Whatever the referendum outcome, business must keep Britain on the map
Ben Miller, office managing partner at DLA Piper in Liverpool
IFB2016 is now well underway, with the first week finishing with the International Waterfront Forum and the Made in the UK events on Friday.
The festival commenced with much excitement and expectation, reflected in the very upbeat message from the Chancellor, George Osborne, when he kicked off proceedings stating: “We’re doing what we do best and reaching out to the world and selling what we make, providing the services we provide and attracting jobs and investment to this country”.
The emphasis of IFB2016 has been on what the UK economy can deliver, in terms of market leading expertise, productivity, exports, investment opportunities, particularly in relation to the sectors explored in the festival, as well as the role the Northern Powerhouse plays in supplementing the overall UK offering.
Whilst much has been made of the Northern Powerhouse, and its potential to transform the sustainable contribution that it can have in UK international trade, there have undeniably been notes of caution. Primarily, that there is a responsibility on businesses to work together to achieve this potential.
This sentiment was echoed by Lord O’Neil in a recent meeting of the North West Business Leadership Team that, “The Northern Powerhouse is home to some of the country’s leading businesses and it is vital that business leaders across the region get behind all of the work underway to rebalance our economy”.
In addition to some of the more focussed sector sessions there has been a full agenda of Blue Skies events, from former President of South Africa, F.W. de Klerk, who provided invaluable insight into managing the challenges of change, to Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Business, who discussed the future of British manufacturing and the strengths of the British economy.
In contrast, more reflective events have provided a direction of travel or context to the future themes in the economy, including, diversity, the increasing importance of education and training on key sectors, productivity and the ever pressing need for creative and digital expertise – more on this next week, no doubt.
However, perhaps most encouraging, was the level of diversity in the festival delegates, from different industries, sectors, investors and buyers, countries, cultures and ages – with parties of school children attending, providing obvious enthusiasm to innovation and business!
IFB2016 is proving to be a hub of ideas, innovation and positivity but the underlying message that we must not forget is that once the festival closes its doors it is the role of business to keep the dialogue flowing and to keep the UK on the map as a hotspot for investment, whatever the result of the referendum.
