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Inaugural Business Week a success

The event was so successful that next year’s event has already been organised for April 16 -20 2012.l

A project carried out as a collaborative venture between the North-east’s four premier business organisations has been hailed a success after hundreds of people attended a range of events during the inaugural North-east Business Week.  The week was so popular that next year’s event has already been organised for April 16 -20 2012.

Business Week was a joint initiative between Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC); Enterprise North East Trust (ENET);   Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the Scottish Council for Development & Industry (SCDI).  The main purposes of the week were  to reinforce the message that the is region continues to be a major economic driver for economic recovery in the UK and to raise awareness of key business issues in the lead up to the Holyrood Election on May 5.

Over the course of the week, the four organisations met with candidates, MPS and local councillors from the main parties during a series of morning political briefing sessions and at other politically focussed events including a question time and round table discussion.

Working across four key themes of prosperity, entrepreneurship, technology and local leadership other events included a business seminar focussing on digital connectivity, a business mentoring session,  business to business trade fair,  enterprise cafes, a Business Gateway event specifically for women and a entrepreneurs’ event with Apprentice finalist Jamie Lester.

The concept of a joint approach created such interest that a number of other organisations have asked to participate in  future events and plans are already in progress for next year’s Business Week which will be held in the run up to the local council elections.

Bob Collier, Chief Executive of AGCC said: “We are very pleased at the success of the first North East Business Week. The idea was to start small to gauge reaction but the momentum was such that a number of additional events were held during the week.

“It is important that we are seen to speak with one North-east voice because it adds strength to our concerns over what are generally joint issues and priorities for the four organisations. It meant we got our messages out to a wider audience and the politicians in particular said they found it helpful to get the joint view of business at the briefings.”

Gary McEwan, Chief Executive of ENET, said: "We are committed to supporting the creation of new companies and the growth of established organisations, both of which are essential for the future economic prosperity of the region. North East Business Week was the perfect platform from which to encourage others to consider entrepreneurship as a career path, whilst identifying what local business men and women can do together, to further develop Aberdeen City and Shire.  It was a real success and the feedback we have received from people who attended the events has been very positive, so I am confident that this will become a regular event on the North-east calendar.”

Andy Willox, Convenor Scottish Policy Unit FSB said: “The main priority at the moment is job creation and a strong and stable society depends on this being achieved. Small businesses are the backbone of the Scottish economy and this is where we will have job growth in the future.  By working together with our fellow organisations, we were able to get over key messages about is needed to support that process – a reduction in  unnecessary red tape;  investment in skills and education to align to skills shortages; access to finance at a fair price; and much better access to procurement opportunities for small businesses.  We just ask for common sense with laws and regulations which are fit for purpose so we can get on with it.”

Reflecting on the inaugural North East Business Week, Ian Armstrong, North East Manager, SCDI, commented:  "There has been a very positive feel to all the events which have taken place this week and good feedback from those in attendance. It has been particularly useful to have the opportunity to engage with the four main political parties in the run up to the Scottish Elections and to communicate to them some of our views on what the incoming Scottish Government can do to help build and capitalise on the success of the North East economy, for the benefit of Scotland as a whole".

Further information is available at  www.northeastbusinessweek.co.uk