Who attended the event?
A balanced mix of individual
business people from every part of Scotland, business
representative bodies, key enterprise network
representatives and economic development partners,
Executive Ministers and Parliamentarians attended the
event.
A full Conference delegate list
can be found on the
Delegate
List page.
What was the format of the event?
There were two parts to the
event:
- An evening reception on 22
nd April at Edinburgh Castle. This was an
opportunity for Deputy First Minister and Presiding
Officer to welcome those attending the Conference and
to provide a networking opportunity ahead of the main
Conference;
- A full-day Conference in the
Parliament on 23
rd April. This comprised speeches from
business leaders, Executive Ministers and
Parliamentarians; discussion sessions and an open
debate in the Main Chamber of the Parliament. Links to
First Minister's and Deputy First Minister's keynote
addresses can be found below:
Keynote
addresses by First Minister and Deputy First
Minister
A full programme can also be
found on the
Event
Programme page.
What are the intended aims and
outcomes?
The aim of the event is to
engage the business community in the policy debate and in
growing Scotland 's economy. Issues identified at the
Conference will form part of the Executive's work
refreshing
A
Smart, Successful Scotland and will be followed up through the Annual Business
Forum.
The outcomes of the Conference
will be published on this web site, and will include:
- A
transcript of the proceedings in the Main
Chamber;
- A
written
response by the Executive to the outputs from the
day (in a similar manner to Parliamentary Committee
reports);
- A subsequent
debate in Parliament on the outcomes of the day and
the Executive's response;
- Feedback to the Annual Business
Forum on progress that has been made since the
Conference;
- Feedback to those who attended
the Conference - on the outcomes and subsequent
progress updates from the Annual Business Forum.