Match celebrates 2nd anniversary and over 2000 matches

BGH Match recently marked its 2nd Birthday on 21st March with a unique celebratory business networking event at Emirates, Old Trafford. It was a memorable occasion for all as we celebrated our Match networking success stories, connected businesses with our GM Business Growth Hub support and shared all the new opportunities available. 

With a full room and a fantastic atmosphere, attendees listened to Sadie Dales from Three UK share her Match networking success story while also enjoying delicious birthday cupcakes. In the last two years, our GM Business Growth Hub Match events has welcomed more than 2000 businesses to our successful business networking events in Greater Manchester. 

BGH Match, our free business connector network, was established in 2022 to bring together like-minded individuals and encourage collaborations within the business community across all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester after the challenges faced by the pandemic.

Our goals were to provide free and accessible networking opportunities for all businesses, create an environment for new networkers to enhance their skills and enjoy connecting with new people, and make access to business support and guidance easier for everyone. The network rotates events across the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester in collaboration with local councils and stakeholders to ensure accessibility for as many businesses as possible.   

Our BGH Match events are organised in partnership with local stakeholders and partners, allow attendees to explore their local ecosystem and discover available business support. BGH Match offers a variety of opportunities, including general networking events, business roundtables, sector connectors, and supply chain development sessions, to facilitate collaboration among businesses. 

Professionals from all boroughs of Greater Manchester have been drawn to the BGH Match events. Notable among these events was the speed networking session in Trafford, where local business owners and entrepreneurs had the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals. Additionally, a successful event in Tameside raised over £100 for Willow Wood Hospice through a charity raffle. In Leigh, those who attended the BGH Match event had the chance to capture a picture with the Challenge Cup won by the local Leigh Leopards rugby team. 

“We are proud to look back at those who have accessed our business support through attending BGH Match, who have gone on to embed real change within their business through increasing their turnover, creating new jobs, and contributing to the growth of the Greater Manchester economy. A strong network is pivotal to success and when we launched our goals were simple - offer free, accessible networking to all businesses across Greater Manchester, create an environment for new networkers to refine their skills and learn to love connecting with new people and make access to business support and guidance easier for all” explains Nick Shepherd, Business Development and Partnerships Manager at the Hub.     

Discover what’s going on in your area! To register for the GM Business Growth Hub Match events mailing list or check out the latest schedule, please visit https://www.businessgrowthhub.com/match