Robots and automated machines were the stars of the show at LEP Business Live, which attracted over 400 business people to the Lincolnshire Showground on 20th October.

Titan the Robot made an entertaining host and the event featured high-tech exhibits ranging from electric cars and robotic food pickers to virtual reality headsets and a robotic lawnmower.

Our fifth annual conference and networking event highlighted the growing high-tech sector in Greater Lincolnshire: the number of high-tech businesses in our area increased by 20% to 1,500 between 2010 and 2015 and in the same period approximately 1,600 jobs were created, bringing the total number of high-tech jobs to around 10,000.

In his address Mike Wilson, Sales and Marketing Manager for ABB Robotics and Chairman of the British Automation and Robot Association (BARA), called on businesses in Greater Lincolnshire to invest for long-term success and utilise the latest technology to improve competitiveness.

“Low productivity is still an issue in the UK,” he told delegates. “Our businesses need to work smarter, not harder, and they need to give their employees the tools to do their job more effectively.

“We need to sweat the assets, not the people – and that means investing in the latest equipment so we can better utilise our staff.”

Keynote speaker Ann Daniels gave an inspiring account of the challenges she faced when she decided to become a polar explorer, and how these lessons can be transferred into a business environment, while Anthony May, Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire County Council, gave his audience an update on the progress and opportunities of the Midlands Engine.

In her talk LEP Chair Ursula Lidbetter MBE announced four new initiatives: the relaunch of  Team Lincolnshire, a new £3 million growth investment fund and two new websites – www.marketinglincolnshire.com and www.theworldofwork.co.uk.

More details about these initiatives can be found elsewhere in this newsletter.