A MAJOR conference for business women throughout York and North Yorkshire is to be held this spring.

The one-day conference - also aimed at women considering setting up their own venture - is being held at The Pavilions near the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, on March 9.

Titled Make it Your Business, the conference is being organised jointly by Yorkshire Forward-funded Women In Enterprise, Business Link York and North Yorkshire and York, and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, which staged a smaller pilot conference almost two years ago.

It is hoped more than 100 business women and aspiring women entrepreneurs from throughout the county will attend the conference which aims to celebrate the achievements of successful business women and encourage others to enter the commercial.

In spite of social and legal changes during the last 30 years, women remain half as likely to go into business as men.

Women In Enterprise (WiE), administered through York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, aims to help more women fulfill their potential by helping to break down the real or perceived barriers which hinder them.

WiE project manager, Laura Morrison, said: "Our Make it Your Business conference is to be an important event for all business women in York and North Yorkshire, and those considering setting up, so we can celebrate the achievements of women in business and pave the way for others to follow.

"We very much hope that many aspiring businesswomen will attend so they can be inspired by what others have achieved, realise that there are people who can help them and that the obstacles are not be as formidable as they look from the outside.

"There is no doubt that the business world needs the skills of businesswomen to help create a truly healthy local economy."

WiE, is set to run until March 2008 and has provided practical help and support to more than 100 business women in York and North Yorkshire since it was launched as a pilot project in 2004.

For further details on WiE, or the Make It Your Business conference, phone Laura Morrison or Sarah Angus at York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, on 01904 629513.

Updated: 10:31 Thursday, January 19, 2006