Organisers of Liverpool Loves are delighted to announce the return of Liverpool Loves Business to the three-day festival, which features exciting new additions for 2016.

Liverpool Loves Business will take place between 9am and 5pm on Thursday 4 August at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Pier Head Liverpool.

Last year’s inaugural event was hailed a huge success when it attracted more than 700 delegates from over 420 organisations to the Cunard Building. Liverpool Loves Business was Liverpool City Region’s largest, local SME conference in 2015.

And now with less than three months to go, festival organisers Liverpool-based Orb CIC are excited to announce a new addition for 2016.

Liverpool Loves Business presents The Bigger Pitcher in association with business accelerator programme, Spark Up. The initiative will see the festival join forces with local business networks and offer entrepreneurs from across the City Region the opportunity to compete for up to £5,000 worth of prize money and business support.

The panel of judges will include respected entrepreneurs and business champions, to be announced in the coming weeks.

The exciting new initiative is already generating interest within business support organisations including SEN (Social Enterprise Network), The Women’s Organisation, Launch 22, Jelly, Ignite, and Liverpool & Sefton Chambers of Commerce.

Members of the wider business community are also invited to register their interest to attend or to pitch at the event.

The Bigger Pitcher consists of four categories – Spark Up, Start Up, Growth, and Social Value. Each category features prizes to help develop and grow the winning enterprises, which includes cash prizes and business support.

Spark Up, sponsored by NatWest, will see four entrepreneurs from the Spark Up programme with the best business ideas and potential for future growth, go head-to-head and pitch to win a cash prize of £1,000.

Start Up, sponsored by Liverpool Loves, is open to start ups across Liverpool City Region that are in the early stages. Four start-ups will compete to win £1,000 cash with the best new business idea.

Growth, sponsored by SEISmatch.com, will see four businesses with the biggest opportunity for growth and employment of local people across Liverpool City Region battle it out to win business support services to help them realise their full potential.

Social Value, in association with Liverpool SOUP, features four businesses and projects which demonstrate the most potential for delivering a social impact for disadvantaged people. Liverpool Loves Business delegates will be invited to make a small donation which collectively will form a cash prize direct from the local community.

In addition to The Bigger Pitcher, Liverpool Loves Business will again feature a full programme of seminars, guest speakers, one-to-one business advice clinics, and networking sessions. The full programme will be announced in the coming weeks.

The team behind Liverpool Loves are social enterprise Orb CIC. They have a strong, proven track record in staging major city events and festivals.

Festival Director Josh Boyd, from Orb CIC, commented:

“It’s exciting news that Liverpool Loves Business is back for its second year. We are committed to build on the success of last year’s event by introducing new additions to the programme, which aim to encourage and foster entrepreneurship amongst the next generation of business owners.

“The Bigger Pitcher is expected to attract a huge amount of interest from sole traders, SMEs and entrepreneurs embarking on their journey, keen to be spotted as the next big thing in business. We are delighted to be sponsoring the Start Up category with a cash prize of £1,000.

“Register now to book your free delegate pass. Come along, connect, and boost your business networks by joining lots of like-minded local business people.”

 Jenny Stewart, CEO of Liverpool & Sefton Chambers of Commerce, added:

“Spark Up is delighted to be co-hosting the inaugural The Bigger Pitcher with Liverpool Loves Business to showcase the vast entrepreneurial talent that exists in the City Region.

“Small businesses are a vital part of our city’s future, which is why it is important to support them in every way we can. With more and more successful businesses setting up and contributing to the regional economy, it is paramount for support organisations to work together to provide the best service to help our entrepreneurs to scale and grow. The Bigger Pitcher will provide this platform, whilst bringing together the best talent in the business community.”

 Liverpool City Region businesses are invited to enter The Bigger Pitcher, email info@liverpoolloves.co.uk or visit www.liverpoolloves.co.uk/business for more information and to request an application pack. The deadline for entries is Thursday 30 June.

Register for a complimentary delegate pass on Eventbrite by visiting https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/liverpool-loves-business-2016-tickets-25479463762

Keep up to date about Liverpool Loves Business at www.liverpoolloves.co.uk/Business

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