BUSINESSES at a major Brexit summit in Dorset hailed ‘confidence’ as the vital factor in forging a successful future outside of the EU.

There were also calls for greater government consultation and communication with the business community to end uncertainty and boost belief in the economy.

Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) held the debate, entitled ‘Brexit: What Next for Business?’, with Bournemouth University (BU).

More than 130 people attended the special event at BU’s Talbot campus. It was backed by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) as well as the Institute of Directors (IOD), Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Poole Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Ferndown Chamber of Commerce, and Daily Echo and Dorset Echo publisher Newsquest.

Issues raised included trade negotiations, timeframes, red tape, consultation, confidence, communication, the media, economic stimulus, procurement and government action.

DCCI chief executive Ian Girling said: “It was a fascinating debate covering a great many areas and it was incredibly valuable to hear the views and concerns from different perspectives.

“Greater communication with the government came out as a key message and the role of confidence was also identified as crucially important.

“It is vital that our politicians have a strong understanding of the views of the business community.

“We must look forward with confidence. DCCI intends to lead the way in Dorset and give business every support as well as represent members and their concerns at a local and national level.”

Professor John Fletcher, pro vice-chancellor for research and innovation at Bournemouth University, said: “Now is the time to look for brand new opportunities, opportunities that it had never considered before because it was looking towards Brussels.

“Yes, there will be difficult challenges, but we need to find the positives ahead. This event was intended to encourage people to look forward for those opportunities, not back.”

The debate, held for invited business leaders and directors, was part of DCCI’s work to steer members through the maze of Brexit uncertainty and give BCC, which DCCI is accredited to, feedback to support its national lobbying on behalf of business.

Visit dcci.co.uk for more details.