Big name supporters back Lancashire Festival of Business

NatWest, Chorley Council and East Lancahire Chamber of Commerce have joined an impressive line-up of support for the first Lancashire Festival of Business, which takes place on Thursday 1 February.

The three join partner Boost, Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub, and supporters Napthens and PM+M in backing the event which has been organised by Lancashire Business View.

The festival will take place at Dunkenhalgh Hotel in Clayton-le-Moors and will feature interviews, panel debates and masterclasses covering topics such as funding, recruitment, leadership, strategy, boosting sales and getting started with ESG.

Delegates will be inspired by the stories and expertise of well-known Lancashire figures such as Edwin Booth, executive chairman of supermarket chain Booths, Paul Fox, CEO of the rapidly-growing Fox Group. Paul White, once of the Modern Milkman and now founder and CEO of PatchApp UK, Adam Turner, managing director of the Chorley Group and Caroline Noblett, the new managing director of Granby are also on the line-up.

Heather Waters, regional enterprise manager at NatWest, said: “The Lancashire Festival of Business is a fantastic new event for the entrepreneurial community. As the biggest lender to SMEs in the country we are delighted to support it.

“The agenda for the day is dynamic and interesting, with opportunities for business owners to learn and to find the support they need to start up, scale up and grow. I’m looking forward to meeting inspirational business leaders and sharing more about the support available to them from NatWest at every stage of their business journey.”

Phil Owen, senior business engagement officer (digital), at Chorley Council said: “The business engagement team at Chorley Council are excited to support the inaugural Lancashire Festival of Business.

“We look forward to helping support Chorley businesses in the future and being part of what promises to be a day of opportunities, learning and inspiration.”

Miranda Barker, chief executive of Chamber of Commerce East Lancashire, said: “Through the Lancashire Business Festival we know Lancashire Business View will bring a whole host of useful speakers and vital information for our business community together in one place - we are delighted to be part of it.”

The exhibitors at the event are Brown & Co, Chorley Council, Department for Business & Trade, East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Edge Hill University, Lancashire Business View, Love to Brand, NatWest, Rossendale Borough Council, South Ribble Council and The Sales Lady.

The festival will feature a main stage (the inspiration zone), masterclass stage (the learning zone), alongside the Boost zone one-to-one zone and refreshment zone.

Confirmed speakers so far are: 

• Jamie Allison, partner and head of real estate, Napthens
• Miranda Barker, CEO, East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce
• Rob Binns, founder, Cotton Court
• Edwin Booth, executive chairman, Booths
• Jen Briggs, head of HR and partnerships, James' Places
• Helen Clayton, managing partner, PM+M
• Paul Fox, CEO, Fox Group
• Mark Gibbons, senior specialist, Access 2 Finance
• Andrew Leeming, programme manager, Boost
• Caroline Noblett, managing director, Granby
• Stephen Sykes, director of sustainability, East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce
• Helen Tebay, founder, The Sales Lady
• Heather Waters, regional eco-system manager, Natwest
• Paul White, founder and CEO, PatchApp UK

Stephen Bolton, managing director of festival organisers Lancashire Business View, said: “We are excited to see the level of enthusiasm that our first ever Lancashire Festival of Business has generated.

“We’re grateful for the support of the business community and are proud of the calibre of organisations who are not only backing the event but will also be there in-person for delegates to meet.”

Tickets for the festival are available at www.lancashirebusinessview.co.uk