Member Article

IFB insight at business forum at Sefton event

Mersey Maritime’s business development forum ‘On the Road’ is heading to Sefton for the first time when it visits Hugh Baird College later this month.

Among the panel of speakers, at the event on January 28, is Julie Ehlen, project manager for this summer’s International Festival for Business (IFB) with economic development body Liverpool Vision.

She will provide an insight into preparations for the two-month festival in June and July and will be joined by Mersey Maritime chief executive Jim Teasdale, Sefton Council deputy chief executive Peter Morgan and Yana Williams, principal of Hugh Baird College, which is also a member of Mersey Maritime.

Mr Teasdale said it is great news that On the Road is being held in a college for the first time as Mersey Maritime continues its mission to promote education, training and investment in the next generation of skilled workforces.

The Birkenhead-based trade group represents the interests of more than 1,700 maritime companies on Merseyside with business support, communications and events.

He said: “We’re delighted that Hugh Baird College is welcoming Mersey Maritime and businesses from across the area to our latest On the Road forum. It is also great to have Julie on our panel, who will be able to explain the wealth of opportunities on offer at IFB.

“With 250,000 delegates expected to attend IFB from all over the world, now is the time for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the city region to get involved in events such as On the Road and our monthly Face-2-Face meetings.

“The event will also inform local businesses and delegates how they can get involved in other key transformational projects such as the £1.8bn SuperPort infrastructure initiative (see Notes to editors).

“2014 is expected to be another buoyant year for the maritime sector which employs 28,000 people and is worth £2.6bn to the Merseyside economy every year. It is furthermore set to double over the next decade. Engaging with local SMEs is a key part of our goal to make Merseyside a vibrant and prosperous place to do business.”

The upcoming event is the latest in Mersey Maritime’s travelling business forum, which strives to help Merseyside-based SMEs win more work as part of the local supply chains as well as nationally and globally.

The forums are being delivered as part of Mersey Maritime’s Sector Development Programme which is being part funding by the European Regional Development Fund. The programme offers a broad range of support to the SMEs in the Liverpool City Region with maritime links.

The trade group, which has been charged with co-ordinating a schedule of Maritime, Logistics and Energy (MLE) events as part of IFB 2014, recently announced a preview of its outline programme.

More than 30 separate events have been confirmed across two weeks commencing 9 June, including a Maritime and Logistics Conference, a seminar aboard the Kathleen & May tall ship in Albert Dock, a black tie dinner in the Rum Warehouse and the annual debate of the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) in conjunction with Hugh Baird College.

These events are designed to complement a number of headline conferences and exhibitions taking place in and around the city at the same time, including the Undersea Defence Technology International exhibition and conference and a UK Warehousing Association (UKWA) conference.

Hugh Baird College principal Yana Williams said: “We are delighted to be hosting the latest instalment of Mersey Maritime’s travelling business forum.

“It is vitally important that education bodies engage and interact with the business community to create pathways for students to complete the transition from study to employment. We are acutely aware of the Liverpool City Region’s key growth priorities including the SuperPort, low carbon, knowledge and visitor economies.

“We are focused on delivering training and education in line with these growth sectors. It is therefore our mission to continue building relationships with trade organisations such as Mersey Maritime and local businesses which will provide work experience, apprenticeships and employment opportunities to our thousands of students.”

On the Road will run from 11am to 12.30pm on 28 January 2014 at Hugh Baird College, Balliol Road, Bootle. Maritime (and related) sector businesses wishing to reserve a place, please contact Sarah King atsarah.king@merseymaritime.co.uk or call 0151 647 4747.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .