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Rt
Hon Alex Salmond MSP
First
Minister, Scottish Executive 
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Rt
Hon Alex Salmond, First Minister
It
is a pleasure to welcome the Annual ISBE Conference back to Scotland and
particularly at such an exciting
time in Scotland’s history. The commercial environment in Scotland,
which is predominantly SME based,
is thriving and highly supportive of new business ideas, reflecting the
objectives of the ISBE itself.
Scotland
has a well-deserved reputation for innovation and inventiveness and this
spirit of discovery still exists
today, with advances being made in many industries. We have the highest
ratio of graduates per capita
in the European Union and last year Scotland won more inward investment
research and development
projects than anywhere else in the UK outside of London and the South
East. Scotland was also
recently named ‘European Region of the Future’ by the Financial Times'
fDi magazine, thanks to the numerous
business opportunities, rich, varied economy, strong labour market and its
highly-skilled workforce.
Scotland’s
new government is committed to stimulating the development of new,
innovative businesses and
products. The vision of the Scottish Government is to significantly
increase national wealth and improve
the lives and opportunities of all of our people. One fundamental element
in securing this goal is the
establishment of a more vibrant and dynamic economy. The aim is to create
a knowledge-driven economy,
which can meet the challenges of a highly competitive global environment.
Scotland
has huge potential and is well placed to succeed. I hope you will have a
successful conference and
that this excellent platform for debate and inspiration spurs you on to
even greater achievement.
Rt
Hon Alex Salmond MSP, First Minister, Scottish Executive, Edinburgh |
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Councillor
Bob Winter
Lord Provost of Glasgow
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On
behalf of the citizens of Glasgow, welcome.
I
am delighted to welcome the 30th annual ISBE Conference to Glasgow. You will
of course find us an excellent
location for your conference but I hope you will also find time to sample
our cultural and leisure opportunities.
The
conference venue, the architecturally striking Radisson SAS Glasgow, is
within walking distance of Glasgow’s
Central Station. Also within walking distance is the best shopping in the UK
outside London, as well
as some fantastic bars and restaurants.
The
City’s underground system runs from nearby St Enoch Square and can take
you in minutes to the City’s
West End where you can visit the newly refurbished Kelvingrove Art Gallery
and Museum.
Kelvingrove
is Scotland’s most popular tourist attraction and has everything from
medieval armour to Dali’s
stunning Christ of St John of the Cross. Recently refurbished, the museum
benefited greatly from the
generosity of one of your keynote speakers, Sir Tom Hunter.
As
you walk around Glasgow you will see in our public buildings the legacy of
the many entrepreneurs who
chose to dedicate some of their fortunes to improving the city and the lives
of their fellow Glaswegians.
The modern Glasgow was built in part by business people who took risks and
reaped the rewards and
I am proud that the city can welcome you as you discuss fostering and
building that sense of
entrepreneurship in the modern world.
Councillor
Bob Winter, Lord Provost of Glasgow
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