THE Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, and Conservative party leader Michael Howard are just two of the high profile guests to be speaking at this year's Institute of Directors (IoD) annual convention.

Business people from the West Thames region are invited to attend this year's convention at the Royal Albert Hall on April 28, entitled 'Britain competing in the Modern World', where speakers will tackle the current issues facing the UK economy and discuss how governments and politicians can impact on the nation's commercial growth.

Putting forward the views of successful entrepreneurs, the forthright Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, and Barbara Cassani, chairman of the London Olympic Games 2012 bid, will outline their visions for the future.

Leaders from the UK's key business organisations will take part in the annual debate session. George Cox, the IoD director general, Brendan Barber, Trades Union Congress general secretary, Digby Jones, director general of the Confederation of British Industry, and David Frost, director general of BCC, will debate their contrasting visions on the path for UK business.

Speakers during the day will also include academics from the country's most influential business schools, including Professor Howard Thomas, the Dean of Warwick Business School, one of the foremost institutions, developing the country's future commercial leaders and Justin Hughes, former Red Arrows pilot and entrepreneur.

Chairman of the West Thames Institute of Directors, Mary Ahmad, says: "As the third largest branch of the IoD, there are plenty of local businesses in the West Thames region that could benefit from a visit to the IoD convention.

"It promises to be an informative and inspiring event and is a great opportunity for local people to hear the views of some of the UK's most prestigious industry leaders and find out how Britain is competing with its counterparts in the business world today."

Tickets are available from £200 plus VAT and full details can be found at www.iod.com/annualconvention or by telephoning 7766 8919.