In the only event of its type in the UK, North Yorkshire will host one of the biggest gatherings of the country's regeneration and property professionals.

Yorkshire Forward is offering them what it calls "an exclusive insight" into the multi-million pound business opportunities available in the region's towns and cities.

Projects like York Central, the biggest brownfield site in the city centre, and town centre redevelopments in Skipton and Catterick, will be on display.

Representatives from more than 30 of the region's renaissance towns and cities will be on hand to share future development opportunities, business plans and visions for the future with investors and developers.

The event will take place at the Great Yorkshire Showground, in Harrogate, on March 3, and will show how the renaissance programme will touch the lives of more than two million people, showing the power of people to change their environment in North Yorkshire.

Master-classes will be delivered by experts including Professor David Dunster, of the University of Liverpool School of Architecture and Building, who will join Ken Shuttleworth, architect of the Swiss Re Tower, in London, known as "The Gherkin", to open a debate on the skylines of our cities.

Sir Terry Farrell will discuss planning for renaissance, and Chris Brown, chief executive of Igloo Regeneration, will ask how we value the work of architects and urbanists.

Tom Bloxham, chairman of Urban Splash, and George Martin, from the Building Research Establishment, will provide an exclusive insight into the latest thinking in planning, sustainable development and design.

Barra Mac Ruiari, head of Renaissance Towns and Cities for Yorkshire Forward, said: "For just one day, we will bring together all of our renaissance towns and cities to showcase their development opportunities in one place.

"From smaller projects like renovating the station at Bedale to the development of the York Central site, all will have the opportunity to say 'this is where we came from, this is where we are now, and this is where we want to be in the future'. We are giving delegates access to the latest development opportunities in the region.

"We are giving our renaissance towns and cities a vital forum, through which to seek developers and investors willing to work closely with them to build upon their visions and turn them into reality."

For further information on the Yorkshire Forward Renaissance Collection, phone 0113 394 9712.

Updated: 09:16 Tuesday, December 20, 2005