Minority Business Matters (MBM) hosts an empowering networking event ‘Opportunity Connects’ bringing together London-based ethnic minority businesses and Creative and Cultural Industries freelancers for a session filled with learning, networking, and inspiration.
Highlights from MBM’s networking event ‘Opportunity Connects’
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30 July 2024 |
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On 25 July, Minority Business Matters brought together London-based ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) and Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) freelancers at the University of Westminster for the launch of their first networking event, Opportunity Connects. The expert panel featured procurement professionals from high profile organisations such as IHG Hotels & Resorts and the City of London Corporation, as well as representatives from Gazelle Global Group, Gbolade Design Studio, and MSDUK. With insightful talks and a hands-on workshop on effective business networking, the event provided valuable opportunities for the diverse collection of EMBs, as well as private and public sector institutions attending to connect and grow. Here’s a recap of the day’s most memorable moments.
The day began with an empowering panel discussion led by Dawn Jarvis, Founder and CEO of Dawn Jarvis Ltd. Each speaker shared their unique perspectives on procurement and the importance of fostering strong relationships within the supply chain. In addition to the insightful talks, the event provided an invaluable workshop delivered by Dawn on effective business networking, with plenty of opportunities for attendees to put networking skills into practice.
”The energy in the room today was great! The positive atmosphere and the wealth of knowledge shared truly made the day a success.
Karolina Jagodzinska,Accelerator Manager at MSDUK
Fashion blogger Soni Panda reflected “My takeaways from the event: being human and having a real conversation can go such a long way compared to hard selling when you meet someone; don’t dismiss connections just because they ‘might not’ be for you or your company, and everyone in the room has a voice, and will hold value somehow!”
”Events like this help to demystify some of the procurement processes employed by larger organisations to mitigate risks and achieve ROI, and break down entry barriers for small businesses.
Nadia FordeDelivery Lead for Minority Business Matters
“Businesses need to sell to survive and thrive, but tyring to sell to large organisations comes with a unique set of challenges and a multitude of perceived and, often, very real barriers” says Nadia.
We extend a huge thank you to our brilliant speakers: Leslie Owusu (Gazelle Global Group), Lanre Gbolade (Gbolade Design Studio), Monica Patel (City of London Corporation), James Havey (IHG Hotels & Resorts), Karolina Jagodzinska (MSDUK), and Dawn Jarvis (Dawn Jarvis Ltd). And also to the University of Westminster for hosting, with special thanks to Tom Ashman and Mazia Yassim.
About Minority Business Matters
Minority Business Matters is a business support project that helps ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) in London become ready to do business with leading brands and the public sector. The project is a partnership between Heart of the City and MSDUK and is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Visit the Minority Business Matters website to find out more: www.minoritybusinessmatters.com
Creative and Cultural Industries’ Freelancer Directory
To support the drive for diversity and inclusion within Creative and Cultural Industries, earlier this year Minority Business Matters launched the Creative and Cultural Industries’ Freelancer Directory, a directory of certified ethnic minority freelancers across London. It’s free to use for any London-based EMB freelancer, as well as those looking to secure CCI freelancers’ services.
If you’re a freelancer in the UK, join the Minority Business Matters’ Creative and Cultural Industries Freelancer Directory via the website here: www.minoritybusinessmatters.com/cci/
Additional resources
Westminster Enterprise Network (WeNetwork) is the University of Westminster’s entrepreneurial network which brings together students and recent graduates with industry to develop their entrepreneurial skills, engage in self-employment work and create businesses.
To find out how WeNetwork can support you with your business goals, contact wenetworkb2b@westminster.ac.uk with the subject title ‘Creative Live Brief’.
This event was funded by the #UKSPF
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