Funding opportunities for SMEs will be the focus of the first Bradford Means Business networking event of 2016. The event, held by Yorkshire Enterprise Network (YEN) and The Telegraph & Argus takes place this Thursday, February 25th, in the majestic Prince’s Ballroom at Bradford’s Midland Hotel.
This month there will be a slightly different format, featuring an expert panel in the style of BBC Question Time, with the theme of “Finance – New Options For SMEs”. The panel will advise on funding available in Yorkshire for businesses and organisations of all sectors and sizes. It will discuss all new and existing funding opportunities. Experts on the panel will be:
David Guild – Business Development Manager of the Business Enterprise Fund (BEF)
Andy Davidson – Head of Business & Private Banking (West Yorkshire) at Yorkshire Bank
Wayne Spratt – Regional Sales Manager at Aldermore Bank PLC
Peter Beresford – Managing Director of RedSky Corporate Services.
Sheraz Malik, Director of Yorkshire Enterprise Network, said: “At the Bradford Business Conference last October, we held a number of successful seminars and one of the most overwhelmingly popular ones was on access to funding. Delegates also enjoyed the Question Time-style panel looking at Bradford’s revival, so we decided to pull these two elements together to do something a bit different for the first YEN event of the year. Understandably, funding is something we are constantly asked to advise on by business owners, so we’ve brought together some leaders in the field to answer people’s questions and assist them with accessing finance to grow their businesses.”
David Guild, Business Development Manager of BEF said: “Business finance has never before been through such a dynamic period of change. Within three years, alternative finance now accounts for more than 10% of lending to small businesses. We are looking forward to discussing these changes and opportunities as part of Thursday’s panel.”
Another highlight of the event will be the unveiling of a new project – YEN TV – which will be introduced by Alan Tisch – Managing Director of Sync Media. Sync Media has exclusive UK rights to a software platform called Newzpoint which allows businesses to set up direct lines of communication with any target audience. YEN TV will be based on Newzpoint and is set to become a central platform for businesses across Yorkshire.
YEN TV will be based in a fully operational TV studio inside Malik House Business Centres’ Crown House complex in Armley Road, Leeds, and will produce a weekly show reporting on all the latest business news from around the region.
Alan has worked in the TV industry for the BBC, ITV and SKY as well as many independent production companies. He said: “The way we communicate has changed. Consumers want the freedom to choose where, when and how they watch content, but above all, people want to watch it NOW. “The need for fast and direct distribution of your message to your target audience is critical for business success. Newzpoint enables you to do this by being seamlessly integrated into your existing website, then sending out the message instantaneously thus streamlining businesses communications.
Alan added, “The aim is to grow YEN TV to include key Yorkshire business stakeholders discussing a variety of subjects in the news, giving viewers a valuable insight into everything that is happening across the county.”
Midland Hotel General Manager Gary Peacock will introduce delegates to The Midland, one of the city’s most prestigious hotels, which is based on Cheapside, Bradford, opposite the new Broadway shopping centre. It is popular with stars of screen and stage when they are visiting the city and will be familiar to many regular delegates having hosted two different YEN events in March and October, 2014.
As always the YEN networking event is free to attend and includes the usual canapés and drinks reception. Registration starts at 6pm.arts at 6pm.
2 Responses
John Rogers
Great idea to include a funding panel at this month’s event. Really looking forward to the event this Thursday!
Alan Broadbent
Looking forward to the event tomorrow. Funding can be a minefield so I’m looking forward to the panels advice to guide SME’s through it 🙂