Member Article

Conference inspires positive thinking

Businesses throughout the North East were given a shot in the arm by a conference last month which offered help to guide them through tough economic times.

The Entrepreneurs’ Forum ‘Peaks and Pitfalls’ event saw some of the country’s foremost business leaders reveal the secrets of their success. The timing of the conference proved to be lucky, as it was coincidentally staged on the same day that the Bank of England cut interest rates by one-and-a-half per cent.

The conference began with Dr Linda Yueh – one of the world’s most respected economists and commentators – pointing out the reality of the financial predicament gripping much of the planet.

With the event falling just a day after the confirmation of Barack Obama as the US President-elect, Dr Yueh was optimistic for the future.

“We now have a guy who consults the right people. One of the most important things for financial markets is confidence – he will inspire confidence, make sure America does not go down this path again and the UK will benefit from that,” she said.

Durham University graduate James Averdieck also revealed how sweet it was to survive the highs and lows of business to establish Gü Chocolate Puds.

“In recessions, there are two products that hold up – lipstick and chocolate. Chocolate is a great business to be in. When things get this bad, people will always turn to their comfort food,” he said.

Attendees also heard from chartered psychologist Dr David Johnson, businessman and author Adrian Webster, C4’s Secret Millionaire Hilary Devey and customer excellence consultant Andy Hanselman,.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .