Industry leaders from North Wales, the Northern Powerhouse and Ireland will give the inside track on the forces shaping the North Wales economy during a business conference to showcase growth and development opportunities for the region.

A stand-out selection of keynote speakers including Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, the Business Director of the National Graphene Institute, and the Director of Ernst & Young Manchester, will take part in the Business Growth North Wales conference on September 15^th.

The event, held by the North Wales Business Council, and compered by the BBC’s Jamie Owen, will be held at Pontio, Bangor University’s new Arts and Innovation Centre.

The packed agenda will focus on key areas of growth for the region and provide insights from experts in 3D printing, and the ‘wonder material’ Graphene, alongside talks from industry leaders in innovation, best-practice exporting, and world class e-commerce.

The conference will also feature insights from Celia Williams, Partnership Manager at the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) – who will outline the £20 billion of investment projects across the region. While Jim Jones, Managing Director of North Wales Tourism will discuss the huge changes and further growth potential for businesses involved in the thriving tourism and leisure sector.

Colin Brew, CEO of West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce, will be speaking on exporting at the conference. He said:

“Opening up a business to new international markets can deliver substantial growth for companies limited by domestic markets. If you are looking at new markets or just starting the export journey for the first time, understanding best practice on export development is a must have. At the Business Growth North Wales conference, best practice exporting is firmly on the agenda.”

Nathan Marsh, Director of Ernst & Young will present on the Northern Powerhouse. He said:

“The Northern Powerhouse offers opportunities for all our businesses in the North and I’m looking forward to outlining its major developments at the conference. North Wales has a unique and vibrant economic offering that spans a variety of sectors and it’s great to be celebrating this at the conference and helping businesses across the region recognise the growth opportunities available to them.”

Professor John Hughes VC of Bangor University, will present on University & Business collaboration. He said:

“Collaborations between universities and business across the region are delivering exciting results, increasing high-level skills in our workforce and boosting productivity, but there’s still more to be done to drive further collaboration and engagement between university and business and bridge the gap between the worlds of research and industry.

“The conference provides a great opportunity to look into how our Universities can support business growth, and showcase some of the fantastic examples of collaboration that exist both in North Wales and beyond.

“This kind of collaboration has the potential to enhance reputation and revenue streams, drive forward innovation and ultimately, increase competitiveness of UK industry as a whole, and it’s great to be able to showcase this key catalyst for business growth at the Business Growth North Wales conference.”

Ashley Rogers, Chairman of the North Wales Business Council, said:

“It’s an exciting time for the North Wales economy. With £20 billion of investment planned for across the region, a booming tourism and leisure market, the Northern Powerhouse, and new technologies and materials like 3D printing and graphene opening up new avenues and possibilities for business, there have never been as many opportunities for our businesses to grow.

“The Business Growth North Wales conference is the event for our businesses to get the inside track on the growth hotspots across North Wales and further afield and learn more about the key forces that will be shaping the economic landscape over the next five years.

“We’re delighted to have been able to attract such a great line up of speakers to the conference and we look forward to delivering a fantastic event for businesses and organisations with interests in North Wales.”

Companies attending the event will also be able to connect with a wide range of exhibitors including Airbus, the FSB, Wrexham Glyndwr University, Wales Co-operative Centre, Horizon Nuclear Power, Business in the Community, Business Wales, North Wales Tidal Energy, West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce, Coleg Cambria, BIC Innovation, the North Wales Economic Ambition Board, the IOD, Nat West Cymru, the Mersey Dee Alliance, Finance Wales and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai.

See website for details & tickets:  https://tickets.pontio.co.uk/online/bgnw or call 01248 382828. Tickets for full day event + lunch, only £20 +VAT.