Last month marked the flagship annual Chambers of Commerce Festival of Business which took place at Chelmsford City Racecourse.  

The theme this year was “Building a Greater Essex”, and the event was attended by over 1000 delegates representing businesses across the county. The event was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the fantastic resources and initiatives which the Council has developed to support local businesses with becoming more sustainable.  

We also held the hugely successful Rural Connections event at Braxted Park Estate celebrating the work of rural businesses which are playing a pivotal role in driving the local economy. 

During the event, attendees were able to hear from inspirational speakers who delivered presentations on some of the challenges and opportunities in the sector. It was also an opportunity to hear about the pioneering projects which have been developed across the county to drive growth in the sector.  

Guest speaker, Professor Klaus McDonald Maier, spoke about Versatile Robot X’s work to develop advanced robotics which perform labour intensive farming tasks. This will help to respond to some of the key challenges such as labour shortages in the farming sector. Dale Symonds, Owner of Clayhill Vineyard, provided an overview of the diversification of the rural economy and the county’s international reputation for producing quality wines in local vineyards.  

Essex County Council highlighted projects which have been launched to support biodiversity and nature recovery across the county, including the Essex Local Nature Recovery Strategy. The strategy is a tool which aims to boost nature recovery and provide multiple benefits to the natural environment.