Hundreds of attendees at Swansea’s flagship annual conference, It’s Your Swansea Conference & Exhibition, were given an exclusive first look at exciting plans for the city on Thursday 6th March.
The event brought together Swansea-based businesses, organisations and individuals for a day of insightful panel discussions with key Swansea figures, networking with fellow exhibitors and attendees, and a busy programme of workshops in sectors such as: local food partnerships, sustainability, creative industries and leadership strategies.
Cllr. Rob Stewart, the leader of Swansea Council, opened the day with a keynote session providing an insight into local investment, upcoming developments and other projects in the pipeline for Swansea.
Stewart shared updates on city developments and plans including: redevelopment of Castle Gardens with work beginning in March, Y Storfa – a project developing the old BHS store into the new city library, £2.8 million Church of Wales investment for St. Mary’s Church, development of a 200-bed conference hotel next to Swansea Building Society Arena, £5 million investment for the Ospreys’ move back to the historic St Helens ground, redevelopment of the Civic Centre site with the potential for a saltwater lido and national aquarium, planning approval for Skyline’s adventure park, and more.
During his keynote speech, Cllr. Rob Stewart said: “This is a historic year for us. Swansea is expected to be the seventh fastest growing city in the UK this year. That is because of all the work that you are doing, and the work that we’re doing together to make sure that we get investment, regeneration, prosperity, opportunity, jobs, into Swansea.”
Attendees from across the region attended panel discussions covering topics including the city’s vibrant music, culture and night-time economy, the collaboration of city stakeholders in the promotion of Swansea’s retail and leisure offering, innovation in sport and wellbeing throughout the city, and Swansea’s role on the silver screen.
Zoe Antrobus, Managing Director of 4theRegion, said: “We’re proud to have welcomed over 1200 attendees and over 90 exhibitors to undoubtedly our biggest event of the year, for the fifth year running. People and businesses of Swansea heard exclusive updates of the upcoming plans and exciting developments re-shaping the city, with fantastic insight from our wide range of panellists on the day.
“Our key theme for this year is ‘connection’ and that’s exactly what this year’s event achieved. 4theRegion’s overall mission is to facilitate connections between people and businesses across South West Wales, to address challenges and create positive change for the region. We hope that lots of connections were made, and lots taken away to inspire our residents and businesspeople of Swansea to work together for a better future for our city.”
The event was held in partnership with Swansea Council and Circular Economy Innovation Communities (CEIC) and sponsored by Gower College Swansea, Urban Foundry, Creative Swansea, and Swansea Building Society Arena.
