Organised by Inverness Chamber of Commerce, the annual Highland Business Dinner took place on Friday 19th May at the Drumossie Hotel, Inverness, and proved once again to be the leading business event in the Highlands.
Attended by over 350 business men and women from across the Highland region, guests were treated to political insight from BBC Radio Broadcaster and current special correspondent on Radio 4’s Today programme, James Naughtie (pictured).
Willie Cameron, often known as “Mr Loch Ness”, who has presided over the flagship event as Master of Ceremonies for a number of years, provided an entertaining round up of current affairs and significant events over the year, Chamber President Liam Christie delivering updates from the last 12 months at Inverness Chamber of Commerce.
Over £7,000 was raised for the event’s nominated charity, Blythswood Care, through a high-end prize draw and auction which included items such as a signed John Lowrie Morrison print and tickets to see Emeli Sandé live in concert at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow.
Stewart Nicol, Chief Executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, commented: “Having sold out before we’d even announced our speaker for 2017, the Highland Business Dinner has certainly grown to be the annual highlight for hundreds of the region’s business leaders. The event always provides a fantastic opportunity to reflect, celebrate and network in excellent company.
“It’s not just good fun, it’s good for business. Many of the best connections I have made over the years have been across the tables of our annual flagship event, and I hope this tradition continues for many years to come.
On behalf of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, I would like to thank our Partners for their support of the Highland Business Dinner – thanks to their backing the dinner continues to be an unmissable event in the Highland business calendar.”
In recent years, speakers at the Highland Business Dinner have featured an eclectic mix of top journalists and renowned politicians from Jon Snow and Andrew Neil, to Anne Widdecombe and Michael Portillo.
Organised by Inverness Chamber of Commerce and supported by Scottish Provincial Press as media partner, Highland Business Week will run from Monday 25th September through to Friday 29th September, providing Highland companies with excellent opportunities to make new business connections and celebrate their achievements.
The week, which is now in its fifth year, will feature an exciting series of events including networking sessions and seminars as well as the firmly established Highland Spotlight business to business exhibition and the annual Highland Business Awards lunch.
Paula Nicol, Events Manager at Inverness Chamber of Commerce said: “It’s been great to see once again, a fantastic reaction to the launch of Highland Business Week again and this year’s programme of events looks set to be our busiest yet.
“The Highland Business Awards encourage entries from the wider Highland business community and our close relationship with Caithness and Lochaber Chambers, as well as the Cairngorm hip has helped us to engage with their members guaranteeing submissions cover the whole of the Highlands.
“Highland Spotlight this year takes place on Tuesday 26th September and always attracts a significant number of Highland business delegates – with over 400 visitors through the doors in 2016.”
The Highland Business Awards on Friday 29th September receive entries for 12 categories ranging from ‘Most Promising New Business’ and ‘Best Family Business’ to ‘Exporter of the Year’. One business will also be crowned overall winner as ‘Highland Business of the Year.’ The Award winners will be announced at a lunch for around 300 business men and women at the Drumossie Hotel.
“I’m extremely excited about the buzz which can already be felt around Highland Business Week 2017” said Lana MacGregor, Events Co-ordinator for Inverness Chamber: “We have secured events for each day of the week in Inverness, and Caithness Chamber will run a programme of events to compliment the week but if you are not local, you can still participate! For the past couple of years, the social media influence of our dedicated accounts has been tremendous, with #HighlandBizWk reaching over one million accounts.
