_tcm18-13774.jpg "Conference 2008")
Key note topics from this year's Zone Conference
27/06/2008 Ludlow Racecourse
The third annual conference for the Rural Regeneration Zone was attended by more than 170 representatives from the private, public and voluntary sectors. Building on the success of support for enterprise in the Zone, the theme for the event was enterprise.
Guest speakers Mick Laverty, Advantage West Midlands Chief Executive & Lorraine Holmes, former Chief Executive of Business Link in the West Midlands were joined by 3 businesses operating in the Zone who showcased the success of their operations.
Find a full copy of the conference report in the Resource Library
Speakers
Peter Pawsey
The event opened with a speech from Zone Chairman Peter Pawsey in which he outlined the success of the Zone over the last 12 months, focusing on the launch of the Enterprise Network Centres, rollout of the multi-use community centres programme and the drive to make the Rural Zone a hub of environmental technologies excellence.
Mick Laverty
Mick Laverty, AWM Chief Executive, presented next, his first appearance at a Zone conference since taking over from John Edwards.
He outlined the challenges facing the widerWest Midlandsin the context of the West Midlands Economic Strategy and the way that the rural west of the region was able to play its part in tackling these challenges.
Lorraine Holmes
Lorraine Holmes spoke about the challenges facing rural businesses, and businesses in general, emphasising that many of these challenges are constant no matter where the location.
Charles Morgan
The Chairman of Morgan Motor Company, based in Malvern, outlined the history of the company, dating back to 1913. He spoke extensively about the company’s commitment to innovation, including their involvement in the Knowledge Transfer Partnership which has enabled Morgan to access high-quality design graduates who have made a major contribution to their development of new models.
Richard Jackson
The Chief Executive of the Leominster-based business service company spoke about the challenges facing rural companies. He outlined their commitment to innovation and diversification to reflect the development of their client bases’ aspirations.
Jean Jarvis
The Chief Executive of the South Shropshire Furniture Scheme gave a view of the role of social enterprises in the Zone. Jean spoke about the impact the enterprise is having on people with learning difficulties and also in terms of contributing to the Zone’s commitment to sustainability.