Evolve and Inspire awarded £15,000 from BCP Council to deliver ‘The BCP Business Festival’

Evolve has been awarded a £15,000 grant from BCP Council to deliver a week-long Evolve ‘Bounce Back’ Business Festival in November, in partnership with its sister company, Inspire. The grant forms part of BCP Council’s efforts to generate pride in the local area and provide long-term benefits for the wider business community.

Evolve founder Warren Munson said: “We’re so excited to receive this grant to fund The BCP Business Festival. The last 12-18 months has been tough on businesses and we want to give business leaders not just the opportunity to build their business back up again but also build themselves back up again. We want guests to come away from any event they attend having connected with like-minded individuals, learnt something new and feeling upbeat, positive and raring to go back to their business and life.”

The BCP Business Festival is a follow-on from the 2019 Evolve Business Festival, which hosted eight events at different venues across Poole and Bournemouth. Over 130 local companies attended, and events ranged from intimate ‘round table’ meetings to a large charity dinner with Eddie Howe as guest speaker.

For the 2021 festival, businesses can choose to attend up to 12 free events from breakfast, lunch and dinner events examining topics from Change Management, Understanding Leadership & Influence and Sustainable Working, to Building Resilience, Diet & Lifestyle and The Future of Working. There will also be webinars and virtual relaxation classes exploring Pre-work Yoga, Breath Work & Meditation Practice.

Subject to finalising venues and speakers, the BCP Business Festival will commence in November with an ‘Entrepreneur & Founders Evening’ in Bournemouth. This major event will bring together business leaders from around BCP to hear successful entrepreneurs tell their story.

Evolve will be partnering with Inspire, an independent and award-winning business and tax advisory firm, on the festival. Collectively, the two firms provide ambitious business owners and entrepreneurs with a wide range of business and skills development services and have supported over 500 businesses through both challenging and successful times.

Councillor Philip Broadhead, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economy at BCP Council, said: “Following a competitive application process, we are pleased to award this grant to Evolve. This project is just one of many innovative initiatives that our latest package of discretionary business support will now bring to life. It will contribute towards Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole’s reputation as a place where businesses can continue to flourish and grow.’’

Details of the festival programme will be available on Evolve’s website social channels in due course. To register your interest, follow the link here. More updates will be sent to you over the next few months.