10:56am Wednesday 17th March 2010
By Gareth Lewis
THE vital importance of a highly skilled Hampshire workforce to cope with the rise of China and the World Wide Web was a key theme of business Southampton’s Annual Conference.
Called Future Southampton and dedicated to the challenges facing the city region in the future, the event saw 13 speakers tackle everything from architecture to action groups.
One of the stand-out dates in the region’s business calendar, the conference saw nearly 300 business people, including some of the city’s biggest employers turn out to Southampton’s De Vere Grand Harbour Hotel.
They heard former business minister and director general of bosses organisation the CBI, Lord Digby Jones, caution against complacency about the rising Asian economies.
Recalling his experiences as trade and investment minister, he took entertaining pot shots at a range of targets from civil servants and politicians to wanting to “stick an exocet missile up” benefit spongers who refuse to work.
Earlier web pioneer Dame Wendy Hall of Southampton University had urged Southampton to lead the way as more and more business migrated onto the web.
Business Southampton chief executive Sally Lynskey hailed a successful day.
“It’s been really well received,” she said. “It goes to show how Business Southampton can help get people working together, bring the public sector and business into a room together to help push forward the skills agenda and the city renaissance we all want to see.”
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