Dates of next Black Country Business Festival set after huge success of first year

Following an overwhelming reaction from the Black Country to its first business festival, the dates for next year’s annual fortnight have been set as 13 May to 24 May 2019.

Established by the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, the Business Festival ran for the first time from 23 April to 4 May. Over 100 business events of all sizes and descriptions took place during the fortnight, attended by more than 4,200 people - a remarkable 13 per cent of whom came from outside the Black Country.

Updated statistics released this week show that the Festival had a considerably impressive market reach of 53.7 million and circulation of 178.2 million. Already, in its inaugural year, it has become the region’s largest business event.

Over the two weeks, the Black Country saw conferences, seminars, plant tours, comedy nights, race days, expos, workshops, demonstrations, showcases, networking sessions and debates. Subject matters were very diverse encompassing traditional and modern industries including the Festival’s nine key sectors, which were identified as prominent in the area or key areas for growth.

Corin Crane, chief executive of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce said, “The Festival was designed to bring the region together to enable the local business community to engage, share best practice and collaborate with each other on a completely new level and it has done all that - and with interest. A remarkable 85 per cent of people said the Business Festival positively affected their business and 91 per cent rated the events they went to as good to excellent.

“As well as helping our businesses, it’s a great way of pointing a spotlight on the Black Country, showcasing the outstanding innovation, culture and commerce of the area and raising the profile of the superb assets to ultimately attract investment in the area.”

“The Business Festival reinforces our aspiration to be known as a more dynamic, contemporary organisation and a valuable resource for local businesses and we will continue keep the momentum going and drive it forward into next year. The Festival needs continued local support to enable it to develop, grow and really put Black Country business on the map. We are looking for companies to commit now and this will also allow them to maximise the benefits of their involvement over the entire year.”

There are many ways to get involved in the Festival to demonstrate a commitment to working together and help to bring the business community together for the greater for the good of the local economy.

Initially, companies are being sought to sponsor or partner, which would bring numerous benefits such as untold increased exposure regionally and nationally, ample opportunities to grow business networks and leads, as well as and making new connections with like-minded industry experts.

Offers to become official venue partners are also being taken, which is a great way to raise the profile of the hosting venue.

In September, the event application process will re-open and businesses will be able to apply to run an event as part of the 2019 programme.

Any individual or organisation that is interested in getting involved can get in touch with Associate Events on hello@blackcountrybusinessfestival.com or telephone 01902 912304 to discuss.

For information on the Black Country Business Festival, visit www.blackcountrybusinessfestival.com.