biz4biz - about us

A message from our founder and chairman, Adrian Hawkins OBE

Established in 2010 to provide “a voice for business”, biz4Biz ensures that the benefit of businesses to our society is both seen and heard.

Insight Magazine published bi-monthly holds a current circulation of 760,000+ named business professionals across the northern home counties with a 60% open rate on the first day of delivery. Read the latest edition of our Insight magazine at biz4biz.org/insight-magazine.

The Sustainable Biz magazine currently published quarterly holds a national circulation of 850,000 with a focus on technology to save money, carbon footprint assessment and the journey to Net Zero.

The Manufacturing Biz Magazine recently established holds a circulation of one million subscribers across the manufacturing world and is also currently published quarterly.

biz4Biz is also responsible for the very successful Hertfordshire Business Awards now in its 7th year, annual business conferences, our very popular ConneXions lunches, and breakfasts, WebeXions online presentation portal and the new biz4Biz Angel Investment group which has in turn created our investment in BizCrunch a facility to analyse business growth and opportunity.

We are about to launch the biz4Biz business directory to support any business in placing themselves in the public domain, a free service for all basic entries, but with scope to add video and photos at a small fee providing an ideal space to host these important assets.

We also offer a complete range of marketing awareness services and encourage our members to consider our “Let’s Work Together” (LWT) package providing the most complete marketing awareness service with defined reach available. LWT is a unique package to promote a company, its skills, people, products, and services. For more information visit biz4biz.org/lets-work-together

All our services carry a huge 30% discount for Members who also enjoy free editorial on joining biz4Biz. Don’t hesitate and join biz4Biz today online at biz4biz.org/membership

We look forward to you joining biz4Biz and to assisting you in so many ways in the future.

Best Wishes

Adrian Hawkins OBE

A voice for business

We launched our first Insight magazine back in August 2014 followed by our ConneXions business networking group and our phenomenally successful biz4Biz Awards programme.

biz4Biz has become a well-established and highly respected brand that provides a voice for the local business community. As part of our continued growth, we have expanded our activities to cover Herts, Beds, Bucks, Essex and Cambs.

We are now able to offer SMEs the ability to market their businesses via our Let’s Work Together integrated digital marketing package which includes:

Advertising and editorial in our magazines with a readership reach of 500K:
- Insight
- Sustainability Biz
- Manufacturing Biz
Regular biz4Biz ConneXions networking meetings and webinars
Newsletters
Blog posts
Email blasts
Video content in the magazine and on the website
Twitter and LinkedIn posts

In addition, we can offer specialised website promotion via our focused expert pages. These would be suitable for a wide range of professional services companies in accountancy, legal, HR, financial services, property services, corporate finance, IT, marketing, and insurance amongst others.

For more information contact our marketing team on 0330 9002 777

Read about a few of our successful events

Stevenage – A Catalyst for Change 2024

Stevenage the UK’s first New Town has now been in existence for 78 years and is currently undergoing a major Regeneration supported by a Towns Fund achieved by the Stevenage Development Board for the Town. This government investment recognises the need to make Stevenage Even Better, and the huge steps being made in the Pharmaceuticals and Life Science industries, the Advanced Manufacturing Industries and Space and Communications within the Town.

Developments in Skills, Employment opportunities and Infrastructure converge to “level up” the opportunities locally for our residents and businesses and this event celebrates the achievements made to date and what is planned in the future.

Our speakers

RICHARD ROBERTS – Leader of the Hertfordshire County Council

DR SALLY ANNE FORSYTH OBE – Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst – What is a Catalyst?

STEPHEN WARD – Cell & Gene Catapult – What is a Catapult

ANDREW GARDENER – Airbus Defence – The next Catalyst is for “Space and Communications”.

RICHARD HENRY – Leader Stevenage Borough Council – What this means for Stevenage.

TOM PIKE – Stevenage Borough Council – Stevenage Regen update,

LIZ BARCLAY – Small Business Commissioner – What this means to business.

