The fourth annual Black Country Business Festival will be back this October, bringing two weeks of events that celebrate, support and raise awareness of business in our region.

Last year’s event was moved from its usual May date to October and held entirely online, because of the coronavirus pandemic. But despite the difficult situation, it still included nearly 100 free events, with around 900 businesses taking part.

The Black Country Chamber of Commerce decided to stick with the October date this year, to increase the possibility of in-person sessions as lockdown restrictions are eased. Corin Crane, the Chamber’s chief executive, said: “It’s been a challenging time for everyone for a long while now. The Business Festival is an important part of our annual calendar and will give a real boost to our business community, as we hopefully edge out of this dip and re-mobilise again.”

In 2020, Think Sandwell ran sessions to showcase of our ‘one stop shop’ business services, and also teamed up with the Sandwell Business Ambassadors to host a ‘Meet the buyer’ event with Balfour Beatty, the principal contractor for the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital. We’ll be looking to run similar – and different – sessions in 2021, so watch this space!

If you are interested in hosting or sponsoring an event, then now is the time to get in touch. There are several benefits to being involved, such as brand positioning, making contacts and reaching a wide audience. Contact Gemma West by calling 01902 912304 or emailing hello@blackcountrybusinessfestival.com. For news and updates, you can follow the festival on Twitter.

Whether in-person or online, the Black Country Business Festival is a great opportunity to come together and celebrate everything that makes business in the Black Country brilliant. As Corin said: “We were overwhelmed by the response from businesses last year in the peak of the pandemic, so this year is certainly going to be something to look forward to.”