AN EVENT to highlight business opportunities for local suppliers is taking place in Sunderland on Wednesday February 8 at 10am.
Sunderland City Council is inviting local businesses to its ‘Meet the Buyer’ event at National Glass Centre’s, Riverside Suite to find out about upcoming opportunities to support some of the highest profile events in the region.
Councillor John Kelly, Sunderland City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Public Health, Wellness and Culture, said: “The council is very keen to build on its mutually beneficial relationships with existing contractors, and to encourage new contractors to do business with us.
“We are particularly keen to support businesses from the city and neighbouring areas to submit tenders for council contracts. I would urge local suppliers to come along to the event to learn more about what is coming up and to take advantage of the opportunities available.”
The event will highlight the opportunities associated with events such as Sunderland International Airshow, Sunderland illuminations and The Tall Ships Races 2018 in Sunderland.
Sunderland City Council’s Head of Events, Victoria French, said: “In recent years just the two largest events from the many that are held in the city attract over 1 million visitors and contribute an estimated £14-15m to the city’s economy. This event is aimed at giving as many businesses and organisations the information and opportunity to support the delivery of such important highlights in the city’s year.
Primary events to be discussed include:
The Tall ships Races 2018 in Sunderland
For the first time in its history, Sunderland (once the largest shipbuilding town in the world) is set to welcome the world famous Tall Ships Races in the summer of 2018. (July 11-14) The city has been awarded the honour of start point for the race series. The city will be welcoming around 80 vessels, 3,000 crew from over 15 countries with between 900,000 and 1.5 million spectators expected during the four day event. The positive economic benefit is expected to be between £21 and £28 million and will attract international media interest. As well as on-board corporate events, receptions and sponsor hospitality opportunities, local firms are encouraged to make the most of event from now until 2018 and beyond.
Sunderland Illuminations
The Illuminations incorporates festoon lighting along the seafront along with specific lighting features and motifs. They are well attended, with visitor numbers of over 210,000 in 2016. The Event delivers a significant boost to Sunderland’s seafront economy with estimate spending during the event of £1.96m
Sunderland International Airshow
The Sunderland International Airshow is held on Roker and Seaburn seafront annually in July. The three day event stretches some 1.5 miles with ground activities including military displays and exhibitions, trade & exhibition displays and fairgrounds. The flying programme sees a combination of military aircraft (including the Red Arrows and Typhoon), civilian aircraft and parachute display. Visitor figures of between 800,000 – 1million are across the 3 days, making it one of the largest annual events in the region with a projected economic benefit to the city is £12m-£14m each year.
Ted Salmon, North East England Regional Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses , said: “We wholeheartedly encourage our local members to register for the ‘Buy Sunderland First’ Scheme. This event will not only give them a chance to ask any questions about the scheme, it will also highlight some great opportunities for local businesses to be involved in major regional events that will showcase both their work and our city.”
Attendees at the event will hear about the procurement opportunities available to support the events; how to get involved as a supplier to Sunderland City Council; and hear more about The Tall Ships Races Sunderland 2018 event planning. Council representatives including procurement officers and service managers will be on hand to answer any queries, and this is also a good opportunity to network with other businesses.
Anyone interested in attending will need to register via https://www.eventbrite.