February 2018

WARWICKSHIRE MEANS BUSINESS

Dates set for 2018 business festival

The dates for the 2018 Coventry & Warwickshire Business Festival have been set with the annual two-week event set to run from 19 to 30 November this year.

The Business Festival, developed by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) and the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP Growth Hub, is a fortnight of business events taking place right across the region. 

The 2017 Festival, supported by Warwickshire County Council, encompassed over 100 different events and even in its inaugural year, became the biggest business event in the region. More than 4,000 tickets were booked and nearly 25 per cent of attendees came from outside the region.

Jonathan Browning, chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The first year of the Business Festival laid down some very firm foundations and we hope that year two will see an even more vibrant fortnight of events.

“With the UK City of Culture 2021 win, the announcement that we have been selected to be the home of the National Battery Manufacturing Development Facility (NBMDF) and investments such as the creation of a new £120 million Meggitt campus at Ansty, we certainly have a great deal to show the world.

The CWLEP will work with the Business Festival to ensure even more companies and organisations are engaged and involved in 2018.”

Craig Humphrey, managing director of the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP Growth Hub, said: “One of our original objectives for the Business Festival was to stimulate business engagement and, importantly, re-engage with businesses which have not been as active in the business community recently.

"Our feedback shows that 56% of people who responded said the Festival was the first business event they have been to in the past six months. We also know that 99 per cent of businesses went on to rate the events they attended as ‘good to excellent’ and 86 per cent said that the Business Festival positively affected their business. We therefore know that the Business Festival is an excellent way to get the Coventry and Warwickshire business community interacting - and that it is having a positive effect.

“We meticulously review all feedback, looking closely at everything from the number, quality and location of events, alignment of key sectors and attendee data, so that the Business Festival continues to achieve its strategic objectives and supports the businesses in the Coventry and Warwicksire area."

“To ensure its continued success, subtle adjustments will be made this year, such as providing more information and assistance for event organisers, re-defining the sectors, and improving the process for booking onto events and cancellations.”

Businesses can apply to run events in the 2018 Festival via the website (www.cwbusinessfestival.com) from 5 March.
There are still opportunities to sponsor or partner the Business Festival - which could lead to substantial benefits such as extensive brand exposure, guaranteed connections, introductions and business lead prospects. To see a video about the Festival, click http://bit.ly/CWBF2017

For more information or to get involved in the Coventry & Warwickshire Business Festival 2018, visit: www.cwbusinessfestival.com or email hello@cwbusinessfestival.com

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