Meet the Buyer Event
January 29, 2009 by John Pickstone
| March 5, 2009 |
Local businesses looking to boost their sales are being offered a unique opportunity to meet some of the area’s largest buyers thanks to enterpriseGY.
Following the very successful Meet the Buyer event last year, enterpriseGY are working with Norfolk Chamber of Commerce to deliver a second ‘Meet the Buyer’ opportunity, designed to match local buyers with local suppliers - and representatives of both sectors are invited to get involved.
This year’s event, at Great Yarmouth Racecourse on March 5th, takes on a new format - with three different sessions designed to maximise opportunities.
The day begins with a ‘Speed Networking Breakfast’ where suppliers can pitch to a minimum of 30 potential local buyers. They also have the opportunity to access additional local business contacts during the ‘free networking’ part of the event.
Following on from this, the formal Meet the Buyer event takes place where suppliers can pitch for 10 minutes to larger buyers through a scheduled appointment programme. Buyers already attending include Pasta Foods, Norfolk County Council, Perenco UK, AJS/AMEC, Norfolk Constabulary, Petrofac Facilities Management, Windboat Marine and Great Yarmouth Borough Council.
Finally, in the afternoon, there will be a special ‘Meet the Construction Buyer’ session, focussing specifically on the construction industry, in conjunction with BuildNorfolk. Potential suppliers can find out what construction contract opportunities are available, make personal contact with the main contractors and decision makers and also learn more about about the support available to help win more work.
Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Caroline Williams says it’s a great opportunity for traders of all types to support the local economy. “Last year we successfully matched up buyers and sellers to the benefit of both. This year the event is even more topical with companies looking to buy locally. We’re looking for both buyers and sellers to get involved as there are great benefits to both sectors. Many local businesses have the potential to fulfil supply chain contracts but they’re missing out for a number of reasons; it may be lack of knowledge, poor sales skills or simply not knowing the right people or processes.”
“From a buyer perspective,” explains Caroline, “the programme can help with sourcing new products and suppliers, keeping up with innovation, networking and ensuring businesses are achieving best value. From a seller perspective, it gives them the chance to hold face-to-face meetings with buyers who are actively looking to place business.”
The March event will be preceded by two workshops for suppliers on 2 February , from 4 - 6pm also at Great Yarmouth Racecourse - one on ‘How to pitch to public sector buyers including Olympic 2012 opportunities’ and the other on ‘How to pitch to private sector buyers.’
enterpriseGY programme manager, Richard Percy, says the Meet the Buyer programme is a showcase for the fantastic pool of business opportunities the region has to offer. “For suppliers, getting a foot in the door of bigger of public sector firms can be hard, especially if a business is new or still developing. This kind of event is about bringing the right people together and encouraging traders to support the local economy - completely in line with enterpriseGY’s ambitions.”
enterpriseGY is a government funded programme designed to transform the economic future of the Great Yarmouth region. Working with a range of partners it focuses on three key areas - business start-ups, business growth and young enterprise, offering access to a wide range of free advice and practical support to encourage local commerce.
Businesses interested in joining the ‘Meet the Buyer’ programme or attending the workshops should contactmailto:katy.barker@norfolkchamber.co.uk or visit http://www.enterprisegy.co.uk/
The main Meet the Buyer events are free, although there is a charge for the ‘Speed Networking Breakfast’ - £15+VAT or £18+VAT for two attendees, with buffet breakfast included. To book onto the breakfast please go to http://www.norfolkchamber.co.uk/ or e-mailevents@norfolkchamber.co.uk
To register for the Construction session please go tohttp://www.buildnorfolk.co.uk/ and click on event or e-mailadmin@buildnorfolk.co.uk giving details of attendee name(s), company and telephone number.
