From the MP: On 4th October, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath Wera Hobhouse attended the Apex City of Bath Hotel as it opened its doors to around 210representatives from 120businesses across the city and beyond for a day of discussions, workshops and networking at the third annual Bath BID Business Conference.
The theme of this year’s conference was Better Business in Bath, giving businesses the opportunity to come together and share the challenges of becoming part of a cleaner, greener, fairer future for all.
The day-long conference featured 11 workshops across themes such as Marketing Strategy and AI, and Women: Reshaping the Workplace, as well as panel discussions “from Zero to Net Zero” and “Community purpose at the heart of your business”. Wera herself had collaborated with Bath BID to help bring Google’s Digital Garage workshop “Leadership For the Digital Age” to this year’s event via a Parliament initiative, demonstrating how business and politics can work together.
At the start of the day Wera delivered opening remarks to the delegates, welcoming them to the event and praising their resilience through so many of the challenges of recent years.
The keynote event of the morning was entitled “Culture For Everyone” and explored how the museums, galleries, theatres, festivals, sports pitches and music venues at the heart of the business success of the city can extend their relevance to contemporary residents and visitors. Panellists from Bath Spa University, B&NES Council Heritage Services, the Holburne Museum, Bath Philharmonia and Bath Rugby engaged with delegates around how to ensure that Bath’s historic treasures, sports and cultural offerings are accessible and inspiring to new audiences. They posed questions like,“What can we learn from best practice across the rest of the world, and “What does a ‘better’ cultural business look like?”
Naturally there were exhibition stands, interactive activities and networking throughout the day before the Conference concluded with its brand-new Bath Business Conference Awards, celebrating the contributions of Bath-based businesses to our remarkable city.
Allison Herbert CEO of Bath BID said: “It was very inspiring to be part of an event which brings together so many different business people in Bath, willing to share their expertise with their peers. This year’s event was more ambitious than ever with the enhanced workshop-style format and it’s always such a pleasure to catch up with colleagues in the city. We are really grateful to Wera for joining us and for her continued support of businesses in Bath.”
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, commented:
“I was delighted to be able to come along today and hear from so many of our wonderful Bath businesses. They are the backbone of our city’s economy, and they create the jobs we all rely on.
“From advocating for energy bill support, to urging easier trade relationships with Europe, and calling for a new green industrial strategy to create the conditions for sustainable growth, we Liberal Democrats will always fight for a fair deal for businesses.
“Thank you to all Bath businesses for being at the heart of our local communities, and congratulations to today’s award winners – and to Bath BID for another tremendously successful event!”