On Wednesday 7^th February we attended The Business Hub – Embrace 2024 Event at The Orangery in Margam Country Park.

Over 130 businesses from the Swansea Bay area had registered to attend, and there was 20 exhibitor stalls for attendees to network with including universities and colleges, local authority and various businesses. There was a varied agenda of guest speakers – from changemakers to local talent and inspirational entrepreneurs.     

The event began with a warm welcome from Amy Price, director of Social Butterfly Marketing and The Business Hub Wales. Our Portfolio Director Jon Burnes then took the stage to update the audience on City Deal progress, as well as a summary of key projects happening across the region including the Celtic Freeport opportunity and Swansea City Centre developments.

Rhian Manning MBE founder of the 2Wish charity then shared her heartfelt, truly inspiring story on how she set up the charity in memory of her son and husband.

Rhain was followed by Lee Morgan from Natwest bank who gave an insight into the power of Mindset and the banks Accelerator programme, followed by Paul James from Redkite Solicitors talking about legal risks for businesses.

Neil Andrews closed the guest speaking sessions by giving a talk on the importance of health and nutrition, and how to create a healthier lifestyle.

After the guest speakers concluded, the attendees had the opportunity to network with each other and talk to the exhibitors.

From a City Deal perspective, we met with several interesting businesses and took advantage of this great chance to pass on good news stories and also promote the upcoming opportunities.