Business people from Newport will be at a special summit today to hear about the plans for the future of the city from hosting the NATO summit in September to how to help the area drive business growth.

The summit, which is being presented by Newport City Council and reNewport, and sponsored by the Celtic Manor Resort, is being held at the City Centre Campus of the University of South Wales.

The summit will also look at how Newport can play a pivotal role in the South East Wales City Region and how it can make the most of all the opportunities which comes its way.

Newport City Council leader Councillor Bob Bright will be among the speakers during the event.

Other speakers will include Simon Gibson, chairman of Newport Task Force, who will speak about driving business growth for the city; Ian Edwards, chief operating officer of Celtic Manor Resort, who will tell delegates about plans for the NATO Summit in September and the Wales International Convention Centre, which is set to be built at the resort.

Later in the morning Simon Powell, chief executive of EYSYS, will talk about Newport being a technology city, followed by Neil Ward, chief executive of FAW Trust, who will speak about the sporting side of the city.

Gill Sandford, dean of the Faculty of Creative Industries, University of South Wales, will be the last speaker of the event when she talks about Newport - A Cultural and Creative City.

Business people will also get the opportunities to quiz each of the speakers in question and answer sessions.

One local businessman who will be at the summit, Robin Hall, managing director of Newport-based Kymin, said: “This summit is the kind of gathering the city has needed for quite some time.

“I’m extremely encouraged that there will be a strong representation from the body of people in the city that can really make things happen such as the Leader of Newport City Council councillor Bob Bright and Newport Taskforce Chairman Simon Gibson.

“Businesses such as Kymin are keen to know exactly what is happening in the city and also what’s planned after a number of false dawns in the not so distant past.

“The NATO Summit is a golden opportunity for the city. It's in the same global league of importance as the Ryder Cup and can really put Newport on the world map. There are some who would argue that we failed to capitalise on and to really make the most of the staging of the Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor. Let’s now work together to ensure that we don't repeat that mistake this time.

“The proposal for the creation of the Wales International Conference Centre at Celtic Manor is also potentially enormously favourable for the city and along with the completion of Friars Walk could really be seen as a bright future for Newport.

“I’ll be at the Newport City Summit today and look forward to hearing what the various speakers have to say. I’d also like to see this event become an annual gathering so it can act as both a catalyst and yardstick; so we can see how promises have been delivered and how far we have travelled in our journey to create a new city here in Newport.”