Partner Article

Business friends putting Bingley on the B2B networking map

Bingley might not be the first name that trips off the tongue when someone asks you to name a hive of industry and innovation.

And that was one of the reasons why local entrepreneurs Rachel Barratt and Emma Steele thought they should do something about it.

Now Rachel and Emma are on a mission to showcase the skills, expertise and services of businesses based in Bingley and the Aire Valley and put the area on the business map.

After launching a successful local networking opportunity, the Bingley Hour, the friends decided to expand into a B2B exhibition, which proved so successful in its first year that more than half of the exhibitors signed up immediately for the 2018 follow-up.

The Bingley Business Expo (BBE) takes place at Bingley Arts Centre, on Wednesday, September 19, and a measure of their success in “bigging-up” Bingley is the fact that Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Zafar Ali, has agreed to officially open it.

Rachel, of digital marketing agency Aire Media, says: “We’ve been blown away by the support we’ve received for this year’s Expo. The response last year was great but we had no idea it would strike such a chord with local companies and we’d reach a point where we’ve now run out of space!”

Some indication of how word has got around can be seen from the fact the businesses involved are based in all corners of the Aire Valley.

“It was important to us that each business was the sole representative of its particular sector so it had the best possible chance to get its message across,” says Rachel. “Obviously, that means we can encourage in some businesses from a wider area, which will help build the appeal of the event for delegates.”

Her organising partner, Emma, who runs content-writing service ES Editorial, says: “I don’t think people realise what a diverse and creative place Bingley is. Many think of business here in terms of just high street shops but there are lots of areas of the town where some thriving and inspiring firms and industries are tucked away.

“We want to encourage businesses to work together, make the most of the services available on their doorstep and attract attention from further afield.”

BBE 2018 is sponsored by two local firms, Bingley-based Mortgage Advice Bureau and Janus Interiors. Janus director Rick Tonks said after last year’s expo: “Business has been up and down since the Brexit vote and events like this are very useful in putting local businesses in touch with each other.

“We’ve made some really good contacts today and I’m sure they’ll be mutually beneficial for all those concerned.”

Wendy Spencer, CEO of another returning exhibitor, not-for-profit Airedale Enterprise Services, said: “It’s been a really good and very worthwhile attending. The footfall has been excellent and it’s been very valuable to see so many interesting and diverse businesses wanting to inter-trade locally, which has to be good for boosting the local economy.” The organisers are also proud the event raises money for local good causes: last year, the Danny Jones Defibrillator Fund and, this, for Manorlands Hospice at Oxenhope.

“We felt it was important to use the opportunity to give something back to the local community and raising money for such a brilliant cause is the perfect way to do it,” says Emma.

This year’s BBE certainly has a something-for-everyone feel to it.

Exhibitors include Distant Future Animation Studio, which won Media Business of the Year at this year’s Keighley and Airedale Business Awards, and the Federation of Small Businesses, as well as solicitors, insurance and tax experts, IT specialists, property consultants, a recruitment agency and a sales and marketing company – all of which you might well expect to see at such an event.

But what makes BBE so special is that it also caters for businesses who are either looking for sponsors, who want to showcase their event space or corporate offering or who want to team up with local businesses to provide opportunities for students, from an independent school to Keighley College, from Bingley AFC football club to two of the town’s bars and social venues, from a casino-restaurant to a charity providing housing, care and support to people in later life.

It’s a fascinating mix and one that’s been welcomed by Bingley Town Council for its potential to bring more business investment to the town.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Perry Austin-Clarke .