The eighth annual Leicester Business festival kicked off inside the new extension to the Morningside Arena, home of the Leicester Riders basketball team.
A couple of hundred members of the city’s business community turned out for the breakfast launch event which featured speakers including Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles.
Richard Osborn, regional director at Excello Law and a director of the community interest company that runs the festival, said it was now the biggest business festival in the region and one of the biggest in Britain.
He said: “There have been seven festivals to date, 784 events, 41,167 attendees and a marketing circulation that’s too long to even read out – with each addition of the festival we have continued to evolve and develop so that it remains impactful, meaningful and relevant to the communities that it serves.”
This year’s festival will feature 82 free-to-attend events covering topics ranging from achieving net zero, to avoiding damaging mistakes in a post-Covid economy, workforce health and wellbeing and finding investment. It runs until November 18 at businesses and venues across the city and county.
Sir Peter Soulsby said despite the cost of living and energy crises facing the city, there was still a lot to be positive about – including investment in the Dock and Pilot House workspaces, the transformation of Leicester’s former Fenwick store into the Gresham aparthotel, restaurant and flexible workspaces, and the big changes underway at Leicester station.
He also spoke about hundreds of millions of pounds of investment being made in the former rundown and problematic waterside area.
He said: “Over the last few years there were many people who feared for the future of the city’s economy during the pandemic – many who feared for the future of the city centre particularly, and what the pandemic might do to the viability of that centre.
“While we would all agree that there are problems ahead we, as a city, have bounced back remarkably well and our worst fears were not realised. In some cases the expectations were very much exceeded.
“We still have more openings than closures. In our city centre footfall is strong and in the summer it was consistently the highest we have ever received.
“This may very much be due to the fact that we recognise that city centres in the 21 st century have to be much more than just retail – they have to offer a wide range of other attractions to bring people in such as this, [the Morningside Arena].
“I’m also aware there will be a period of time when there will be a lot of concern about the state of the UK’s economy and very considerable concern about the cost of living crisis and the impact it will have on our communities and businesses and clearly there will be a few tough months ahead.
“But looking immediately ahead to winter I’m aware how vitally important the Christmas trading period is to many of our businesses and we are doing all that we can to encourage people back into the city with a quality programme of entertainment and marketing.
“The Christmas in Leicester programme has been launched, the tree is back and currently being decorated, the lights will be switched on soon and the ice rink will be back.”
To see a list of all the business festival events visit leicesterbusinessfestival.com.
