'Inspiring Entrepreneurs' series presents Kick-starting the Sustainable Economy Wednesday 6 May 2009, 18.15-21.00 British Library Conference Centre 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7454 Tickets: £10.00 (concessions £7.50) Book online at www.bl.uk

The world of business is changing. Consumers, and entrepreneurs, are favouring businesses with genuine values and integrity. At the same time, opportunities to develop businesses with an environmental and green agenda are increasing. 'Kick starting the Sustainable Economy' brings together a group of inspirational entrepreneurs to discuss how they are giving birth to a sustainable economy. The event will be held as part of a global celebration of Fair Trade in the run up to BIG BANG!! World Fair Trade Day 09 May 09.

Fair Trade Entrepreneurs are creating ventures with a social conscience and the power to inspire others. Across the business landscape, ethically driven entrepreneurs will be the heroes and heroines of a more difficult economic climate, generating jobs and evolving the sustainable economy.

Speakers include:

Tim Smit, founder of the Eden Project
Paul Myers, President of the World Fair Trade Organization
Safia Minney, founder and director of Fair Trade fashion brand People Tree
Albert Tucker, Independent Consultant and formerly of TWIN TRADING, a founding partner in Café Direct and Divine Chocolate
Anne MacCaig, CEO of leading Fair Trade brand Cafédirect.

About the British Library IP Centre

The British Library Business & IP Centre supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs from the first spark of inspiration to successfully launching and developing a business. More specifically, the Centre's resources help start-ups and business owners to understand their markets, gain access to finance and make the most of their intellectual property.

We know that in these difficult times, confidence is what matters and our research shows that Business & IP Centre users are more optimistic about the outlook for their businesses, than the economy as a whole: 49% of the Centre’s users are confident about the future of their business but only a third are confident about the future of the economy.

In support of the Mayor’s Economic Recovery Action Plan (December 2008), the Centre is pursuing the following activities:

Strengthening business support in London by increasing the number of relevant workshops and advice sessions that we run and providing them free or at highly subsidised rates. We estimate that, together with our partners and business experts, we are subsidising workshops and advice sessions by over £1/2 million pa.

Helping unemployed people to develop the skills they need to become self-employed or start their own businesses; use of the Centre by unemployed people has more than doubled over the last nine months. For example, we have found that 15 unemployed people have spent 24 hours or more in the Business & IP Centre.

Giving undergraduates and postgraduates the skills they need to become self-employed or start businesses when they graduate through a tailored programme of events.

Giving people the networking opportunities that they need to develop their support network, meet ‘role models’, collaborate with other entrepreneurs and build their confidence.

Opening up the British Library’s tendering process to SMEs via the Business & IP Centre web pages (and eventually via CompeteFor).