Last month I was invited to speak at an Investment Society Conference at Coventry University. Having never visited Coventry, I asked a few people what they thought of the place and not one of them had a good word to say!
In fact at least three of the responses solicited said exactly the same thing, which I am unable to repeat here. I was intrigued, could it really be that bad?
The most famous phrase and the only thing I can legitimately say I know about Coventry is that being sent there, wasn’t a good thing many moons ago. Anyway, I agreed to speak and took a very long train Journey there. I was met at the station by a young Eastern European student, who was very welcoming and friendly. When I asked her about Coventry she didn’t seem too enamoured either. Although she was quite positive about the engineering museum in Coventry, incorporated within the University and her overall educational experience. But by and large didn’t have anything positive to say about Coventry itself!
I shared the stage with the Lord Mayor – who was quite upbeat about Coventry and the actual conference itself – alongside two other international speakers. The audience were very engaging and being asked by a number of attendees for my autograph at the end, was quite interesting. Overall my experience was a very positive one. The society had an incredible line up of events, with some great speakers, that I would even consider going back to hear.
On the way back I started thinking about why are people and places so negative at times. The North East being a prime example of this, constantly and consistently being ranked at the lower, if not lowest ends of league tables across all topics. (In fact I was astounded, no actually disgusted, to find the Daily Mail making reference to a survey that suggested that Newcastle is the gloomiest place with the least amount of people smiling per day. Shocking and totally untrue!)
The fact that negative messages are reinforced through media and portrayed across drama series – I endured COBRA on Sky recently with the wife, and the North East was illustrated as being downright backward – can only serve to do more harm, and make local people think and ultimately act negatively.
Our North East is an amazing place, filled with opportunities and positive, happy, smiley people. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all a bed of roses – although even roses have thorns – but the only way we are going to make our North East better is by highlighting the positive aspects and addressing our weaknesses, collectively, collaboratively and through celebration.
The historic term of being sent to Coventry isn’t any different to modern day social isolation, a major challenge affecting so many of us, which seriously impacts local people and places. If we feel out of place then we are disconnected, and ultimately alienated from those around us. So please, let’s start looking out for one another, celebrating and sharing all that is good, and even if we are sent to Coventry let’s come back with a smile.
Ammar Mirza CBE is Chair & Founder of Asian Business Connexions, Chair of the NELEP Business Growth Board, Chair of the IoD North East (North) and holds various positions across the public and private sectors.