Glasgow Sales Manager Evalyn Foley recently attended the Glasgow Talks; Legacy event at Blythswood Square Hotel.
One year on from the success of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce hosted Glasgow Talks: Legacy.
Having just joined the Chamber, we were excited to make the most of our membership and attend the event, which looked at how we can keep the spirit of the Games alive in business and also the wider community.
To begin, Chamber council director Paul Cooney introduced key speakers David Grevemberg, CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, and Britain’s most successful gymnast, Olympic bronze medallist Beth Tweddle MBE.
David told us how the 2014 Games are seen by the Commonwealth Commission as the best ever, and have set the benchmark for future competitions.
Glasgow was the first place to physically raise the ground of an athletics pitch to make it a sustainable development all year round, while it also marked the first time a dedicated legacy team was put in place; focusing on how the £575 million budget could best suit the people of the city.
The Games also created substantial opportunities not only for Glasgow, but for people right across Scotland. Every procurement proposal had to have a community benefit clause before an award could be made and around 3,600 apprenticeships for school leavers and graduates were created.
We then heard Beth, who explained the advantages of having athletes as ambassadors in business; making the point that, across both of our worlds, many of the skills required are the same – people have to be good at time management, dedicated, determined and resilient.
Overall the talk demonstrated the importance of thinking about what legacy we can leave, and how best we can move forward in business to grow and expand even further.
Evalyn said: I’m looking forward to taking Beth’s advice on board and start thinking like an athlete to achieve my goals – like Beth, making sure that I keep getting back up on the bars if I fall down.
Overall, the event made me aware of just how much inspiration business people can take from the Commonwealth Games. Like the athletics pitch raised from the ground, we all need to innovate and find new solutions to problems – even if they’ve never been done before.
Image/logo courtesy of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
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