Dragon’s Den presenter visits Warwick Uni

Evan Davis. You’re thinking he’s just that guy with the big ears who presents Dragons Den, right? Wrong.

Attracting a crowd of at least 150 people, this Monday, the man himself visited Warwick University to discuss his latest programme and give his insight into why London is the only hub of the UK, and what attracts businesses to the location.

He was even missing the first broadcast of his latest BBC documentary to visit Warwick.

The audience eagerly await

“I work with the BBC so I have no opinion. If you’ve heard one, you’ve obviously misunderstood me” said Evan, carefully covering his legal tracks halfway through his musings. Having studied PPE at Oxford, worked at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the London Business School, the BBC, Newsnight, Radio 4 and of course the almighty Dragons Den, who would have thought Evan had time for humour.

Amongst his six-step guide to describe the division between the London economy and the rest of the country, Evan was kind enough to use student-related examples: referring to London city as “the happiest nightclub in the country.”

“This is the economics of nightclubs: the best nightclub doesn’t come down to the decor or the DJ, it’s the visibility, the fact that everyone is there.”

Obviously referring to Smack. Thanks Evan, it all makes sense now.

Bouncer pose?

Following the speech, The Tab was fortunate enough to exclusively ask him a few questions. We got a little carried away discussing the overlap between psychology and economics, but managed to ask what piece of advice he’d give to students looking for a successful status such as his.

“Experiment everything during your early 20’s because at 28, you’ve burnt your bridge.”

“Challenge yourself, invest in yourself, and work outside of your comfort zone, and it’ll all pay off in the end.”

“And most importantly, don’t take no for an answer.”

Aside from calling the banking profession “dull” to a room full of wannabe bankers (it’s Warwick after all), Evan was smooth, charismatic and collected. What a way to finish off the PPE Speaker Series. Congratulations to the PPE Society for pulling this off.