THE man at the helm of one Southampton’s most important attractions is the latest speaker to be confirmed for the Daily Echo-backed South Coast Business Works event in February.

Andy Collyer, manager of Westquay, will give a presentation entitled WestQuay Watermark: Creating a new leisure destination for Southampton.

The new £85m Watermark development - which opens this week - has been the focus of much attention.

WestQuay is the key shopping destination on the south coast but with the opening of Watermark it will become a key leisure and dining hub, to put Southampton on the map.

The new development will bring new restaurants, a ten-screen cinema and a bowling alley. In addition the Esplanade will create a new events space for the city, bringing a wealth of opportunity for businesses in the region.

Andy joined WestQuay in January 2002 as operations manager before being promoted to general manager in August of the same year.

He is responsible for leading the on-site team and managing WestQuay’s role within the wider business community. He has been instrumental in the success WestQuay has seen over the last 12 years.

Forming and maintaining key partnerships with external organisations such as Southampton City Council, the Chamber of Commerce and Business South, Andy has been involved in a number of significant initiatives, such as City Centre Management where he served as chairman of the board for four years.

He worked in Agricultural Merchanting for 20 years after leaving university, gaining a broad experience in technical sales and operations roles.

Prior to joining WestQuay he was operations manager at Whiteley Village Outlet in Fareham, Hampshire.

Business Works will take place at Novotel Southampton, on Wednesday February 1, from 10am-4pm.

Trethowans Solicitors are back on board for the fifth year as principal sponsors alongside event partners Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and Destination Southampton.

Great rates on exhibitor packages are available – call 023 8042 4872 or email businessworks@dailyecho.co.uk to find out more.

Visitors to the exhibition can register for free at dailyecho.co.uk/businessworks.