Michael Portillo to open Sourcing City Marketplace

Sourcing City have announced that Michael Portillo is to be the keynote speaker at Sourcing City Marketplace on the opening morning of 25th September 2013 at FIVE in Farnborough.

Michael will be speaking on the political events of the day and how they affect our businesses. Anyone who has watched Michael in his regular weekly guest slot on ‘This Week’ on BBC1, will know that his views are powerfully insightful.

Alistair Mylchreest, CEO of Sourcing City said; “We are delighted that Michael is speaking for all of our guests and supplier hosts at Sourcing City Marketplace. I am confident that he will not only be entertaining, but more importantly, teach us all something that can benefit our own businesses.”

The Right Honourable Michael Portillo

Michael attended Harrow County grammar school and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he read history. He entered the House of Commons in 1984. He was a conservative minister for eleven years and had three positions in the Cabinet, including Secretary of State for Defence.

He lost his seat at the 1997 election, and began to develop a career in the media. He returned to the Commons between 2000 and 2005, was shadow Chancellor, and contested the leadership of the party in 2001, unsuccessfully.

Since leaving politics, he has devoted himself to writing and broadcasting. He is a regular on both BBC 1’s sardonic political “This Week” programme and Radio 4’s "The Moral Maze”. He has made radio and television documentaries on a wide range of subjects, including five series of "Great British (and recently Continental) Railway Journeys" for BBC2.

In 2008 he chaired the judges of the Man Booker prize, and chaired the Art Fund prize for museums and galleries in 2011. www.michaelportillo.co.uk

Sourcing City Marketplace is an established and universally acclaimed industry VIP Networking Event. The two day trade event is appointment based and exclusively for individually invited promotional merchandise industry VIP’s.

This is the place to meet both new potential suppliers, and your existing suppliers by appointment. The environment is relaxed, and conversations are focussed on the event theme of ‘Let’s do business’. You will hear about the suppliers’ added value services, late season new products, product range overviews, and you can develop and review your individual trading partnership plans. VIP’s make appointments for supplier meetings prior to SC Marketplace, and suppliers can also contact top distributors to make key appointments prior to SC Marketplace.

To ensure that all invited VIP’s can have quality conversations with the suppliers’ full attention, it is necessary to limit who is invited to SC Marketplace. VIP’s are invited from distributor companies which have a turnover of promotional merchandise sales of between £10m+ and £500k pa.

All invited VIP’s enjoy Free Pre-Show Speakers, Free Breakfast, Free Roving Tea Trolley, Free Lunch & Drinks, Free Crepes & Smoothies, Free Sweets, Free Drinks Reception, Free Parking, Free WiFi, Hotel Vouchers, Travel Vouchers and Free Transfers.

VIP’s are also invited to either the ‘Platinum Networking Dinner’, or ‘Diamond Dinner’, hosted by a group of sponsoring suppliers on the evening of Day One at SC Marketplace. The evening provides further opportunities to network, and to meet and build relationships with suppliers and fellow VIP’s.

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