The trade group Mersey Maritime is urging businesses wanting to win more work in the maritime sector to attend one of its new free travelling business forums taking place in all six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region.
Starting on July 26 Mersey Maritime ‘On the Road’ is set to visit the Select Security Stadium in Widnes before heading to Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral over the course of the next six months. The event in Widnes is being held in association with Halton Borough Council and runs from 11am to 12.30pm. Lead speakers will be Jim Teasdale, Chief Executive of Mersey Maritime, Wesley Rourke, Operational Director for Economy Enterprise and Property on Halton Borough Council and Tracy Lynn, project manager of the International Festival for Business 2014. Key points of discussion will include the International Festival for Business (IFB 2014) and SuperPort, the £1.8billion infrastructure project which is expected to transform the regional economy over the next decade (see notes to editors).
Mersey Maritime commercial director Chris Shirling-Rooke said the group has teamed up with Merseyside councils to broaden its impact.
“We are greatly looking forward to the first event of our ‘On The Road’ programme,” said Mr Shirling-Rooke. “It presents a terrific opportunity to help firms across the Liverpool City Region spark new business relationships. It further enables maritime firms to gain a much deeper understanding of how they can capitalise on major future developments in the sector.” “
“The SuperPort project is set to have a dramatic impact on the economic landscape in this region over the next decade, creating in the region of 100,000 new jobs,” said Mr Shirling-Rooke. “In addition, next year’s IFB has the potential to be a game changer for Merseyside, which local business must take full advantage of. As the sector development body for the Liverpool City Region’s ports, maritime and logistics sector it is vital Mersey Maritime helps businesses prepare for these golden opportunities which lie ahead. We have driven great momentum over the past decade. We now want to accelerate this work by forging stronger local supply chains and connecting with a greater volume of local firms.”
Mersey Maritime already runs a popular monthly networking event at its Birkenhead base called Face-2-Face. This has become a very successful meeting point for businesses, attracting, on average, 80 firms each month. The “On The Road” business forums are being delivered as part of the Mersey Maritime’s Maritime Sector Development Programme, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (see notes to editors).The programme offers a broad range of support to the SMEs in the Liverpool City Region with maritime links.
To register for the Halton event please email sarah.king@merseymaritime.co.uk or telephone 0151 647 4747.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Mersey Maritime Limited
Mersey Maritime is the private-public sector partnership that represents the interests of the shipping, ports and logistics sector on Merseyside, including improvements to the movement of freight across the region. It represents the interests of a cluster of 1700 businesses employing 28,000 people, with a combined turnover of £2.6bn. The organisation receives funding via the European Regional Development Fund (see below), matched by private sector income raised through membership, events and consultancy services.
SuperPort
SuperPort is the £1.8 billion transport and logistics strategy to expand the freight and passenger capacity of the River Mersey. It includes the £350 million Liverpool 2 deepwater container terminal scheduled to open in 2015 which will dock super-size Post-Panamax-class container ships, more than double the current handling capacity of the port. In addition, the Mersey Multi Modal Gateway (3MG), the six-lane Mersey Gateway Bridge, the Mersey Gateway Port, the World Cargo Centre expansion at John Lennon Airport, new logistical hubs planned for the Manchester Ship Canal, the Langton roll on-roll off ferry terminal, cruise liner facilities, port road access and the Liverpool-Manchester rail upgrade will complete the SuperPort hub.
The European Regional Development Fund
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is making a real difference to people and businesses in the North West. With €755 million to invest between 2007 and 2013, ERDF is enhancing the competitiveness of the region’s economy by supporting growth in enterprise and employment. ERDF is managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government. ERDF’s Maritime Sector Development Programme has been extended to 2015. It aims to support productivity, business growth and job creation among small to medium sized enterprises on Merseyside, helping to enhance the competitiveness of the sub-region both nationally and internationally. For further information please visit https://www.gov.uk/browse/business/funding-debt/european-regional-development-funding