Dear Readers.

Phew, it finally feels as though things are returning to a normality of sorts! I hope you have all enjoyed the easing of restrictions and were able to enjoy some time off over the Easter break. Due to the school holidays (when we don’t run events), we have delivered just three events since the last time of writing (Natural Capital, Servitisation and Wellbeing), but rest assured, the Events Team has not been resting on its laurels! We used the time to review our events annual report! Here are the highlights… 

In 2020, the team facilitated 49 events to over 2,000 virtual attendees and welcomed 161 expert speakers speaking on a variety of topics, see infographic below:

A happy outcome of our events going online was the fact that we were able to welcome speakers and attendees from around the world, with attendees logging in from the USA, Australia and Europe, amongst others! These events achieved a “very good” or “excellent” event rating from 88% of attendees, raised a £636 carbon offset donation to The Converging World and offered over 30 hours of networking opportunities to our business community! 

“That was one of the best, if not the best, webinars I have joined and participated in, and I have joined a lot since the lockdown! Thank you very much for organizing it!”

In other exciting news, we are delighted to launch this survey in partnership with ENGIE; one of the three potential strategic partners shortlisted to work with Bristol City Council to deliver more than £1billion of investment towards Bristol becoming a zero-carbon, smart energy city by 2030. This is your opportunity to input into Bristol’s decarbonisation plans. Please take 15mins to complete. Deadline for completion is 12pm Monday 26th April 2021. 

Have a wonderful rest of the week….if you are Bristol-based, why not come say hi in person at Future Leap, our COVID compliant sustainable business hub. We look forward to welcoming you all.

Katherine Piper

Director of the Future Economy Network