Swansea City set to stage virtual City Business Network event
Swansea City Football Club is all set to operate its City Business Network events virtually during the 2020-21 season. The Swans’ ‘Survive, Revive and Thrive’ networking event will be hosted on Zoom instead of in person at the club’s Liberty Stadium. The first event is scheduled for Thursday 22nd October and will run between 10am and 12pm. The two-hour slot will feature a string of engaging guest speakers, as well as the chance to take part in a Q&A session with City’s own chief executive Julian Winter.
The City Business Network initiative is designed to create a community of businesses in the local area with a shared passion for Swansea City Football Club. Now more than ever the city’s entrepreneurs and local businesses need to rally together to thrive in the post-COVID-19 economy.
A new-look City Business Network lies in-store amid the ‘new normal’
Last season, the City Business Network proved exceptionally popular, averaging over 65 delegates per event. This year, the Swans have managed to obtain a host of new local partners for the City Business Network for the 2020-21 campaign.
There are five different tiers of packages for businesses looking to get involved with the City Business Network, catering for budgets at both ends of the spectrum. The businesses involved will get the chance to invest in initiatives such as matchday and digital advertising to generate a return on investment from the community, whilst benefitting from the increased networking opportunities. All businesses active with the City Business Network will also be enrolled in its exclusive LinkedIn community, providing yet another platform to interact and network with like-minded professionals in the Swansea area, which remains a thriving hub for start-ups.
The likes of Budget Carpets, Gower College, Dawsons and the SA1 Group have all signed up to the top-tier platinum package for the City Business Network, putting their faith in the club and the local business community at this difficult period. Dave Roberts, owner of Budget Carpets, says that his company has been “proud sponsors” of the club for “many years” and in this unprecedented period the firm is looking to “give back to the club’s supporters” in the way of exclusive discounts for season ticket holders.
It’s been an equally uncertain time for Swansea City themselves, with the disappointment of missing out on promotion to the Premier League via the Championship playoffs coupled with the greatly reduced matchday income from 2020/21 Championship fixtures for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, Steve Cooper’s men have started the 2020/21 campaign encouragingly, picking up ten points from a possible 12. City are now as short as 12/1 with Marathonbet in the outright betting to win the 2020/21 Championship title.
What to expect from the inaugural virtual City Business Network event this month
This season’s first virtual City Business Network seminar will be hosted by Sioned Dafydd, with a string of industry experts lined up to talk and impart their knowledge and expertise. Local solicitor Peter Lynn is a guest speaker who will be providing three key areas of business advice for those looking to start or grow a business in these uncertain times. First and foremost, Mr Lynn will cover employment and the impact of furlough and redundancy, followed by ways businesses can futureproof themselves, spanning tax planning, shareholder agreements and debt management.
Wealth management guru Danni Watts-Jones is also scheduled to talk to the CBN viewers about the concept of lifestyle financial planning. Ms Watts-Jones will use her slot to outline ways to ‘recession-proof’ businesses. Meanwhile Phil Jones from the SOFIT Group will also be talking about the importance of mental and emotional wellbeing among a business’ employees. Mr Jones will provide useful advice for business owners to provide adequate support for staff to simultaneously improve their state of mind and productivity.
How can you get involved with the City Business Network?
Those interested in registering for the first virtual City Business Network event of the 2020/21 season can email cbn@swanseacity.com to receive further details.