Brentwood Borough Council’s first speed networking event for businesses in the Borough was a great success with nearly 60 businesses taking part.

The event which took place last Wednesday at the De Rougemont Manor Hotel in Brentwood was a chance for local businesses to take part in a unique, fun and efficient way of networking with a large number of people as well as give them the opportunity to find out more about how the Council is supporting economic development in the Borough.

In a twist to the business networking format, the style of networking rotations gave attendees the chance to meet more people, more effectively, than they would have done at a traditional networking event.

Also popular on the day was a pre-event presentation for anyone who is considering or wanted to find out more about employing an apprentice.

Brentwood Borough Council's Chair of the Business & Town Centres Committee, Councillor David Kendall, said: “In the last year we created the Business and Town Centres Committee because we are committed to supporting the businesses in our Borough. With the speed networking event, we wanted to bring something fresh and a bit different to the business community and I believe we achieved that. I took part in the speed networking myself and I really enjoyed meeting a lot of new people running a whole variety of different businesses.

The event placed priority on local businesses working together and showcasing why the Borough of Brentwood is the place to do business. We secured the support of the Brentwood Borough Renaissance Group and we also subsidised the event so that it offered the very best value for money.”