Next Gen business leaders learn from the experts in readiness for Humber Business Week

The young people underlined the importance of being able to make new contacts face to face, and of being able to follow up by using a new Biz Week website which has been redesigned ahead of the 2025 event.

Two students from the College were hands-on throughout the “Get Ready for Humber Business Week 2025” preview at the MKM Stadium, helping with check-in, guest management and catering.

Others joined the audience for a series of presentations which addressed online and physical accessibility requirements, wider issues around around Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) and the importance of promoting the Humber placebrand. 

Faith Henry, who hopes to work on the business side in the NHS when she leaves College, said: “I like the new website. It looks very accessible and easy to use to people won’t get confused. It will encourage people to take part because it’s taken a lot of the admin out of it and that will help people be creative about their event.”

Lily Platten, who is interested in setting up her own business, said: “It was good to find out about the event management side of things. It was interesting to see how they are more focused on the people and meeting people’s needs rather than the first thing being to make money.”

Sergio De Sousa and Bryan Bahati, who are both deciding between going to university or into work when they leave the College, made the most of the opportunity to connect with people from the Humber business community.

Sergio said: “I came for the experience, to hear the different views of people involved in business and get insight about different ideas. You find out more about things by going to an event and talking to people than by looking at a screen.”

Bryan added: “Networking is an important part of business that many people overlook, talking to other people and getting to know them. We have both received some useful information from some of the people we’ve heard from today.”

Humber Business Week will take place across the Humber region during week commencing Monday 2 June and the programme will again feature the Future Humber Bondholder Breakfast, the Humber Business Week Lunch, Chamber Expo, the HullBID Inspiring People Dinner, Hull City Council’s Business Breakfast, the University of Hull Celebration Dinner and The Business Day at Bridlington Spa. The full programme will be announced at the official Humber Business Week programme launch at Hull Truck Theatre from 5pm until 6.30pm on Thursday 10 April.

Exhibitors can register their own events on the official Biz Week website at https://humberbusinessweek.co.uk/ until Friday 23 May.