Cameron launches countdown to Festival of Entrepreneurship

DAVID Cameron has launched the 100-day countdown to the Festival of Entrepreneurship in Liverpool next March.

In a message of support to the city leaders and organisers, the Prime Minister says the event and the high profile Global Entrepreneurship Congress – will create a lasting legacy for the city and the UK.

The Global Entrepreneurship Congress, running from March 12 to 16,   will see more than 3,000 entrepreneurs from more than 120 countries converging on Liverpool. Speakers include lastminute.com co-founder Martha Lane Fox, Sir Terry Leahy, Lord Heseltine and executives from Dell and the New York City Investment Fund 

The Prime Minister says: “I am delighted that the Kauffman Foundation has chosen Liverpool as the first European host city of its prestigious Global Entrepreneurship Congress. Liverpool is a city with a proud entrepreneurial reputation.

“It is a city of great creativity and innovation and a city with renewed confidence and ambition, committed to sparking enterprise in the young and helping others to unleash their ideas.”

He praised the “unique way ” the public and private sectors in Liverpool are collaborating on the event, addinfg: “it will encourage debate, inspire talent and create a real legacy for Liverpool and the UK for many years to come.”

Max Steinberg, chief executive of Liverpool Vision, said:  “The Prime Minister clearly understands how we are looking to bring more investment and develop further enterprise activity in the UK and specifically to Liverpool and the city region.

“This is a further opportunity to consolidate Liverpool’s place on the world stage and to be seen as a global capital of enterprise culture, providing lasting benefits and relationships that will help grow and sustain the city’s economic growth.

“It is gearing up to be a fantastic event with an impressive line up of speakers with many more high profile names yet to be announced.”
 
Banking group Lloyds TSB is  the headline partner for the event and will provide a senior executive speaker on the opening day of the Congress.

Other speakers inlcude Carl Schramm, chief executive of the Kaufmann Foundation, Steve Felice, President, Dell Consumer, Small and Medium Business and Deb Leary, president of the British Association of Female Entrepreneurs.

The Festival of Entrepreneurship begins before the Summit kicks off , with a ‘Start Up weekend’ focused on the creation of new businesses.