The speakers:

• Adrian Hawkins OBE – biz4Biz Chairman
• Stephen Ainsworth – Head of Mid-Corporate, Eastern Region at Barclays
• Darren Isted – biz4Biz Magazines Editor
• Ian Taylor – biz4Biz Associate
• Gareth Hawkins – biz4Biz Associate
• Dr Katherine Bean – biz4Biz Associate

Adrian Hawkins opened the presentation with a warm welcome and a focus on business in Hertfordshire and on the success of the biz4Biz Hertfordshire Business Awards programme.

Stephen Ainsworth explained why Barclays were again the headline sponsor of the 2023 biz4Biz Awards. Barclays has been the main sponsor of the awards since they started in 2017 and saw a significant benefit to their brand from such a high-profile, well-run awards programme.

Darren Isted edits the biz4Biz digital magazine portfolio. He highlighted the power of digital magazines with engaging content sent directly to a subscriber’s inbox – biz4Biz has a current reach of 500K readers. Our current range of magazines includes:

• Biz4Biz Insight – first published in 2014
• Sustainability Biz – first published in 2022
• Manufacturing Biz – to be published in 2023

Ian Taylor introduced the biz4Biz Let’s Work Together digital marketing package, which comprises a range of services to promote a company’s brand, products, services, and people. The services on offer include magazine editorials and advertisements, email blasts, blog post promotion, social media support and much more.<

Gareth Hawkins introduced the biz4Biz Business Angels investor scheme. An angel investor invests money in a small business in exchange for a minority stake. Angel investors tend to be entrepreneurs or people with extensive experience in the business world. The Business Angels scheme is suitable for small start-up businesses looking for seed capital and people looking to invest in small businesses.

Dr Katherine Bean demonstrated the new Biz Directory – companies can register for free and create a basic listing to promote their businesses, products and services and record and publish their carbon footprint. Additional chargeable services allow for other content, such as videos, and more opportunities to promote a company via adverts.