The DABS Festival of Enterprise returns for its second year on 21 October, 2021 and is now open for registration. It will welcome more than 150 aspiring and new entrepreneurs to learn, be inspired, make new connections and discover all the support that makes County Durham the perfect place to develop a business.

As part of the Durham Ambitious Business Start-ups (DABS) programme, which is managed by Business Durham, this year’s live Festival of Enterprise event will be held at the Xcel Centre in Newton Aycliffe, starting at 10am. The free event is open to anyone in County Durham who is thinking of starting a business or has recently started one.

The event will be hosted by former BBC presenter Charlie Charlton.

Attendees can look forward to hearing personal insights and lessons from inspirational speaker, trainer and wellbeing consultant Lizzy Hodcroft, Founder and CEO of futures agency TrendBible, Joanna Feeley, and Mark Wong, Founder of Impossibrew – with more speakers to be announced soon.

Last year’s virtual festival inspirational speakers were highly rated (100% good or excellent) by attendees, who reported leaving feeling motivated and inspired to continue on their own business journey.

There will also be plenty of opportunities throughout the day for attendees to network with each other.

To book a free place and receive updates as more speakers are announced, sign up at www.durhamstartups.co.uk/festival-of-enterprise-2021/

Sarah Slaven, Interim Managing Director of Business Durham, said: “This is our second Festival of Enterprise for DABS – a real highlight in our events calendar to help entrepreneurs to raise their aspirations and succeed in business. Business Durham developed the Durham Ambitious Business Start-ups Programme to ensure new businesses have access to great support and to create the best environment for our entrepreneurs to spark their business ideas and succeed in County Durham. With the opportunity to hear from some of our region’s most inspiring entrepreneurs, as well as successful DABS participants, this promises to be a high-impact event for attendees.”

Carole White, Chief Executive of TEDCO, said: “The Festival of Enterprise is a fantastic opportunity to hear from entrepreneurs at various stages along their business journey. If you are thinking of starting a business or just have the spark of an idea, come along and be inspired.

“This could be the start of your own enterprise journey – what are you waiting for? The TEDCO team will also be on hand to support you every step of the way.”

For anybody who wants support with shaping their business ideas or planning next steps for their business, the DABS website has lots of free resources, or consider joining one of the DABS programmes for more tailored support.

DABS is an ERDF-funded programme that helps high-quality start-ups in County Durham start trading and offers premium quality support during your critical first 12 months in business.


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