I’m looking forward to welcoming our largest ever audience to today’s Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership Annual Conference 2018.

Today is a fantastic opportunity for the Worcestershire LEP team to showcase the exciting and innovative projects that we are bringing to life, right across the county. This is a particularly exciting year, as I believe that within the last 12 months, we have made our most significant progress towards our vision – to build a connected, creative, dynamic economy that delivers increased prosperity for all those who choose to live, work, visit and invest in Worcestershire.

There is a real momentum within the county, and we are driven to ensure the local business community feels the benefit of this progress. From our £71.71m Government-funded Growth Deal, to the €68m EU programme, we are helping to create jobs and boost productivity across the county and I am pleased to say that we have been recognised by Government for our ‘excellent’ delivery of these funds and the projects that they enable.

Today’s event will directly address just some of the issues that businesses experience and how Worcestershire LEP is helping to address these challenges. The event will also focus on how innovative developments led by the LEP are helping to boost productivity, tackle the skills shortage and strengthen connectivity.

I would like to thank all of the event sponsors and exhibitors who have made today’s Conference possible. Our sponsors include: Bishop Fleming, Business & Innovation Magazine, EBC Group, GJS Dillon, Heart of Worcestershire College, Hewett Recruitment and Thursfields Solicitors.

I hope that those of you who are attending the Conference will be able to take the opportunity to network and make prosperous new connections for you and your business.

To get involved with the event on social media, please do use the event hashtag #WLEP18