Bristol Chamber Annual Dinner with guest speaker, John Bird MBE

Tickets are now on sale for the Bristol Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner on 29 March 2012.

A highlight of the business calendar, the Chamber annual dinner celebrates enterprise in Bristol and across the region.

Guests use this prestigious occasion, which includes a three-course meal and features a high profile guest speaker, to network and make valuable new contacts. Such is the popularity of this event, businesses are urged to book their places today to avoid disappointment.

This year’s guest speaker is John Bird MBE, joint founder of The Big Issue and president of The Big Issue Foundation Board of Trustees.

John Bird was born into poverty, brought up in care and has lived through a lot. His life's journey has included spells as a thief, prison inmate, artist and poet. Now an established iconoclast, activist and publisher, John Bird is the force behind The Big Issue, the world's most successful street magazine. He is an inspirational business leader with an outstanding record of using business as a tool for social change.

A publishing phenomenon, the Big Issue has been delivering both commercial profits and a social return on investment for over 10 years. During this time the magazine has sold over 50 million copies and employed over 15,000 homeless people in the UK alone, generating over £25m in payments to vendors.

At a time when Corporate Social Responsibility is preoccupying business leaders and consumers alike, John Bird will offer an authoritative, fresh approach, and some original perspectives on the interaction of business and society. His diverse experience, combined with his exuberant personality, erudition and often trenchant views make him a compelling and entertaining speaker.

Tickets cost £75 for members of the Chamber of Commerce, £110 for non-members and as available to buy individually or in tables of 8, 10 or 12. To book your place contact Amie Vaughan on 01275 370 850 or email events@businesswest.co.uk