Ashford Business Breakfast
State of the Economy – The Inside Track
Friday, 27th November, 2009
Businesses from across Kent and the South East got the
inside track on the state of the UK economy at a special business
breakfast in Ashford.
Chaired by Ashford MP Damian Green, with a keynote speech from
Bank of England Agent Phil Eckersley (South-East and East Anglia),
the event at Eureka Business Park offered an in-depth look at the
real effects of the recession and showed where future challenges
and opportunities lie.
Businesses from Ashford, Kent and further afield met at the
stunning Herald Building on Friday 27th November for a hot
breakfast, and were given a taste of what Ashford’s ambitious
growth plans have to offer the business community, such as
excellent transport links to London and Europe, competitive
property prices and ongoing public and private sector
investment.
Mr Eckersley then gave a presentation on economic developments in
the UK and South East and the findings of the most recent inflation
report, including analysis of money, asset prices and demand, and
assessment of the medium-term inflation prospects and risks.
Encouragingly, despite the downturn, well over 50 per cent of
attendees indicated that they were starting to see the green shoots
of recovery in Ashford and Kent, and there was a great deal of
positive feedback about the economic future for local and regional
businesses.
Exit surveys on the event completed by attendees showed that 100%
felt the event had been useful to them, and that the keynote speech
had been informative and interesting. Michelle O’Brien of Holiday
Inn Ashford was the winner of the exit survey prize draw, and
received a pair of return Eurostar tickets from Ashford to
Lille.
With its exciting investment opportunities, population set to
double by 2031 and highly
developed infrastructure supporting an existing 5,000 businesses
and a predicted 28,000
new jobs, Ashford is perfectly positioned to give business a
powerful competitive edge.
With a £2.5 billion investment programme in place, Ashford offers
over 2 million sq ft of
planned office space, and sites are available on expanding business
parks such as Eureka
Park which alone is home to some 300,000 sq ft of business
space.
Within easy reach of beautiful countryside and excellent
transport connections to London and the continent, why not consider
Ashford for your business?
Below are presentations and documents from the event, and the
Ashford film: