Enterprise M3 LEP's annual conference was a great success (From Romsey Advertiser)
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Journalist and TV presenter Andrew Neil was guest speaker at Enterprise M3 LEP's annual conference
9:34am Monday 18th March 2013 in Hampshire Business By Richard Garfield
Enterprise M3 chairman Geoff French, with journalist and TV presenter Andrew Neil and Enterprise M3 director Kathy Slack
ENTERPRISE M3’s third annual conference proved to be a sell-out success as the Local Enterprise Partnership looks to a vibrant future.
More than 200 delegates from business, local government and the third sector attended the event held at Mercedes-Benz World, in Weybridge, Surrey, where they gave their enthusiastic support to the LEP’s strategy for growth.
Keynote speaker at the conference was journalist and presenter of the Sunday Politics show on BBC television, Andrew Neil.
He pinpointed the challenges ahead while emphasising the need for Enterprise M3 to consolidate on its strengths and work hard to promote the M3 corridor as the best place in the country to live, work and do business.
Echoing Mr Neil’s thoughts, Enterprise M3 chairman Geoff French said: “We now have to get our act together, particularly in terms of promoting the area.
“We have so much going for us, with the most resilient economy in the UK, a great quality of life and a highly educated workforce.
“We now need to address the immediate needs of businesses to ensure that we can provide apprenticeships that help tackle youth unemployment, the housing to attract and retain skilled workers and the infrastructure that enables easy access and keeps the lines of communication open.
“As part of our drive to promote this area as the best place in the country to do business, we launched our new video at the conference.”
This can be viewed on YouTube by visiting youtu.be/cu31zq7MMBk.
Mike Rushworth, managing director of Vitacress salads, based in St Mary Bourne, also spoke at the conference.
He talked about the need to stay ahead of the curve in terms of technology and innovation in order to survive in a highly competitive environment.
Enterprise M3 is an area that stretches from the New Forest through Hampshire up to the M25, including major centres such as Basingstoke, Winchester Aldershot, Woking and Guildford, in an area which encompasses over 1,600,000 residents and 81,500 businesses.
