23 Feb 2010

The London Development Agency (LDA) has announced that a new series of free seminars will give small and medium sized businesses in the capital access to advice that will help them grow out of recession. The announcement was made at an event held by Business Secretary Lord Mandelson to showcase the economic benefits created by regional development agencies.

The LDA's new seminars are being held in partnership with the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB. Specialists in finance and business planning will offer sought-after advice that business owners and managers can use to improve their resilience or identify opportunities for expansion.

Tessa Jowell, Minister for London, said:

"This is a good example of how Regional Development Agencies are supporting businesses in their areas. The LDA will be helping hundreds more of London’s businesses develop the knowledge they need to take advantage of the capital’s economic recovery. These seminars will help equip them with some of the insights and intelligence they need to find new opportunities and expand."

The new series builds on the success of last year’s programme of 14 smaller workshops which helped more than 1000 SMEs in the capital. The events were held with the support of experts from KPMG, PWC, Ernst and Young and Deloitte and were introduced as part of the Mayor of London’s Economic Recovery Action Plan.

Feedback from these events has helped shape the current series of seminars. There will be more networking opportunities because of the greater number of participants and the discussion will focus on the areas of key importance to SMEs:

Marketing and business development
Financial planning
Structuring businesses
Managing change
Tax planning

London Development Agency Group Director Learning and Skills Brendan Loughran said:

"London’s businesses need to remain resilient and create opportunities for growth, even in the challenging economic climate. The LDA’s seminars are helping owners and managers to identify current threats to their success and implement strategies and plans that will set them apart from the competition. This new series of seminars will provide valuable support to this important sector of the capital’s economy."

The first seminar will be held in May and will be open to more than 200 people. Registration for the event will start in the next few weeks.

The seminars are part of the LDA's much wider business support programme that helps London's SMEs capitalise on the opportunities created by operating in a dynamic and world leading city.