Economic Growth Conference proves a hit with local businesses

Posted on: Friday, October 25, 2024

Newark and Sherwood District Council hosted the fourth annual Newark and Sherwood Economic Growth Conference 2024 on Thursday 10 October. It was held at The Renaissance at Kelham Hall and the conference theme was ‘Technology, skills and the future of business in Newark and Sherwood.’

Dr Paul Redmond, employment guru, leading expert on generations and the future of work, and author of The Graduate Jobs Formula was the keynote speaker. He shared his thoughts and insights on how to engage and motivate today’s multi-generational workplace, as well as the impacts of new technologies on employment, particularly AI and robotics.

The 81 delegates who attended the conference also heard from speakers giving presentations on upcoming skills development opportunities and the latest technologies being used by local companies.

A video from the conference has now been created and can be viewed on YouTube. On here you can here from the team who put the conference together including Councillor Claire Penny, Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Economic Development at Newark and Sherwood District Council and keynote speaker Dr Paul Raymond.

Councillor Penny goes on to explain the importance of these events in the District, “Engaging with local businesses and giving them a space where they can showcase their work is a really important part of the District Council’s work. Being able to bring prestigious speakers to these events offering incredible insights into the issues facing local businesses can help them to grow, which in turn is great for the local economy.”

The conference covered subjects ranging from AI through to how the different generations can work together. It also gave local businesses and education providers the opportunity to get together, network and share thoughts and ideas.

Feedback from the conference showed that almost 95% of attendees thought the conference was either excellent or good whilst 88.89% said that they would recommend the conference to other businesses.

One respondent stated, “The whole conference was excellent, speakers were engaging and informative, workshop provided a lot of useful information. Venue and lunch were excellent. Great opportunity to network with local businesses and learn about relevant topics.”

Following the conference, businesses are urged to contact Invest.NewarkandSherwood@newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk for business support, local opportunities, courses, funding and to find out more about conferences and events like these. Businesses can also sign up to the local business support newsletter by using this email too.