Highland Business Dinner to return to Inverness for the first time since Covid

One of the flagship events of the north business calendar, the Highland Business Dinner, will return this May after a two year absence.

The Inverness Chamber of Commerce event was last held in 2019, before the Covid pandemic, and the easing of restrictions will finally enable its return to the Drumossie Hotel, Inverness, on Friday May 20.

The event is set to be attended by over 300 of the region's business leaders, along with guest speaker Clive Coleman, the former BBC legal correspondent turned Hollywood screenwriter.

The announcement follows the success of Inverness Chamber's Highland Business Awards held in November with almost 200 people joining the hybrid event in person.

Paula Nicol, deputy chief executive and head of events at Inverness Chamber of Commerce, said: "We're absolutely delighted to be staging the Highland Business Dinner again in 2022. Our recent Highland Business Awards have demonstrated that it is possible to create a really enjoyable event experience while following Covid safe procedures. We look forward to welcoming businesses back to the Highland Business Dinner in May."

Special guest Clive Coleman is a former barrister, but is currently receiving more attention for his film The Duke, about the 1961 theft of Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery.

Co-written with Richard Bean, it stars Dame Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent and had its world premiere at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. It is due for release in the UK on February 25.

For the theatre, Clive with Richard Bean co-wrote Young Marx, which opened at London’s Bridge Theatre in 2017 and his television credits include Chambers for BBC1; The Bill for ITV; Spitting Image for ITV and the sitcoms Spending My Inheritance and Hair In The Gate for R4.

He won the inaugural Frank Muir award in 1998 for outstanding comedy writing, alongside co-winner Tony Roche.

For 10 years from 2010 Clive was the BBC's legal correspondent, winning multiple journalism awards. He has also presented factual BBC programmes including Panorama for BBC1 and Law In Action for R4.

Paula commented: "It's fantastic to finally be able to welcome Clive as guest speaker at the 2022 Highland Business Dinner. As one of the UK's top comedy writers, Clive's combination of analytical, broadcasting and writing skills have cemented his reputation as a renowned after dinner speaker where the focus is always sharp, intelligent and witty."

The 2022 Highland Business Dinner will be supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise as a Principal Sponsor.

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