Dr. Neil Hair

One of the biggest surprises that the expat faces it seems is changes to ones homeland. I've only been gone a couple of years and Sheffield has continued to change markedly. Forget scenes from The Full Monty. Out of date by about 20 years. The city centre is thriving, it's littered now with sculptures and water features, cafe bars and plenty of eateries. Talk about effective repositioning. When I first came to Sheffield in 1995 the city was a boring concrete jungle plagued by crime and empty come 6pm. I missed Oxford (my home town) terribly. Work ended up here and everyone went home. A little over ten years later and the place has really changed. Now, the Peace Gardens, the Winter Garden, Sheffield Hallam's student Union, Millenium Galleries, All Bar One, HaHa!, and so on give people a reason to stay on after work and spend money. Check out the 3d tours here. What really impresses me from a marketing perspective is just what can be achieved when there is a clear plan in mind. The City listened to the concerns of residents, applied for every national grant going, and brought in investment from the commercial sector. The results are outstanding – Oxford can eat its heart out, I am staying up here. We now have an antiques sector, a cultural sector, an academic centre, several long roads that focus on foreign food restaurants and many many roads that are littered with pubs, bars and cafes. Think Park Avenue times 12.

What I hope you will find interesting is the fact that Rochester and Sheffield have a great deal in common. Similar population size, similar issues regarding the need for regeneration when major industries started to suffer (in Sheffield it was Steel), similar physical size. Similar need for a plan. I was really disappointed as were many at the decline of the High Falls area in Rochester. When I was last here in 2001 the area was thriving and many people saw this as the start of something great. An excellent micro brewery existed as well as several high capacity social arenas. What happened? One of the secrets I think for Sheffield is its decision to convert warehouses and build the latest apartment blocks therefore capturing a market that lives in the city 24/7. When people live in the city they tend to spend more, go out more, socialize more, enjoy life more. High Falls needed to convert its old cement factories into living facilities and provide adequate security. Based on Sheffield's experience, these tend to attract the 25-35's with high disposable income. The story becomes self supporting and thriving communities develop whilst retaining the brains of Sheffield's two universities and several community colleges.  

The High Falls area I would argue its very similar to the fate of the high speed ferry. High Falls suffered from a lack of clear vision and marketing skills. Where for instance were the free bus services that would bring in students from RIT, MCC, U of R and so forth? Where was the decision to accept Tiger Bucks at these locations? I bet if you asked the average freshman on campus whether they'd heard of High Falls they'd be clueless. Where was the promotion of this area on campus? Hopefully Rochester can learn from Sheffield's lessons. It's a well known fact that come summer time Sheffield becomes much quieter as its 15,000 students leave to go home. Thankfully over 50% of these decide to stay on and live in the area after they graduate. Lets not even bother comparing this to Rochester. Not yet at least. I'm hopeful and I think Rochester like Sheffield has the raw materials.