COMPANIES across Hampshire will gather today for one of the south’s biggest business events.

The South Coast Business Works takes place at Southampton’s Novotel hotel today, which will see exhibitors share knowledge, inspire others and forge new relationships.

 

Now in its fourth year, the event is organised by the Southern Daily Echo in association with Southampton based legal firm and principal sponsor Trethowans and founding partners Business South and Destination Southampton to help stimulate business.

The free event will run from 9am to 3pm and is an opportunity for businesses, of all shapes and sizes, and industries to showcase their company to a wide audience.

Guest speaker Penny Power, founder of Ecademy, will get the ball rolling with a keynote speech focusing on the digital future and the importance of the digital generation.

She was given an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list for her dynamic work.

Her talk will be followed by three seminar speakers – Simon Rhodes for Southampton-based event principal sponsors Trethowans Solicitors, Andy Westwood of GuildHE and Ed Morrison, of Purdue University, Indiana, USA.

Simon’s People, Profit, and Planet, talk will focus on covering an organisation’s approach to its people, the core things that make an organisation financially successful and why it is important to be ethical.

Andy’s speech, entitled Building High Level Skills in the Solent Economy, will look at how universities are becoming key drivers of the economies they serve.

Ed will present Re-generating the Space Coast Economy after the Nasa Shuttle Programme. The speech will focus on the challenges faced by civic leaders on the Space Coast of Florida after the shutdown of the Nasa shuttle programme, and how lessons learned can be applied to the south coast region.

A Question Time-style business panel, hosted by Lee Peck of Leepeckgroup, will feature Stewart Dunn (below), incoming CEO at Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, John Eynon, of Import Services, Trethowans’ Simon Rhodes, Nick Ridehalgh, of Associated British Ports Southampton, and Trevor Thorne of Southampton Solent University.

Daily Echo:

There will be free one-to one advice clinics from Trethowans Solicitors, Santander, the Daily Echo and Hampshire Chamber of Commerce.

Visitors should register to attend this free event by visiting dailyecho.co.uk/businessworks.