01943 969 131 Close
News

How the Tour de Yorkshire could affect your business

Tour de YorkshireFollowing the success of last year’s Tour de France Grand Depart, interest in cycling is at an all-time high in Yorkshire. This year’s inaugural ‘Tour de Yorkshire’ event takes place between the 1st and 3rd of May, and looks set to bring another welcome boost to local trade.

The event offers many potential opportunities for Yorkshire businesses. Here, we look at what you need to do to make the most of the event, without putting your business at risk.

There can be positives and negatives for a business to consider when running alongside a large public event. This is a great opportunity for many Yorkshire businesses to capitalise on another huge influx of people to Yorkshire. On the other hand a large public gathering can create disruption if it isn’t planned for properly.

The types of things that Businesses will need to consider are:

  • Day 1 falls on a working day (Friday) so:
    • Travel in and around the route will be very difficult. (Day 1 is Bridlington to Scarborough and mainly affects areas towards the East Coast of Yorkshire). This will impact not only on your staff and their travel arrangements, but also delivery and collection times. If your business depends on regular incoming or outgoing deliveries you will need to allow for heavy traffic if you are located on or very near to the route.
    • Your company may get more requests than usual for time off and will need to manage requests fairly and sensitively, if staff are keen to watch the race. On the plus side, there may be opportunities to entertain clients at the event at venues along the route.
  • Stock levels – The 2014 Grand Depart meant a massive surge in income for many businesses in the food/drink sector in particular, amd another surge is expected this year. If your business will be carrying higher levels of stock than usual during the event, contact your broker to ensure that you are adequately covered.
  • Emergency procedures – In case of a public emergency it may be necessary for a business to provide facilities or assistance. With a large public gathering it’s important to liaise with event organisers to ensure that you can co-operate with an emergency plan.
  • Business description – If your business is doing anything for the Tour that you wouldn’t normally do (eg allowing people to pay to use your car park, or serving food from your premises) check this with your broker or insurer beforehand to ensure it can be covered.
  • Public Liability – The expected influx of people makes it as good a time as any to ensure that your premises are safe, to avoid any trips or falls, and that all procedures and accreditations are up to date.
  • Employers’ Liability – When a business is unusually busy, procedures can slip but it’s important to ensure wherever possible that staff and public safety is not compromised.

In order to protect your business and customers, whilst taking advantage of the increased custom that the event will generate, ensure your business has the correct business insurance.
If you have any further questions about your Insurance policy, call us on 01943 876631 or contact us through the website.