Bath-headquartered law firm Royds Withy King has used its traditional new year gathering for the city’s business community to highlight eight challenges that could shape the future of the economy.
Ranging from electric vehicles to Brexit, the topics were identified by the firm, which has two offices in Bath, to spark debate among the 100-plus guests attending the event in the Assembly Rooms.
Eight large display boards at the venue illustrated the challenges, which are also featured in the latest edition of the firm’s Ahead of the Curve magazine launched this week and distributed at the event.
Speakers at the event – Steven Day, co-founder of Bath-based Pure Planet, Britain’s first app-only renewable energy supplier, and Dr Rob Wortham, teaching fellow in Robotics and Autonomous Systems at the University of Bath – shed light on two of the topics.
Mr Day discussed radical ways that guests could reduce their carbon footprint – ranging from ‘car-free’ living to cutting out meat – while Dr Wortham explored the role of robots and AI in the workforces of the future.
Adding to event’s theme of the future of tech, innovative Bath-based web firm Rocketmakers was on hand to demonstrate its latest augmented reality (AR) project.
Royds Withy King’s offices in Swindon, Oxford and London staged similar events on the eight themes – electronic vehicles and drones; robotics and artificial intelligence; renewable energy and go green campaigns; the NHS and the social care crisis; data privacy and cyber security; the high street retail crisis; medical advancements and Brexit.
Bath lead partner Stuart Brazington said: “We were delighted to see so many people turn up to network and be inspired by our speakers. We are embarking on one of the most significant periods of change that many of us have known, which is why we thought it would be interesting to start the new year with a series of events that explore thought-provoking topics that are already starting to impact our lives.”
Pictured at Royds Withy King’s Year Ahead event in Bath. From left: Rocketmakers CEO Richard Godfrey, Royds Withy King managing partner Graham Street, Pure Planet co-founder Steven Day, Royds Withy King Bath offices head Stuart Brazington, and Rob Wortham of the University of Bath
