With the country celebrating Team GB’s gold rush in Rio it seems only appropriate that the keynote speaker at this year’s LEP Business Live event will himself be an Olympic medalist.

High jumper Steve Smith will be speaking at LEP Business Live on 21st October about how businesses and public sector organisations can work together to ‘raise the bar’ in Greater Lincolnshire.

Britain’s most successful ever high jumper, Steve won bronze in the 1996 Atlanta games, and the British record he set in the event in 1994 has remained unbroken for 22 years.

He was forced to retire when he ruptured his Achilles tendon in 1999 at a time when he was the world number one and a favourite for the Olympic gold in Sydney.

Since retirement he has gained extensive experience of working with leading corporate organisations and elite level sport. His talk will give a unique insight into the crossovers from sport to business and will draw on his own experience of performing at the highest level, as well as on the work of influential figures behind the success of the 2012 London games.

LEP Business Live 2016 takes place at the EPIC Centre on the Lincolnshire Showground on Friday 21st October, when the theme will be ‘raising the bar’ and encouraging businesses and politicians to shout louder about what puts the ‘great’ in Greater Lincolnshire.

“We’re delighted to be welcoming Steve Smith to our annual event,” said Ursula Lidbetter MBE, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP. “He’s a real sporting hero and we look forward to hearing his unique perspective on improving performance and quite literally raising the bar.”

LEP Business Live is the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s annual summit and networking event which concludes Lincolnshire Business Week. It will take place from 8.15am until 1pm.

The event will be an opportunity for delegates to celebrate Greater Lincolnshire’s achievements and potential while hearing the latest news on the progress the LEP has made over the past 12 months.

Part conference and panel discussion and part business-to-business exhibition, LEP Business Live will feature exhibitors, guest speakers and business networking.

There will also be a dedicated exhibition area with zones corresponding to some of the LEP’s most important priorities, from agrifood and manufacturing to the visitor economy and the low-carbon sector.

LEP Business Live was launched in October 2013 as a flagship event for businesses in Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. Admission is free and complimentary refreshments and brunch will be served.

Exhibitor packages start at £150. Businesses interested in exhibiting should email karis.hildred@lincolnshiremedia.co.uk or businesslive@lincolnshiremedia.co.uk.

To keep up to date the conversation about LEP Business Live on Twitter follow @GreaterLincsLEP or use the hashtag #LEPBusinessLive.