Inverness conference has international appeal
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ACADEMICS from around the world will arrive in the Highlands this week for the 17th Rural Entrepreneurship Conference.
Hosted by Impact Hub Inverness, in partnership with the University of the Highlands and Islands, the event will explore a diverse range of themes including culture and heritage, land use, methodologies, education, entrepreneurship and opportunities in the context of rural regions.
The international delegates, who include practitioners, researchers and policy-makers, will present case studies from Indonesia, Denmark, South Nepal, Australia and America.
Impact Hub Inverness chief executive Polly Chapman said: “We look forward to welcoming our colleagues and guests to the Highlands to explore topics which are resonating around the world.
“The need to understand, celebrate and advocate rural entrepreneurship has never been greater. We are looking forward to sharing and learning, future-proofing our rural communities.”
Delegates will attend a civic reception, hosted by Inverness Common Good Fund, and a guided tour of Inverness social enterprises and historic buildings will also be on offer to visitors.
Professor Mark Shucksmith, professor of planning at the University of Newcastle, will open the conference with a keynote speech on the importance of supporting rural economies while later in the conference Highlands and Islands Enterprise will highlight successful case studies from Scotland.
On the final day of the conference, Impact Hub Inverness is hosting A History of Social Enterprise in Scotland – a travelling exhibition curated as part of a Scottish Government funded project to develop the Social Enterprise Collection (Scotland).
The project is based on a collaboration between the Glasgow Caledonian University Archive Centre and the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health and aims to inspire social enterprise in Scotland by preserving and retelling the history of the sector’s distinctive heritage.
The exhibition is open to the public from 11am-4pm.
