Combined authority considers revamped Liverpool International Business Festival

Liverpool will host a significantly revamped International Business Festival next year.

There were fears that the city would not stage the fourth event, since its launch in 2014, after criticism it had failed in the past to engage with local and North West business and organisations.

However, under plans to be discussed by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority this week, the 2020 event will aim to be more inclusive.

The combined authority report recommends that a delivery partner be commissioned to deliver a new-look festival, delivered across multiple venues around the city region.

The festival would also feature a “good business” concept, developed following a creative design exercise, exploring how businesses can maximise social benefits, with a focus on engaging local residents and organisations, as well as attracting an international business audience.

Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, said: “These are exciting plans that, if approved, would build on the success of previous business festivals that we have supported as a combined authority.

“Clearly there are lot of details yet to be decided, but these are very exciting new ideas for the festival that would see businesses and civic society coming together to explore how we can maximise the social impact of investment and business activity.”

He added: “The concept of a dispersed festival, using venues across the whole city region also has huge potential to engage with local people and organisations in an innovative way, whilst also attracting an international audience.”

Asif Hamid, combined authority portfolio holder for business support and Brexit, and chair of the Liverpool Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), said: “The International Business Festival has helped to raise the profile of the city region with tens of thousands of businesses over recent years.

“It is important that we take the opportunity to build on that legacy in a way that actively involves and benefits our local businesses.

“This new approach looks very promising and should enable us to build on previous experience and successes, while developing an innovative approach that will involve the whole of the city region.”

The proposal going to the combined authority’s meeting would see an investment of up to £3m to deliver the 2020 festival.

Originally launched in 2014 as the International Festival for Business, the programme was backed by former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine and Liverpool-born former Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy.

Further festivals were held in 2016 and 2018.

They attracted tens of thousands of business people from more than 100 countries and generated hundreds of millions of pounds of investment for UK firms.

Delivery of an international business festival in 2020 forms part of the Liverpool City Region’s devolution agreement with central government.