A number of free business workshops and networking events are taking place over the next few months, facilitated by Belfast City Council.
The events are being run through the Belfast Entrepreneurs Network (BEN) which is a discussion forum for small and medium-sized businesses across Belfast who also have a chance to network and build contacts.
The first of these events got underway on Thursday at The Basement in McHugh’s Bar when Stephen Magorrian from Botanic Inns and Lara Goodall from Lara Goodall Consulting gave a joint talk on the importance of developing “innovative and achievable marketing techniques” that could boost your business.
The next BEN event will take place on Thursday 15 November at The Belfast Barge beside the Waterfront Hall where the guest speaker is David Horn from Tick Tock Design. His talk entitled ‘Understanding the basics of Search Engine Optimisation’ will guide businesses to work on and “progress their websites up the rankings” by focusing on getting the basics right.
Another BEN event will be held on Tuesday 22 January in the Great Hall of the City Hall. This will be a joint networking evening with the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce and will be an opportunity for businesses to network and make new contacts.
The final event will take place on Thursday 7 February in the MAC where the guest speaker is Leonard Brown from Profit Analytics Ltd. Entitled ‘Profit from Numbers’, his talk will look at opportunities to increase profits for small and medium-sized businesses.
All of the BEN events will take place in the evening from 5.30pm-7.30pm and are open to small and medium-sized businesses in the Belfast City Council area. Registration is essential.
To take part in the upcoming BEN events, businesses should email economicdevelopment@belfastcity.gov.uk
Alderman Christopher Stalford, Chairman of Belfast City Council’s Development Committee, said: “Set up five years ago, the Belfast Entrepreneurs Network continues to go from strength to strength. Part-funded by Belfast City Council, BEN provides an excellent opportunity for small or medium-sized businesses across the city to come together, network and share their business experiences. BEN members are also given valuable advice on business development by an expert line-up of business speakers.”
BEN is also financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland.