Outside the box with high-profile speakers

Feb 23 2010 by Karen Dent, The Journal

AGEING and outer space are up for discussion at an event aiming to make the North East's small businesses put their thinking caps on.

High-profile speakers including Cambridge University researcher Dr Aubrey de Grey – who argues that ageing should be regarded as just another disease – form part of the programme at the free North East Business Conference next month.

The two-day event at Newcastle Racecourse will also hear from Virgin Galactic’s Jonathan Firth about plans to turn commercial space travel into a reality.

Event organisers Business Link looked for unusual speakers for this year’s conference to persuade businesses about the value of thinking outside the box.

Julie Spowart, Business Link events manager, said: “We are very pleased to have secured Jonathan Firth and Dr Aubrey de Grey who are set to provide an interesting and intriguing insight into two unusual and provocative subject areas, which we hope will open up a platform for debate.

“While they are not traditional business speakers, both are leading speakers who we hope will encourage companies to think laterally and become more innovative within their day-to- day practices.”

Dr de Grey, a biomedical gerontologist, will be the keynote speaker on day one. He claims to have created a roadmap to defeat biological ageing and will take part in a discuss and debate session with delegates.

He believes that the first human who will live to be 1,000 may have already been born and that ageing can be addressed as effectively as many other diseases.

Virgin Galactic’s Jonathan Firth will be one of the main speakers on the second day, taking the theme that anything is possible, while Mark Palmer, the global marketing boss of iconic organic chocolate brand Green & Black’s, will talk about how repositioning the company resulted in a growth in turnover from £4m to £40m.

A number of workshops will also be on offer.

:: The event takes place on March 3 and 4. For further details and information on registering, email info@business-exchange.org.uk or telephone 0191 241 4523.