Purley BID attended the Croydon Economic Summit which returned for 2019 last week with a rousing opening act from local band CR7, who recently performed at the Lloyd Park Festival and encompass Croydon in its London Borough of Culture 2023 bid.
This was followed by a ‘state of the nation’-style speech from Sebastian Burnside, the Royal Bank of Scotland’s chief economist, focussing on Croydon’s position in national and international markets.
More than 300 business representatives attended Croydon’s largest economic event, which took place between 8am and 12.45pm on Tuesday 24 September at the newly-refurbished Fairfield Halls, which reopened on Monday 16 September, following a multi-million pound council-led restoration.
Mr Burnside took part in an interactive panel looking at Croydon’s opportunities from a national and international perspective. The morning also included a panel debate exploring sustainability and how businesses play an important role in shaping vibrant communities not only for work but for people to live in and enjoy.
Those attending took part in a question and answer session debating the challenges facing employers when recruiting staff. The session included discussion on how mentoring, work experience, apprenticeships and succession planning can help businesses recruit and retain the best employees.
Councillor Manju Shahul-Hameed, cabinet member for economy and jobs, said before the event “We have a booming business community here in Croydon and the Economic Summit is always a fantastic and informative event and this year promises to be no different. I’m really pleased Sebastian Burnside is speaking and I’m sure what he has to say will be of interest to those attending. I hope we get as many people as possible attending and pack out Fairfield Halls for this very special event, which will offer valuable support for our businesses.”