Highland Dragons set to appear at Lochaber Ideas Week

Lochaber Ideas Week will return to the Highlands this month, with a host of new business centric attractions such as Dragon’s Glen and a variety of entrepreneurial workshops.

The Dragons from Dragons Glen. Left to right: Steve Ham, Anya Baak, Emma Parton and Joe Blower. Picture: Iain Ferguson

The week long event, taking place from 16-21 November 2015, will offer up business development workshops, entrepreneurial competitions, talks and networking opportunities.

Highlight attractions of this year’s show will include The Charles Kennedy Memorial Lecture, local business competition Dragon’s Glen, food and drink themed workshop From Land and Sea to Plate and a guest talk from professional golfer and belt designer Christian MacLeod, among many others.

This year’s Ideas Week will offer a basis for generating new ideas and initiatives. Encouraging collaboration and establishing connections are also on the agenda, with providing a helping hand to start-up businesses and developing managerial leadership key aims of the event.

The annual showcase will run in conjunction with Global Entrepreneurship Week and Scotland’s Towns Week.

Commenting on this year’s event, Anne Widdop, Vice Chair of Lochaber Chamber of Commerce and Lochaber Ideas Week Organiser, said: “Ideas Week is of huge importance in Lochaber. We’re bringing internationally renowned speakers and politicians, digital marketing, technology and gaming to complement the best of local skills and talents. We’re even having one of the events on a boat in Mallaig.”

She added: “It can be prohibitively expensive and difficult for people in the Highlands to access the type of events that people in Edinburgh or London may take for granted. We’ve a wealth of local talent and energy in Lochaber - so why not show off what we have on offer. Its a great place to visit and all travelling for Ideas week are guaranteed a warm, Highland, welcome.”