A Day in the Life of an Innovation Director

I love my job here at Mansfield Innovation Centre and I love helping people – but so many people are unsure exactly what I do. Even my family have said, “Well, you just talk to people,” which is sort of true but I would like to think there’s a bit more to it than that!

Today was a great example of a regular day. I work two days per week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which means that turning up on a Tuesday morning is a bit like the feeling everyone else gets when they return from a week’s holiday. Unusually, I had nothing planned in the diary, but a quick check of my emails soon changed that!

As soon as I arrived, I bumped into my colleagues from East Midlands Chamber in reception. They were here to deliver a full-day event on Advanced SEO and had a full delegate list. That’s good going, and I agreed to open the event. It was a great opportunity to welcome external businesses to Mansfield Innovation Centre and showcase our own facilities and support alongside the Chamber’s fully-funded Accelerator support programme.

Virtual Meetings and Strategic Alignments

My first meeting of the day was a virtual one with a long-time customer. We’ve never met in person, but I have a huge amount of respect for him and genuinely enjoy our sessions. He has a really good business but wanted help to realign his vision and goals. We reviewed his achievements, demonstrating excellent progress made against the goals we agreed on last time. We chatted about why he started the business and the hugely positive impact he has on his clients. Finally, we looked at the sort of work he wanted to secure and how he can achieve this – the simple answer is to ask for it! We’ve set a date in the diary to review progress again in a month’s time, and I immediately received an email from him thanking me for my time.

Impromptu Strategy Sessions

Back at my desk, an old colleague dropped in to say hello. He’s recently started his own business, and we chatted about breaking down marketing strategies into simple actions. He knows his target market, and we identified a few actions to help the contact strategy and generate positive leads. I’ll follow up by giving him some links to networking and informative events, and useful contacts to follow up on. I’ve also introduced him to one of our business community members so they can do business together.

Celebrating Success

After a bite to eat, I introduced our local digital marketing partner to one of our successful customers to get the ball rolling on a new press release or case study. We love celebrating our customers’ successes, and I’m looking forward to seeing the finished article.

Supporting New Ventures

Next, I met with one of my Centre customers to discuss a new venture and the funding support available. We discussed various options, and I outlined the next steps. I’ll help with a business plan to support a grant application and left him with a few actions.

Looking Ahead

To wrap up the day, I reached out to a company supporting innovative software-based businesses about an opportunity to collaborate with Oxford Innovation Space across the network. We’ve scheduled a meeting in the near future.

Reflecting on the Day

So, yes, there was a lot of “talking to people,” but I genuinely feel today made a positive difference to several businesses. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.

At Mansfield Innovation Centre, we’re dedicated to fostering innovation and supporting businesses in their growth journeys. If you’re looking to elevate your business, our team is here to help you every step of the way.