Connections for Prosperity, 5th and 6th July 2023

Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th July 2023,

Warwick Conferences, Coventry

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What is Connections for Prosperity and when is it?

This conference is the first of the Centre for the New Midlands’ ‘Connections for Prosperity’ series and is focused on the infrastructure of the West Midlands; how we deliver sustainable and inclusive outcomes for the region. The Conference begins at 6pm on Wednesday 5th July and closes at 4.30pm on Thursday 6th July. The event is being held at Warwick Conferences at the University of Warwick, just a 15 minute taxi journey from Coventry train station and with plenty of car parking for conference delegates too.

Connections for Prosperity will bring together key stakeholders in the West Midlands to discuss the role that infrastructure has in solving the challenges and opportunities facing the region’s people, economy and environment. Many infrastructure conferences are sector-specific. What makes this event different is that we’ll be discussing and debating infrastructure in its broadest sense, including transport, energy, water, digital, social infrastructure, and housing, as well as key enablers including policy, investment, planning, and skills.

This event is for senior leaders from across the region to engage in constructive dialogue about how we drive positive social, environmental and economic outcomes in the West Midlands through the region’s infrastructure. Participants will have the opportunity to share insights and best practice and exchange ideas with industry leaders and experts.

The format: Wednesday 5th July, 6pm- 11pm

Our conference begins with a Drinks Reception at The Slate, followed by a buffet style BBQ (fingers crossed we can make the most of the July weather!). The dress code for the evening is smart casual and the format of the evening will be structured as a working dinner, with guests posed several questions for debate and discussion – although you are more than welcome to make the most of the food and drink on offer if you would prefer! We are deliberately not providing a table plan as we want our delegates to make as many new ‘connections for prosperity’ as we can possibly facilitate.

We are delighted to be welcoming Dr Julie Nugent (CEO, Coventry City Council) and Richard Parker (the Labour Party’s candidate for West Midlands Mayoral election in 2024) as our guest speakers. The evening will be hosted by Phil Upton (BBC) who will spend time quizzing our guest speakers on their priorities for the region’s infrastructure; how they hope to do things in future to help build the ‘better’ region that we all want to see. Tim Fawcett (Birmingham Cities Lead, Mott MacDonald and Chair of the Conference) will also be sharing some of his perspectives on how we develop the infrastructure of the West Midlands to deliver sustainable and inclusive outcomes for the region.

Thursday 6th July, 9am – 4.30pm

Thursday begins with Sir John Armitt (Chair, National Infrastructure Commission), Andy Street CBE (Mayor of the West Midlands) and Professor Denise Bowers OBE (Group external engagement director, Mott MacDonald) debating the role that infrastructure needs to play in delivering sustainable economic growth for the West Midlands and closes with a keynote from Sarah Daly (Associate Director, Sustainability, Turner & Townsend Advisory).

This conference is not sector-specific. We want to create a space for conversations which don’t happen anywhere else, exploring the interconnectivity between the complex system of systems our infrastructure and natural environment are part of. Here is our programme for Thursday 6th July, which is action packed full of debate and discussion. All delegates are invited to attend the opening and closing sessions of the day, but also get the opportunity to select which of the breakout sessions they wish to attend throughout the day, e.g. from 11:00-12:00, delegates can select to attend either Session 2A, 2BC or 2C.

Who is joining us so far?

Senior leaders from Acorns Children’s Hospice, AECOM, Art Business Loans, Arup, BBC, Birdi & Partners, Birmingham City Council, Birmingham City University, Cadent Gas, CJD Consultancy, CLES, Community Land Trust Network, Conservative Party, Coventry City Council, Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, Dan Horsley Consulting, Entec Si, E.ON, Green Square Accord, HORIBA MIRA, Kagool, LUK Hospitalities, Labour Party, Midland Heart, Mott MacDonald, Muse Developments, National Infrastructure Commission, Royal Shakespeare Company, Schumacher Packaging Birmingham, Shakespeare Martineau, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Sure! Creative, Sustainability West Midlands, The Web Orchard, Trowers & Hamlins, Turner & Townsend Advisory, Unity Trust Bank, University College Birmingham, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, University of Warwick, West Coast Partnership Development, West Midlands Combined Authority, West Midlands Industrial Energy Taskforce, West Midlands Urban Community Homes, whg, WM5G, WMG, WSP have all booked to attend – we hope to see your organisation’s name on the delegate list soon!

If you do need to book accommodation, we have a number of rooms currently held at Warwick Conferences which are available to book by visiting the hotel website. These hotel rooms are located next to The Slate and recommended due to their proximity to the venue. Please use the code CMTTEBB23 to receive the room rate of £120, which includes breakfast.
We look forward to seeing you in July!

TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE – Visit our conference website to learn more about the event and to book your tickets!