Business partnerships to be forged at EMA ‘speed dating’ event
A ‘speed dating’ style business event to match local firms with prospective clients is to be hosted by East Midlands Airport (EMA) for the first time.
Interested businesses are being invited to register for the inaugural ‘Meet the Buyers’ event taking place on Thursday 25 January 2024.
It will bring a wide range of businesses from around the region together under one roof. While it will give firms access to potential airport-related clients, the event isn’t limited to that sector. Invitations will extend to small and medium-sized businesses across many industries.
Those on the hunt for suppliers will include public sector buyers and private sector primary contractors with new projects, contracts and other supply chain opportunities.
Previous Meet the Buyer events at Manchester and London Stansted Airports, also owned by EMA’s parent Manchester Airports Group (MAG), have netted over £28m of contracts for local SMEs. MAG’s procurement team will attend the event as prospective buyers.
Marcella M’Rabety, Group Head of Education, Skills and Employment at MAG, said: “EMA sits between Nottingham, Derby and Leicester and this central location and its huge cargo operation providing links to the world’s major trading cities means it plays a crucial role in the regional economy. It’s a role we take seriously which is why we are hosting this event.
“We hope to attract hundreds of attendees and will run a series of meetings throughout the day between buyers we have matched with suppliers, which we expect to result in many new business partnerships being forged. Events like this help businesses make introductions to the right contacts while removing the need for endless cold calls, email chasing and speculative meetings. We hope to establish it as the region’s leading procurement event.”
The event will be held at Radisson Blu at East Midlands Airport on Thursday 25 January 2024 and anyone interested in attending can find out more and register at eastmidlandsmtb.co.uk.