EPRC Seminar: Regional stakeholder cohesion: Myth, fantasy, or reality?

On 2 March, EPRC hosted a seminar by Professor Bill O'Gorman from the Centre for Enterprise Development and Regional Economy (CEDRE) at the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland. Bill's presentation focused on mobilising and retaining stakeholder commitment to regional development initiatives and drew on the case of the Spirit of Enterprise Forum in South East Ireland. The presentation noted the opportunities and challenges in mobilising and sustaining initiatives aimed at enhancing regional competitiveness, regional innovation and regional sustainability. In this context, collaboration, cooperation, and cohesion between regional stakeholders is recognised as having a particular role to play. In the presentation, the case of the Spirit of Enterprise Forum was used as valuable illustration of the practical challenges of creating and maintaining a collaborative regional economic development forum. Issues included addressing vested interests, ensuring active participation, maintaining regular communication and delivering results. Bill's conclusions, however, also stressed the important benefits of such collaboration, its lasting impact and ongoing commitment to the project. Download the http://www.eprc.strath.ac.uk/news/ogorman_presentation.pdf presentation or the http://www.eprc.strath.ac.uk/news/ogorman_paper.pdf paper .