Pictured: Alan Durham (left) with Dhiran Vagdia (both Chamber) 

HS2, retaining university graduates and promoting the city's heritage were among a cluster of topics discussed in a major Chamber project to identify key issues in Coventry.

The Coventry branch of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce held the SWOT - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats - event at Coventry Rugby Club to canvass opinions among its members to highlight the key issues affecting the business community.

The opinion poll, which is conducted every few years, will be used by the Chamber, Coventry City Council and other partners to understand the needs of local businesses as well as when the Chamber is lobbying MPs.

Dhiran Vagdia, who was chairing his first Coventry branch meeting, said there was no doubt businesses had strong views on the city's strengths and weaknesses as well as future opportunities and threats.

"This gave businesses the platform to air their opinions whether positive or negative about Coventry," he said.

"The general consensus was that the city's strengths are its location, the variety of businesses whether blue-chip companies or SMEs, our technology parks, transport links and our heritage.

"Not surprisingly the subject of HS2 was considered to be a strength, an opportunity and a threat.

"It was also felt we need to do more to retain graduates from our two excellent universities to stop their skills vanishing from our local economy and to promote our heritage places with better signage.

"The Olympics is on the horizon and we agreed we must make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from a leisure perspective to entice tourists to the region for the duration of London 2012 and to make return visits since we are privileged to have the Ricoh Arena hosting 12 Olympic football matches."

Dhiran said it had been encouraging to hear the wide range of views from people who live and work in Coventry.

He said: "It is vital we know members' thoughts when we are talking to MPs and government ministers and this feedback is really valuable to everyone who has the best interests of the city at heart to help shape its future.

"We will use it to form our communication with key people whether we are at Westminster or Brussels and it proved a really useful exercise."

Further SWOT meetings will be held at other Chamber branches in Rugby, Mid-Warwickshire and South Warwickshire for members to give their opinions on their local areas.