ADRIAN HAWKINS OBE – Chair of the Stevenage Development Board, Herts LEP and biz4Biz – Summary – Q&A

£1 billion Stevenage Regeneration ConneXions lunch

Tom Pike, Deputy CEO at Stevenage Borough Council, speaking at the biz4Biz ConneXions lunch

ConneXions returned on Wednesday 27 April 2022 with a lunch event at the Novotel Stevenage. Our guest speaker was Tom Pike, Deputy CEO at Stevenage Borough Council, who gave a talk about the Stevenage Regeneration Project and what it means for residents and local businesses. Also present was Adrian Hawkins OBE, who is Chair of the Stevenage Development Board.

Over 60 people attended the event and enjoyed a delicious three-course meal and an opportunity to network, make new business contacts, and discuss issues of interest with like-minded business people.

Stevenage, which was the UK’s first New Town, is undergoing a 20-year, £1bn regeneration programme that will bring to life the benefits of living and working in the town. The regeneration project will restore Stevenage to its former glory by creating a new and vibrant place where people can live, work and play.

Read the regeneration event blog post

biz4Biz Sustainability Conference at Rothampsted Research

Richard Roberts, Leader of Hertfordshire County Council, speaking to conference

Over 170 senior business leaders and sustainability experts attended the recent biz4Biz Sustainability Conference at Rothamsted Research to explore how organisations can help drive the net-zero transition, and to get practical guidance on how to shape and finance their business’s net-zero strategy.

Sustainability is a significant driver of transformation in business. Businesses need to put more emphasis on sustainable practices rather than just focusing on the objectives of efficiency and productivity improvements.

Find out more at: biz4biz.org/sustainability-conference/

biz4Biz Zoom meeting with Bim Afolami MP

Bim Afolami talking to a lively audience on Zoom

We would like to extend our gratitude to everyone who attended the biz4Biz ConneXions Zoom meeting on the 13th August 2020, with particular thanks to our guest speaker, Bim Afolami, MP. We were able to collect over £300 for the NHS who have provided us all with incredible support over the course of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Over the course of the meeting, Bim talked passionately about his plan for the future of Hertfordshire and in particular, his ideas to help SMEs recover from the unexpected but understandable downturn in the economy that has left so many businesses struggling.

Read more about the biz4biz Zoom meeting with Bim Afolami

Speech Chef event at North Herts College

biz4Biz members and guests enjoying the Speech Chef event.

On 5 March 2020 Wayne Pike and Bob Ferguson came to offer a three-course meal and explain why writing a great speech is like cooking an excellent meal. The evening was kindly hosted by North Herts College Hitchin where the catering students lent their cooking skills to create a meal designed by Wayne Pike and Stewart Dunlop, Deputy Head of catering at the college. The students also worked front of house serving the food and drink. It was a great opportunity for them to experience a busy restaurant style service.

For more information read the Speech Chef blog about the event

A lively Brexit debate

biz4Biz Brexit debate with left to right
Sir Oliver Heald MP, Adrian Hawkins OBE, biz4Biz Chairman and Peter Lilley MP

biz4Biz has hosted numerous events of interest including Brexit debates and meetings with local political leaders on issues facing Herts-based businesses. Our Brexit debate featured Sir Oliver Heald arguing the UK should remain in the EU, whilst Peter Lilley argued the UK would be better off leaving the EU. The lively debate was attended by 80 local business people.

Hertfordshire business leaders confront EU red tape in Brussels

Geoffrey Van Orden MBE MEP and biz4Biz members in the EU Parliament in Brussels

Have you ever wondered what actually happens within the walls of the EU parliament building in Brussels? A delegation of Hertfordshire business leaders decided to go and find out for themselves on a day trip to the European Parliament in Brussels.

At the European Parliament building we were given a brief history and background on how the EU works. This was followed by a question and answer session with Geoffrey Van Orden MBE MEP, the Conservative Member of the European Parliament for the East of England. Geoffrey Van Orden addressed many of the concerns raised at lunch including regulations and red tape, the cost of the UK’s EU membership, the proposed referendum on the UK’s continued membership.

The trip was an overall success and highlights the commitment of biz4Biz to represent and promote the interests of Hertfordshire’s businesses with local and central government in the UK and the EU.