end of an era: International business convention set to say farewell to city

Over the last 17 years, Yorkshire audiences have listened to insiders’ accounts of the collapse of Communism, the first moon landings, the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks and the futile search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

The Yorkshire International Business Convention has attracted a stunning line up of speakers, including former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush senior, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, anti-poverty campaigner Bob Geldof, former weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon.

This year’s event, at MEPC’s Wellington Place in Leeds on June 15, has pulled off the remarkable coup of attracting the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, as the keynote speaker. The Yorkshire Post is the event’s media partner.

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But all good things, it seems, must come to an end. Organiser Mike Firth, who has been the driving force behind the convention since its formation, said yesterday: “It’s difficult to see how we can maintain the high standards we’ve set and we’ve almost run out of past US presidents. So, I’ve decided that this will be our last YIBC in Leeds, but we will continue in Bridlington, where we have enjoyed exceptional support at a super venue.”

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