Gemini Lands Global Entrepreneurship Congress

27 June 2011

GEMINI International has been chosen to event manage the 2012 Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) for Liverpool following a competitive tender.

The Cheshire-based firm, whose high-profile clients have included AstraZeneca, British Water, Pfizer and Special Olympics, has been appointed by Liverpool Vision, the city's economic development company, to organise one of the most prestigious events to come to the city.

Liverpool is the first UK and European city to hold the GEC, which attracts hundreds of the world's leading entrepreneurs, thought leaders and economists from more than 100 countries.

Previous host cities are Kansas City in 2008, Dubai in 2009 and Shanghai, the host city for this year's Congress.

Gemini International, headed by Christine Kelly, will be supported by a team of local entrepreneurs and business partners. These include Shazan Qureshi (Rejuvenate Group) supporting sponsorship and marketing communications, John Macaulay (Bearhunt) offering creative event design and John Butters (public relations consultancy Bell Pottinger North).

Christine Kelly said: "I am absolutely delighted that Gemini International has been appointed as the event managers for this important event and I'm very proud to bring together an expert team of north-west entrepreneurs as partners.

"We each have a passion for excellence and innovation and collectively offer a unique range of skills and international expertise.

"Our team will support Liverpool Vision in highlighting Liverpool's strengths as a capital of entrepreneurship and ensure the Kauffman Foundation surpass their significant and far-reaching objectives for the Global Entrepreneurship Congress."

The Kauffman Foundation is a non-profit foundation based in Kansas City, Missouri, working to understand further the phenomenon of entrepreneurship, to advance entrepreneurship education and training efforts, to promote entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and to better facilitate the commercialisation of new technologies by entrepreneurs and others, which have great promise for improving economic welfare.

Jonathan Ortmans, Chief Policy Officer for the Foundation, who led the selection process for the host city, made a familiarisation visit to Liverpool last week, visiting main Congress venue, ACC Liverpool and meeting with city and business leaders.

Max Steinberg, chief executive of Liverpool Vision, said: "Gemini International's presentation was enthusiastic and passionate and showed a huge commitment not only to entrepreneurship and enterprise, but also to develop this agenda in Liverpool for years to come.

"Chris Kelly is also an entrepreneur with a keen understanding of what Liverpool is trying to achieve during the Congress and I am confident that Gemini and their partners will provide an extremely professional approach and help deliver an exceptional event which will put Liverpool at the centre of the entrepreneurship world."

For further information, please contact Jonathan Caswell, head of Public Relations at Liverpool vision on 0151 600 2946 or jcaswell@liverpoolvision.co.uk

Ends

• Gemini International was founded on the Government's Enterprise Allowance Scheme in 1988 by Christine Kelly, who is Managing Director. Over the past two decades, Gemini International has achieved an outstanding global reputation as a world-class, full service, specialist conference and events agency. From its base at Riverside in Congleton, the company has worked across every continent with some of the world's leading organisations, offering programme design and event management for UK/International conferences and corporate events. The company's website is www.gemini-international.com
• Liverpool Vision is the city's economic development company which integrates economic and physical development and business and enterprise support designed to accelerate the city's growth and build a sustainable economy.
• In March 2009, the Kauffman Foundation brought together the host organisations from nearly 60 nations to create the first ever Global Entrepreneurship Congress at its headquarters in Kansas City. One year later, the Congress convened in Dubai with more than 90 countries represented and an all-star lineup of speakers including Prime Minister H.E. Nika Gilauri of Georgia; Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York; Carl Schramm, President & CEO, Kauffman Foundation; Hartmut Ostrowski, Chairman & CEO, Bertelsmann AG; Sun Young Kang, the former Foreign Minister of Korea; Suhas Gopinath, CEO & President, Globals Inc.; and, Tom Scott, co-founder of Nantucket Nectars. In 2011, global leaders, entrepreneurs and intermediary organizations from more than 100 countries participated in the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, co-hosted by the Kauffman Foundation and the Entrepreneurship Foundation for Graduates in Shanghai, China.