Liverpool and Wirral to hold International Festival of Business

LIVERPOOL and Wirral will host a major International Festival of Business lasting a month and taking place in 2014, as part of the Government’s City Deals plan to rebalance the econony.

The event, costing £15m to put on, which will attract tens of thousands of visitors from more than 100 countries. It will be the biggest of its kind in this country since the Millennium Fair of 2000 and the Festival of Britain in 1951.

Taking place at sites in Liverpool and Wirral, the festival will showcase trade and investment opportunities in a number of key sectors – low carbon, ports and logistics and knowledge, including life sciences, creative and digital, advanced manufacturing and professional and financial services.

Organisation of the event will be led by Liverpool City Council, through its economic development company, Liverpool Vision working in partnership with Wirral Borough Council and the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership.

Funding for the project would come from both the public and private sectors, hopefully generating an estimated return on investment of £100m of economic activity.

It is also supported by UK Trade & Investment; the Department for Business Innovation & Skills; the British Chambers of Commerce; as well as the Peel Group.

Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool, said: “We have held this ambition since returning from World Expo in 2010 and so this is a hugely significant moment in the continuing development of the city and the city region.
 
“We have made great strides in recent years forging new international relationships and trade partnerships, but the challenge is to inspire more businesses to grow, to export and to innovate and to open up new markets, both here and across the country.

“We also anticipate that hosting this huge event will project a positive image of the region’s business landscape to potential investors and partners in the same way hosting European Capital of Culture in 2008 changed perceptions about Liverpool and our world class attractions.

“We are looking forward to working with our colleagues in Wirral, with whom we already have a close relationship through our promotion of the city region at the World Expo in Shanghai in 2010 and in the development plans by Peel Group on both shores of the Mersey.”

Cllr Phil Davies, leader of Wirral Borough Council, said: “While hosting the International Festival of Business will bring great benefit to our region and the north of England, it will be a festival for the whole of the UK and we will be developing our plans with key national partners to ensure that this event is one to make the region and the nation proud.”

Max Steinberg, chief executive of Liverpool Vision, who is to chair the strategic delivery group, said: “There is no question that the city region has the assets and the expertise to host an event of this scale.

“We have an excellent track record in delivering or contributing to world class events from the International Garden Festival in 1984, through Capital of Culture in 2008, the World Expo in Shanghai in 2010 to the Global Entrepreneurship Congress and Sea Odyssey earlier this year.”