Some of Cornwall’s most recognisable businesses provided inspiration and insights into their success at a special event held at the Hall for Cornwall this week.
Owners and managers from Tregothnan, Ginsters, The Seafood Restaurant, Niddocks, Proper Cornish and Classic Cottages were on hand to support more than 100 fellow business leaders from across Cornwall, at the Thrive business conference.
The full-day event on May 1 was delivered by the ERDF-funded programme Unlocking Potential and Event Cornwall in order for leaders and managers to pick up tools and inspiration to work smarter not harder to drive growth and success.
The event also hosted the compelling international keynote speaker Hamish Taylor. As a former chief of Sainsbury’s Bank, Eurostar and British Airways Brands, Taylor is dubbed the Master Thief because he “steals” ideas from one industry to innovate in another.
Talking to an audience of Cornish SMEs from a range of sectors including engineering, media and technology, he told delegates: “Defining your business in terms of the benefits to your customers should be at the core of what you do.
“Gaining insights about your customers and using those to influence everything you do is the most powerful way to keep ahead of the competition.”
Delegates were also able to attend up to four different workshops, while the day was rounded off with a panel debate, hosted by Business Cornwall’s Nick Eyriey.
Ruth Ross-Macdonald, co-founder of design company Super Massive Ideas, said Thrive gave her the tools she needs to move forward.
“Thrive was so inspiring,” she commented. “There is so much going on in Cornwall and it’s exciting to be involved in events like this. I met a lot of like-minded people connected to businesses with varied backgrounds. It was just what I needed. As for the keynote Hamish, his insights on the customer promise are totally useful and really thought-provoking.”
Video footage from the conference will soon be available on the Unlocking Potential website, while a full review will be published in the June issue of Business Cornwall magazine.
The Thrive conference also features in this weeks Seven Days podcast.
The latest Business Cornwall magazine can now be viewed on iPad
