EVERY party needs a fascinating guest list to make it go with a swing.

Finding people with a knowledge of world-class sport, ground-breaking politics, scientific breakthroughs and the latest celebrity gossip is guaranteed to provoke animated debate, and that's exactly what is happening at a conference in Cheshire.

England football coach Sven Goran Eriksson, former Soviet leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev, astronaut Neil Armstrong, Liverpool's Capital of Culture bid leader Sir Bob Scott and PR guru Max Clifford are all guest speakers at a business convention to be held at Tatton Park in September.

Top chef and Daily Post columunist Paul Heathcote is also going to cater the prestigious event.

The conference will bring together 2,000 business people from across the North West in a purpose-built marquee village set in the grounds of the 18th century mansion.

The conference is being organised by North West Business Convention, a Knutsford-based organisation set up specifically to bring the event to fruition, and sponsored by the Northwest Development Agency and England's North West.

Guests will be able to hear Mr Gorbachev discuss international affairs, providing a rare insight into world politics and economics.

Mr Armstrong, the first man on the moon, will inspire with an address entitled Rising to the Challenge.

England's national team coach will talk about team leadership and controversial publicist Max Clifford will present a unique view of public relations and discuss how it s imaginative use can boost a company's profile.

They will be joined by Michael Vatis, part of George W Bush's Homeland security team set up after September 11, who will talk about cyber security.

Details of Sir Bob's speech have not yet been revealed.

Every luxury will be available to delegates, from champagne bars to helicopter landing areas.

The conference is also planned to be a "carbon neutral" event. The total carbon dioxide emissions it will produce will be calculated and an appropriate number of trees will be planted around the region to reabsorb this.

Convention company director Malcolm Saul said: "We have spent several months getting a list of speakers who offer something to everyone.

"It has been a long and tortuous route.

"Sven in particular doesn't do a lot of events like this and he will be doing a question and answer session, as will Gorbachev.

"The conference will be a superb out-of-office environment, an inspirational event.

"We chose Tatton because it is a prime location at the hub of the motorway network. It will bring the business region together."

Chef Paul Heathcote is planning a three-course meal using local ingredients.

He added: "I'm planning home-cured meats, a goats cheese fondue and iced crustaceans on each table. There will also be a cheese course.

"It will be a bit of a pick and mix. There will be 2,000 people there and they will all want to network so a normal sit-down meal won't work."

Cheshire and Warrington Learning and Skills Council will also be at the event to lobby business leaders and organisations to take advantage of their training and development funds which in Cheshire alone total more than £120m.

The organisation has been working with NWDA on developing skills in the workplace in order that the local companies can compete on the world stage.

The LSC has just completed a survey which showed how nine out of 10 workers found their bosses useless when it comes to clear communication.

It found that although 70pc of staff want to work for inspirational managers, only 11pc of them actually feel motivated by their current supervisors.

Learning and Skills Council director Ann Petry said: "Training pays. It increases an individual's self-esteem and has a knock-on beneficial effect for the business."