Nottingham: Ethnic minority business conference

A free conference to provide an exchange of ideas and support for minority businesses will take place in Nottingham next week.

The ‘Establishing a national voice for ethnic minority businesses’ conference organised by Ethnic Minority Business Advocacy Network (EMBAN) will explore the role that ethnic minority entrepreneurs play in future business and job creation.

EMBAN was set up by four of England’s Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) last year to promote the interests of ethnic minority run enterprises and encourage and support more entrepreneurs from this sector.

And at next Tuesday's conference leaders of minority business organisations and policy makers will hear the economic arguments for the provision of greater support for ethnic minority businesses in the future. They will also exchange ideas and learn about the latest developments in ethnic minority business policy.

Professionals working in business support and policy, those running minority enterprise support networks and others involved in economic development are invited to attend the conference.

Speakers are drawn from a diverse range of organisations which represent and promote ethnic minority entrepreneurs. Cathy Francis, a Deputy Director at Communities and Local Government (CLG), will provide a perspective on how ethnic minority businesses can make the most of the opportunities available to them.

It is estimated that businesses run by entrepreneurs from ethnic minorities already contribute more than £20 billion to the UK economy per year, five per cent of the total contribution made to the British economy by small and medium sized enterprises. Many ethnic minority run businesses operate in high value sectors such as finance, IT and creative industries, and they have also established strong trading links with India and China, which have wider benefits for the national and regional economy.

Ian Harrison, Head of Business Support and Enterprise Policy at emda, (East Midlands Development Agency) which leads on EMBAN, said: “This conference is a unique opportunity for people involved in business policy making, to come together to share ideas about how best to support ethnic minority entrepreneurship over the coming years.

“It is vitally important that we provide the right environment to nurture and develop a new generation of entrepreneurs from the ethnic minority communities, who will play a vital role in the creation of new jobs and prosperity throughout the UK in future.”

To register for the EMBAN/EMDA conference on Tuesday, 23 November, click here.