The Riviera Connect Podcast is a series of interviews with business leaders from across the English Riviera. We explore the stories, insights and ambitions shaping business, tourism and hospitality in our region. Presented in collaboration with the English Riviera BID Company and the Torbay Business Forum, this podcast showcases the people and ideas driving growth, innovation and success across Torbay and beyond. To book a stand or a ticket, visit https://riviera-connect.co.uk/ Proudly sponsored by Konsileo Insurance and Treat Marketing.
For more than five decades, Jim Parker has helped shape how Torbay sees itself and how the rest of the country sees us too.
As Editor of Torbay Weekly, former Editor of the Herald Express, and Chair of the Torbay Place Leadership Board, Jim has been at the centre of some of the Bay’s most important conversations. From helping secure millions in regeneration funding to championing a united voice in Westminster, his belief in the power of place has helped unlock real momentum.
In this episode of the Riviera Connect Podcast, we explore how the Torbay Story became more than marketing and turned into a strategic tool for growth. Jim shares why telling the truth about both our natural beauty and our challenges is a strength. He explains why businesses must speak more confidently about their success and how community led investment is changing the way decisions are made across the Bay.
We also reflect on pride in place, the importance of people in shaping progress, and what success for Torbay truly feels like in the years ahead.
Jim leaves us with a simple but powerful message. Now is the time.
If you care about leadership, investment, regeneration and the future of the English Riviera, this is an episode you will not want to miss.
SHOW LINKS
BOOK YOUR STAND AT RIVIERA CONNECT
Don’t forget to book your stand at Riviera Connect, Wednesday 7th October 2026 at the Riviera International Centre.
This podcast is brought to you by our sponsors, The Grand Torquay. ‘Meet Me at The Grand’ for informal catchups, meetings, networking and taking in all the beauty and opulence of this historic hotel in Torquay. Visit www.grandtorquay.co.uk
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