The Latest News from Wrexham Business Professionals

The art of business can boost economy

The art of business can boost economy, says opera legend A towering figure from the world of opera will urge business leaders in Wrexham to support the arts as a way of boosting the economy. Welsh National Opera’s Artistic Director David Pountney will be one of three speakers at a morning meeting of the Wrexham Business Professionals at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Wrexham. The theme of the meeting on Tuesday, July 3, will be Powering Regional Prosperity … The Art of Business. The group is made up of successful businesses and highly skilled professional firms of solicitors, accountants and other business professionals working together to raise the profile of enterprise and expertise that exists in the region and beyond.   The other keynote speakers at the event will be Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Welsh Government Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport, and Terry Waite, President of Llangollen International Eisteddfod According to David Pountney, there was a powerful economic argument for supporting the arts and creative industries. The latest figures show there are 5,300 creative businesses in Wales which generate £2.1 billion a year and provide employment to 49,000 people. Mr Pountney said: “I ran a festival in Bregenz in Austria for 11 years. It was seven hours by train from Vienna, not an easy journey. “It was very like Wales, North Wales in particular as it was surrounded by mountains. The festival had a massive impact on that place because it brought people in by their thousands. “There is a clear economic argument for supporting the arts. Without those visitors many businesses would close. “Bregenz had a traditional textile industry which had died a death. It has been replaced by hi-tech industries much like those flourishing in North Wales.” By and large, he said, heavy industry has seen its day. “We no longer need brawn, we need culture and imagination. “We need people who can think outside the box. What you imagine today can be...... more ›