The first Business in the Parliament Conference (BiPC) was held in 2004 and was started by the Scottish Parliament’s then Enterprise & Culture Committee (now Economy and Fair Work Committee) with the aim of bringing the worlds of business and politics closer together.
That ethos of encouraging dialogue and greater understanding between the two communities remains at the heart of the event.
BIPC is jointly organised by the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government. Planning is overseen by a Working Group of business organisations:
The conference is held in the multiple award-winning Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood in Edinburgh.
It is hosted by the Parliament’s Presiding Officer, with a networking dinner on a Thursday evening and a plenary session, including speeches by the guest keynote speaker and from the First Minister, on a Friday morning. Attendees choose one of six panel sessions then participate in a question-and-answer session with a cross-party panel of MSPs.
Some of the speakers who have addressed the conference over the years include:
Themes have covered leadership, growth, entrepreneurship, internationalisation, innovation, the year of young people, and sustainable recovery.
