Fife Businesses Come Together for a Day of Insight, Connection and Conversation

Businesses from across Fife came together yesterday for the Fife Chamber of Commerce Conference and Tradeshow - a packed day of insight, inspiration and, of course, plenty of networking.

Hosted by Andy Maciver, founder and director of Message Matters, the event brought together business leaders and professionals for a morning exploring some of the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of business in Fife and beyond.

The conference got underway with keynote speaker Bryan Redpath, who shared lessons from sport, business and global markets as part of his session, ‘Leading Through Change’, a fitting theme for a business landscape where change has become very much part of the day job.

The conversation then turned to sustainability, with a panel exploring success stories and ongoing plans across the region.

Kennedy Miller, Senior Global Program Manager Sustainability at Leviton, was joined by Michael Hildrew, Energy Advice Team Leader at Greener Kirkcaldy, and Hamish Martin, Strategy Officer for Local Heat & Energy Efficiency at Fife Council.

The panel highlighted the breadth of work taking place across businesses, communities and local government as Fife continues to consider what a more sustainable future looks like.

Another key theme for the day was future skills and the transition to a multi-energy economy.

Aishling O’Sullivan, Head of Skills Street at Fife College, joined Tyne Bradley, SEGAL Operations Manager at Shell UK, and Duncan Gardner, Senior Social Impact Manager at Balfour Beatty, to explore the skills, opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

And then it was time to swap the conference seats for the tradeshow floor. Running from late morning into the afternoon, the Tradeshow gave attendees the opportunity to connect with businesses, discover what is happening across the region and, perhaps most importantly, continue the conversations sparked during the morning sessions.

The programme also offered plenty of opportunities to get involved, with optional sessions covering the Emerging Leaders Programme, Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) and speed networking.

Reflecting on the event, Nicola Scott, Events & Marketing Executive, said:

“It was a brilliant day filled with connection and inspiration. A huge thank you to our speakers, exhibitors and attendees for making the day such a huge success, and to OnFife for doing a fantastic job hosting us. And apologies for the noisy ice bucket announcements!”

Because while conferences are great for listening and learning, sometimes the most valuable part of a business event happens when the formal programme finishes - when two people start chatting over a coffee, a new idea is shared, or a conversation that started in a session turns into a new connection.

That combination of insight, collaboration and connection was at the heart of the Conference and Tradeshow, bringing together people from different organisations and sectors with a shared interest in building a strong and successful future for Fife’s business community.

A busy day, plenty of conversations, new connections - and hopefully lots of ideas leaving the room with attendees and making their way back into businesses across the region.

One thing is clear: Fife’s business community is not short of ideas, ambition or people willing to have the conversation.

A special thank you also goes to Shell U.K. for their support of the event. Their contribution helped us bring together an engaging programme of speakers, discussions and networking opportunities, creating a valuable day for businesses across Fife to connect, share ideas and look ahead to the future. We’re hugely grateful for their support in helping make the Conference and Tradeshow such a success.