The 2009 FSB Conference was opened with by Bridgend Male Voice Choir. This was followed by fireworks and Olympic Champion John McFall lighting a flame. National Chairman John Wright then took to the stage and welcomed everyone by wishing them a superb conference with interesting speakers and motions.

A number of speakers gave their introductory statements.

1.Gethin Williams, FSB Regional Chairman, South Wales:
Said it was an honour to welcome FSB National Conference to Newport. He said it was approperiate to host the conference in South Wales with its many examples of small business successes and latest business thinking. He also extended a thank you to the FSB Conference Committee for their hard work.

2. Mayor of Newport City Council, Councillor Noel Trigg:

Mayor Trigg then officially opended the FSB conference in Newport 2009. He welcomed the FSB to Newport, and commented that the city was extremely pleased to host the conference. "I'm sure that you will soon find that we have a lot to offer and there are many opportunities here for small businesses. I was very impressed to read about the work that the FSB has done for the small business community and I hope that you have an extremely sucessful conference."

3. John Griffiths AM, Deputy Minister for Skills at the Welsh Assembly:
Said it was great for a local politician to see such a large and important event as the FSB National Conference come to Newport. The Celtic Manor itself is a good example of local success with local multi millionaire entrepreneur Kerry Matthews being the owner and brain behind this grand venue that will host the Ryder Cup in 2010.

4. John Cassidy,small business representative at Dell:

He welcomed all of the delegates to Newport on behalf of Dell. He commented that Dell are delighted to be the main sponsor of the conference for the second year running. The FSB and Dell have a long established relationship both as an IT provider but also as conference partners. The IT needs of small businesses are very specific and Dell has a dedicated team who work to tailor their IT systems to small business needs. Dell has a number of representatives here today to answer any queries that attendees may have.