Network Central returns to Sandy Park
Network Central, the giant business-to-business exhibition, is returning to Exeter in November.
Among the highlights of the event promises to be a talk by Sally Hurst, the owner and founder of The Old Bag company, who is also the wife of Burts Chips’ founder Nick.
The free-to-attend event, at Sandy Park on Thursday, 29th November, also features a host of expert speakers on a wide range of subjects from business growth to the local press and media.
And there’ll also be a reverse Dragons’ Den hosted by Mark Jenkins of Exeter City Football Club, featuring Judith Flood from Thomas Westcott Accountants, Emily Wright from Cotton Frog, Andrew Patrick from Quick Store, Julian Tagg of Exeter City and Richard Jacobs from the Marsh Barton EIC group.
This year’s event will be raising money for the Devon-based charity Families for Children Adoption.
Among the Dragons in the reverse den will be Julian Tagg, chief executive of Exeter City FC. A successful businessman in his own right, Julian was first linked with the club when, as a 14-year-old pupil of Ladysmith School, he became a member of its youth set-up.
However, he went on the become a teacher after studying at Exeter College and St Luke’s, before leaving the blackboard behind to concentrate on his property development and management company, as well as his successful soccer schools.
He well remembers the advice his grandfather gave him when he was a teenager: “Earn twice as much as the average man or else you will always be chasing the rainbow.”
When Exeter City ran into deep financial difficulties, he was alarmed that it could mean the end for its centre of excellence, so became involved in the bid to save the club.
“That was a steep learning curve in the business sense,” he said. “We quickly had to learn all about Company Voluntary Arrangements and had a big fight with the taxman after the rules on preferential football creditors were changed.
“But now I’m proud to say the club is probably the only one in England that’s not in debt – we don’t even have an overdraft.
“I’ll be delighted to share my experiences with other businesses and visitors to the Network Central event, I’m very much looking forward to it.”
Fellow Dragon Richard Jacobs, director of the EIC Group, parent company of South West Metal Finishing, runs a family business which employs 140 people, and has been described as an ambassador for Exeter.
He said: “Exeter is a good place to do business, it’s a nice working environment: I can be on my boat in 10 minutes in one direction or in my office in 10 minutes in the other direction.”
Other highlights of the Network Central event, which runs from 10am to 3pm, include speed networking sessions, and a Knowledge Takeaway featuring experts in the fields of business growth, the media, customer service and employment and safety issues.
Organiser Rod Major said: “Network Central is delighted to be returning to Exeter once more. We’ve had some fantastic exhibitions here in the past. So far this year we’ve got more than 80 exhibitors and are expecting at least 500 people through the doors of Sandy Park.
“For 2012 we’re delighted to be sponsored by some regional heavyweights in the shape of the Exeter Chamber of Commerce and Industry, office suppliers Danwood, and Basepoint Business Centres.”
For more information and to find out how to exhibit, go to http://networkcentral.me/events/exeter-3/
