Low carbon London
As part of a business trip to Korea I attended the C40 Climate Change Summit in Seoul. The aim of the summit was to bring together representatives from 80 cities around the world to champion practical ways to tackle climate change issues. Addressing Mayors from around the world, Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, shared his vision to create a low carbon economy, stimulating tens of thousands of new jobs and contributing £600 million a year to the capital’s economy by 2025. The Mayor’s vision also included plans for London to become a world leader in electric vehicle usage. I was delighted to learn that London will set up an electric vehicle centre of excellence. Read the full thought for London here...

Michael Charlton
Chief Executive, Think London

Watch Michael Charlton on the newly launched YouTube channel - Survival of the Fastest - discussing the business opportunities available in London during the downturn.

Sony Entertainment Europe  
Hear from Sony’s Development Director for their London studio, Mike Haigh, discuss why London’s rich talent pool and diverse industries are so valuable to Sony and its presence in London. "The talent in London is very much a draw for us here.  The amount of people and the sheer quality and quantity of people is appropriate for us and what we do in London."
Click here to watch the interview on Think London's YouTube channel...

Think London increase free office space to overseas businesses 
Think London have announced a significant extension of free office space to encourage overseas investors to set up business in London. The launch of Phase 2: the expansion of our  'Touchdown London’ service, increases office space to allow up to 40 new businesses to benefit from the extension of the offer, as well as the addition of a new central London location. 
Download a PDF about our Touchdown London offer here...

London's new dawn as an internet giant
“You don't need me to tell you that the internet has become central to the lives of Londoners but it might come as a surprise just how fast consumer behaviour is changing in the capital. Internet access is now seen as a necessity. It's more significant than a shift in personal priorities, though. Changes in both consumer and business behaviour mean London can now lay claim to be the e-commerce capital of the world.

“London has always had an amazing ability to re-invent itself economically, especially in hard times. Now its dynamism, its outward-looking consumers and businesses and concentration of knowledge mean that even as parts of the financial industry suffer, e-commerce is growing. London's embrace of the internet is showing the way out of recession - and showing, too, that London looks like continuing to be the motor of the UK's economy.” Matt Britin, Evening Standard.

Work on London's £16 billion Crossrail scheme begins
“Today we are celebrating a defining moment for London as Crossrail's construction gets under way," said Prime Minister Gordon Brown. "Crossrail will not only mean fast journey times across the UK capital and beyond, it will also bring a massive economic boost to the city, creating thousands of jobs and adding at least £20 billion to our economy."
Click here to read the full article...

Conversion of city landmark approved
The conversion of one of the City of London’s most extraordinary landmarks has been given planning consent. The former headquarters of the Port of London Authority, now known as Ten Trinity, is an ambitious £150 million scheme which envisages a grand, 121-bedroom hotel and spa complex with an additional 30 apartments.
Click here to read the full article...
Read more about new developments in London... 

London 2012 site work 'on time'
One year after construction of the London 2012 Olympic site began, organisers have said building work is on time and on budget. The 500-acre site in Stratford, east London, will include a stadium, Aquatics Centre and Olympic Village, and the building work for the 80,000-seat Olympic stadium is four months ahead of schedule.  Click here to read the full article...
Watch a webcam showing the progress of the Olympic Stadium over the last year here...

Hyde Park triathlon to test the water for London 2012 Olympics
London will become the centre of global sport this summer as Hyde Park hosts the world triathlon championships. A crowd of more than 250,000 is expected to watch the world's best triathlete’s battle on the course to be used for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Click here to read the full article...

London 2012 seeks sustainable solutions for temporary venues
The organisers of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games are calling on industry to help them find a sustainable solution for the use of materials, such as PVC, needed for temporary buildings and the temporary elements of permanent venues needed for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Click here to read the full article...

 




Join us on the Route to 2012   
We are hosting a series of exclusive business events in key cities throughout North America over the coming months, as part of our Route to 2012 North America campaign.  We will be discussing the business opportunities London has to offer, including around the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.

If your company is interested in finding out more about the business opportunities in London and would like to meet with us when we are in your city, please contact us today.

London projects selected for newly launched climate positive development program  
Two London projects - Albert Basin in east London and Elephant & Castle in central London - were announced as two of 16 founding projects of the Climate Positive Development Program. To reduce the net greenhouse gas emissions of their Climate Positive Development projects to below zero, property developers and local governments will agree to work in partnership on specific areas. Click here to read the full article...

London joins world cities electric vehicle partnership
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has announced that the city will join others around the world including Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Seoul and Toronto in an electric vehicle partnership. Addressing the C40 Climate Change Summit in Seoul, Johnson said that London will participate in the C40 partnership, which will share experiences and agree practical steps on the deployment of electric vehicles. Click here to read the full article...

Think London gives you fast-track access to the information, expertise and contacts you can rely on and our services are confidential and completely free. 

Find out more about how we can help your business set up, succeed and grow in London by visiting our website www.thinklondon.com or contacting us on info@thinklondon.com.  

Think London: offices in Beijing, New York, San Francisco and Mumbai.

Think London's YouTube channel includes interviews with Sony, Microsoft, Crystal Digital and many more
View the latest client interviews, event videos and a selection of other material online at Think London's YouTube Channel.

Feedback 
If you have any comments about this newsletter, please email Liz McFarland, Head of Marketing, on lmcfarland@thinklondon.com. 

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