More than 70 of the county’s most influential business people gathered at Somerset County Cricket Ground on Thursday 12th June for this year’s prestigious annual Business Leaders Dinner.
Organised by the Somerset Chamber of Commerce, the evening provided an opportunity for guests to network with other leading business people from the county, as well as hearing from guest speaker Nora Senior, President of the British Chambers of Commerce, who travelled to Somerset specially for the event.
Somerset Chamber CEO, Rupert Cox, presented guests with an upbeat overview of the widespread progress and activity of the Somerset Chamber over the past 12 months, which he described as the busiest of his eight years in the role.
President of the British Chambers of Commerce, Nora Senior, delivered an engaging after-dinner speech. She spoke with conviction and detail about the economy and the importance of international trade, adding that from the British Chambers’ Quarterly Economic Surveys it is evident that confidence is returning in the South West, providing grounds to be optimistic about the remainder of 2014 and beyond.
Graham Knight, Chair of the Somerset Chamber, described the event as a resounding success, commenting, “It was an absolute pleasure to gather together the county’s business leaders in the splendid setting of the County Cricket Ground. What better background on a summer’s evening to reflect upon the local economy and the prospects and challenges we face? With over seventy delegates, more than ever before, we had a wide variety of businesses represented. The key speaker this year, the British Chambers of Commerce President Nora Senior, gave a very encouraging and positive forecast, and applauded the resilience of the county.”
As one of only five accredited Chambers in the South West and 52 in the whole of the UK, the Somerset Chamber works closely with the British Chambers of Commerce to make sure Somerset businesses stay well connected at both a local and national level, and that the voices of the Somerset business community are heard at all levels of government.