LEP conference to be live-illustrated

They say a picture paints a thousand words, which is why the annual Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership conference in September will be live-illustrated for the first time!

Illustrator and cartoonist Chris Shipton will be using his pen and his artist’s eye to capture everything that goes on at the LEP Conference 2018 at the Lincolnshire Showground on 28th September.

A cartoonist at heart, Chris has drawn since he was old enough to hold a pen. He has a degree in drawing from Camberwell College of Arts and lives in Oxford.

He travels around the world to draw and works for a diverse set of clients at events covering subjects as varied as transport infrastructure, global heath, financial markets and future planning.

He specialises in drawing pictures of events and communicating them in a way that delights, informs and inspires audiences.

His work has appeared in The Times and the i newspaper, and Chris even has one illustration in the Cartoon Museum's collection in London.

“We’re always looking for new ways to make our annual conference a memorable and stimulating event for delegates and exhibitors,” said Ruth Carver, Director of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP.

“We’re sure people will be wowed by Chris and his unique way of communicating ideas and events in graphic form. We’ll be beaming his live illustrations around the venue so that everyone at the event can enjoy them and learn from them.”

Free delegates’ passes for the Greater Lincolnshire LEP Conference are still available.

This year’s theme is The Future of the Lincolnshire Economy and hundreds of business people in Greater Lincolnshire have already secured their places.

The keynote speakers will be Sir John Peace, Chairman of the Midlands Engine, and Ursula Lidbetter MBE, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP.

There will also be four panels discussing the future of skills, energy and water, digitalisation, and robotics and automation. Among the panellists will be:

•           Richard Jones, MD of EV Camel
•           Professor Simon Pearson from the Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology
•           Richard Blackmore, Regional Director of the CBI East Midlands
•           HR consultant Claire Threapleton
•           Allan Simpson, Strategic Growth Manager at Anglian Water

Look out for more confirmed panellists as they are announced.

The LEP Conference 2018 is staged in partnership with the Institute of Directors (IoD), the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce.

It takes place at the EPIC Centre, Lincolnshire Showground, from 8am until 2pm on Friday 28th September 2018.

Businesses with an innovative product to showcase, new technology to demonstrate or a great idea to shout about should contact Sarah Carter on 01522 585501 or email scarter@lincolnshireshowground.co.uk to find out about exhibiting opportunities.

You can follow the latest updates about the conference using the hashtag #LEPConference2018 on social media.