If you thought that Business Week 2009 was over: think again! Language is Everything, the main sponsors of this year's festival, are holding a 'Biz Week Extra' event later today with Hull City chairman and Humber hero Paul Duffen.
This afternoon's invitation-only session at Vermuyden School in Goole will continue the 'big conversation' that Language is Everything launched during Business Week: how can we best prepare our children for the global village of the 21st century?
The English Premier League is a perfect example of the multilingual, multicultural world in which we now live. Mr Duffen, a former Tottenham fan, remembers the shock and awe when Spurs signed two Argentinean stars in 1978 (Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa). Today, by contrast, more than half the players in the Premiership are from outside Britain, and the Hull City squad is made up of players from 11 countries across 5 continents.
So what kind of language and cultural barriers has Hull City faced? How have these been overcome? What has the club learned during its rollercoaster ride of a season? A specially invited audience of young people will be finding out the answers to these and other questions.
Carolyn Burgess, our chief exec, said: "The theme of this year's Business Week has been can-do, and I can't think of two better words to describe Paul Duffen. This event is going to be something that a group of young people remember for a very long time. Children are fascinated by language and culture, and football is a brilliant way to introduce them to the global village of the 21st century."