Partner Article

North East businesses gear up to meet buyers

Today marks the second and last day of the region’s largest business-to-business networking event.

The event, which is taking place at the Sage in Gateshead, is giving the region’s firms the opportunity to get in front of buyers from across the country.

Those involved behind the event believe it will offer firms an opening to win more business, increase networks and generally improve their business capabilities.

Graeme Young, New Business Manager at Business & Enterprise UK, which manages the event organiser, said: “There is obviously access to these business via their website but the actual face-to-face contact and the opportunity to actually get to speak to some of the people on the stands, there is no actual substitute for that.

“I think people will learn a lot more about what these suppliers are doing and also for businesses themselves, the chance to meet the buyers and understand what the needs are of the buyers and to get to understand exactly what it is that buyers are seeking to do and the way to position their business in order to actually win some of this business.”

Attendees will also get the chance to hear from an array of keynote speakers including Rosie Smith, the Bank of England’s agent for the North East, and James Woudhuysen, a professor of forecasting and innovation at De Montfort University in Leicester.

When asked about the importance of coming to events such as this, Hannah Bryan, Director of Sailor Girl Ltd, a creative events company in Jesmond, said: “It’s about making connections and about getting in front of the big names and the big companies that we can meet.

“At least then we have a stepping stone to meet whoever it is in the company we need to meet, so it’s not a cold call.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .