World class wisdom comes to Yorkshire

They say you can always tell a Yorkshireman, but you can’t tell him much… However an audience of over 700 tough Yorkshire business people paid and turned up to hear worldly wisdom and wit at the 17th Yorkshire International Business Convention, held in Leeds.

Over the past seventeen years, the event has brought together some of the world’s most inspirational and influential speakers, from Bill Clinton to Mikhail Gorbachev. This year’s sell-out event was run in a purpose-built marquee at Wellington Place,Leedswith a parallel presentation at Bridlington Spa and a two-way helicopter taxi service for the speakers. TheLeedsevent was the last in the series, although YIBC will continue to be staged at Bridlington Spa.

The complete audio visual production was supplied by Saville Audio Visual, providers of the AV technology for practically all previous YIBC events. Saville Technical Project Manager,Richard Zamberlansaid: “Holding the event in a marquee brings its own particular set of challenges which we had to deal with to deliver a professional show”.

The production included dynamic sponsor and presenter graphics with themed projected backdrops to tie in with each presentation, plus broadcast standard cameras, atmospheric lighting and a high end audio rig, making an impressive and memorable event. Richard also had the honour and responsibility of ‘miking up’ the speakers before each presentation.

He said: “They were all experienced professional speakers and quite used to having a radio mic and belt pack fitted, however a little more care and respect is needed with some speakers than with others!”

This year’s keynote speaker was His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who addressed the subject of ethics in business. This was his first stop on a UK-wide tour, after visiting more than 62 countries across six continents in the last 60 years and receiving worldwide recognition of his message of peace, non-violence and compassion.

TV presenter and host Clare Balding introduced all the speakers, including Michael Portillo; former world record holder Steve Cram; Sir Richard Branson’s former right-hand man Will Whitehorn - architect behind the Virgin Galactic commercial space programme plus retail guru turned government advisor, Mary Portas.

Mary Portas’ presentation was probably the most relevant and important for many of the large audience, challenging traditional business thinking more than any other of the speakers – she certainly generated the most discussion.

YIBC founder and chief executive, Mike Firth said: “The staging and facilities provided by Saville were excellent and very worthy of the final presentation in Leeds”. Speaking about the downsizing of the event, he said that the main reason was the rising cost of hiring high-profile guest speakers.

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