Chesterfield needs to champion itself better if it is to thrive in 2023 and beyond. That will be the message at this year’s Celebrate Chesterfield business conference.

At the conference, Global Business Awards Motivational speaker of the year 2021, Steve Judge will deliver a mini motivational workshop to inspire and motivate the town’s business community.

Steve Judge will be encouraging people to get behind Destination Chesterfield’s new plan which will see it position Chesterfield as a desirable and contemporary destination for visitors, investors and residents.

The free breakfast conference is being held on Thursday 2 March from 7.30am – 11.00am at The Winding Wheel Theatre.

Fully booked every year, businesses are being urged to book their tickets now to the free business conference.

In addition to Steve Judge, speakers at the conference will also include Andy Byrne, Property Development Director for the Devonshire Group, which is behind the future development and regeneration of 150 hectares of former industrial land in Staveley.

Now in its twelfth year, Celebrate Chesterfield, which is organised by Destination Chesterfield and in association with Addooco IT Ltd, has become a key date in the town’s events calendar and attracts more than 250 delegates each year.

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield commented: “There is no denying that there are difficult times ahead for the UK economy. However, Chesterfield and its economy is resilient. We have weathered storms like this before and come out of them in a strong position with much to look forward to. The Celebrate Chesterfield event is a timely reminder to the business community of all the development that is taking place in the borough and continues to make it an excellent place to live, work and invest.”

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, added: “We have a fantastic town with a strong community but to ensure our borough continues to thrive, we must celebrate what makes us special and communicate this clearly to potential investors. I’d encourage members of the local business community to come along to this event to find out more about what we have planned and how we can work together to help ensure our borough achieves its potential.”

Richard Walters, Managing Director of Addooco IT Ltd, the event’s headline sponsor commented: “Addooco are delighted to be headline sponsors of Celebrate Chesterfield and look forward to welcoming all the delegates to this excellent event. We are proudly based in Chesterfield and have been supporting the business community with Managed IT, Cloud and Communications solutions since 2008.

“Not only does Celebrate Chesterfield showcase what is happening in our town, the event is a fantastic opportunity to promote the benefits of trading locally, connecting supply and demand to forge new relationships.”

The event is also being supported by University of Derby, Choice Utility and Markham Vale.

Dan Molloy, Managing Director at Choice Utility commented: “As a company, we are delighted to be supporting Celebrate Chesterfield and helping to shout about what makes the town great. I’ve lived in Chesterfield since I was eight years old, and it has so many great things going for it. The connectivity is excellent from a logistical point of view and the town continues to move forward and evolve. The new developments at Markham Vale and the work being done at Chesterfield Waterside emphasise this. We really do love the town and are excited to play our part in shouting about it.”

A Markham Vale spokesperson said: “It’s great to see Celebrate Chesterfield taking place again for its ninth year – we’re very pleased to be able to support the event. It offers an excellent opportunity to find out more about Chesterfield and everything it has to offer.

“Chesterfield is a fantastic place to do business, as demonstrated by the phenomenal growth we’ve seen at Markham Vale and the creation of more than 2,700 new jobs.”

This year, the event will also host the Derbyshire Festival of Business Exhibition, which is designed to showcase Derbyshire’s extensive business offer and capabilities.

Adam Doyle, Head of Business Engagement and Employability at the University of Derby which is supporting the Festival of Business Exhibition said: “We are once again proud to be the headline sponsor of the Celebrate Chesterfield showcase. The event is increasingly significant this year as we look to celebrate local business success in such challenging times, and we are pleased to be able to share this success wider as part of the Derbyshire Festival of Business. The festival plays a key role in continuing to support the business community to innovate and grow, aligned to our aim of raising skills and aspirations across our region. Working with businesses, we are helping to position our county internationally as a place to do business as well as a place to study, live and work.”

Exhibitor space is available at Celebrate Chesterfield 2023 and can be booked online at www.chesterfield.co.uk/celebrate/2023-exhibitor-booking-form/

To find out how you can help champion Chesterfield, book a delegate place at Celebrate Chesterfield 2023 by visiting www.chesterfield.co.uk/celebrate/