News story

New calendar unlocks enterprise opportunities in the West Midlands throughout 2012

The_ StartUp 2012: Enterprise Calendar_ highlights at least twelve enterprise opportunities in the region throughout the year. They include …

From:
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
Published
26 January 2012
This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

The_ StartUp 2012: Enterprise Calendar_ highlights at least twelve enterprise opportunities in the region throughout the year. They include competitions, conferences, workshops and networking events that could be the kick-start needed to help a new or growing business venture.

The calendar is part of the new _Business in You _campaign, launched by the Prime Minister earlier this week, which brings together the Government and private sector to inspire people to start or grow their business.

Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk said:

“We want 2012 to be the year of enterprise, where entrepreneurs can unlock their business potential. Enterprise events don’t just take place on one day, or during one week, but they appear throughout the year and across the country. We need to make sure people in the West Midlands know that there is support and advice available, that it is easy to get, and that it’s on their doorstep.

“The Government is committed to providing more opportunities for businesses to start and grow. We are continuing to increase the number of volunteers through the new national mentoring scheme and have launched an improved business link website. The enterprise calendar is a great addition to our support for business in 2012 and beyond.”

Rajeeb Dey, Co-Founder of StartUp Britain and founder of Enternships.com, said:

“The Enterprise Calendar is about helping businesses go for it. It will shine a spotlight on the broad range of plentiful resources that exist for people wanting to start or grow a business in 2012. This will be a unique asset for small businesses to search for, and find, relevant events in their area and plan their year ahead. 2012 promises to be a very exciting year for enterprise - never has there been a better time to go for it in business.”

Also commenting on StartUp 2012, Peter Jones CBE, Dragons’ Den Entrepreneur and founder of the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, said:

“I wish the StartUp Calendar had been around when I was starting up a business. It is a really useful, practical tool and will be invaluable in helping people find the support and inspiration they need over the coming year.”

Notes to editors:

  1. The enterprise calendar can be found on the StartUp Britain website, www.startupbritain.org.
  2. StartUp Britain is the private initiative for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. The campaign was launched by the Prime Minister on 28 March 2011. StartUp Britain aims to raise the profile of entrepreneurship and to celebrate, inspire and accelerate enterprise in the UK. It has the backing of Government, although it is not publicly funded.
  3. We have also launched a mentoring portal: $2 (launched July 2011 and developed in conjunction with the British Bankers Association) to provide a single point of access for those seeking mentoring and those seeking to be mentors across the UK. It is already helping to bring together existing networks of mentors in the voluntary and private sectors. We are encouraging more businesses to volunteer to mentor other businesses and our aim is to develop a network of over 40,000 business mentors.
  4. The Business Link website $2 has been updated and provides easy-to-use information to help start up, improve or grow a business.
  5. The _Business in You _campaign highlights a range of Government initiatives which provide support and advice to entrepreneurs and businesses to help them start up, improve and grow.
  6. Among the events taking place in the West Midlands are:
  1. BIS’s online newsroom contains the latest press notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See [http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom](http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom) for more information.

Notes to Editors

Contact Information

Name BIS Press Office Job Title

Division COI Phone

Fax

Mobile

Email NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk

Name Dan Palmer Job Title

Division Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Phone 020 7215 5303 Fax

Mobile

Email dan.palmer@bis.gsi.gov.uk

Published 26 January 2012