Events

AI That Works For Your Business

Learn how to harness AI tools like ChatGPT to boost your business operations, marketing, customer service—and more. This free, expert-led session will give practical tips, live demos, and peer discussion to help your business start using AI effectively. Targeted at West Lancashire businesses only.

Marketing & Sales Essentials for your start up

A practical workshop for Blackburn with Darwen residents starting a business, covering audience targeting, sales funnels, and affordable marketing channels.

Unique Ladies Networking Chorley: July meeting

Our mission is to support all Women in business, in the Chorley and surrounding areas, no matter which part of their journey they’re at, to achieve their full potential through support, encouragement, knowledge and friendship.

Ready, Set, Grow - From Idea to Impact: Jumpstart Your Business Growth

Join us for another session of our webinar series: Ready, Set, Grow – a space where SME leaders gain real-world insights from those who’ve walked the entrepreneurial journey. Are you an established business owner with 5 or more staff looking for fresh strategies to scale?

Marketing & Sales Essentials for Your Start-Up

A practical workshop for Pendle-based start-ups led by business advisor Andy Hall. Learn how to define your audience, create a sales funnel, and use low-cost marketing to build your brand and grow with confidence.

Choosing the right social media platforms for your audience

Explore the social platforms that could help you reach your target customers, and more importantly, the right ones for your business and its growth. Sign up to the UK Export Academy on Business.gov.uk to access free events.

Degree Apprenticeship Showcase 2025

We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming Degree Apprenticeship Showcase, a dedicated event for businesses looking to grow their talent pipeline through degree apprenticeships.

Funding & Financial Planning for Your Startup

A free workshop to help West Lancashire-based startup founders understand business costs, funding needs, and finance options. Learn how to plan financially and make informed decisions as you launch your venture.

Mastering B2B Sales: From Discovery To Closing

In this Masterclass, you'll learn how to turn leads into paying B2B clients!

Managing social media channels on a budget

Go from social media novice to social media ninja! Join us to learn how to increase your reach and grow your customers. Sign up to the UK Export Academy on Business.gov.uk to access free events.

Build a digital marketing strategy to drive sales

Join our Fuel your Business Growth: Digital Edge series, in this session we will be exploring how to build a successful digital marketing strategy. Sign up to the UK Export Academy on Business.gov.uk to access free events.

Systems & Processes

A free practical workshop for South Ribble businesses to explore how better systems and processes can improve efficiency, reduce errors, and support sustainable growth.

Growing Your Markets

Discover how to grow your customer base with confidence. This Chorley-based workshop will help you identify new markets, assess opportunities, and develop a focused strategy to expand your reach. Ideal for ambitious local businesses looking to scale sustainably.

Know Your Numbers – Pricing, Costs & Margins

A practical session for South Ribble businesses to get confident with financial basics like pricing, profit margins, breakeven, and cashflow. Essential for planning growth and staying in control of your numbers.

People Power

Explore how to attract, motivate, and retain the right people to grow your Pendle-based business led by business advisor Andy Hall. Learn how to build a values-driven culture and improve team performance in this free, practical workshop.

AI that works for your business

A practical workshop for Blackburn with Darwen businesses keen to explore easy-to-use AI tools to save time, automate tasks, and make smarter decisions.

Harnessing Google Business Profile To Bring More People To Your Website

Explore the fundamentals of Google Business Profile in this practical session designed for small business owners.

Been There, Built That: Part 2

Join us 9 July at Society1 with Khalid Saifullah MBE and Camilla Hadcock in conversation with Shirah Bamber.

Lancashire Economic Breakfast (sponsored by Brabners)

The Lancashire Economic Breakfast provides a key opportunity for local business voices to be heard through direct engagement with expert and policy makers. The Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) is not just a survey; it’s a powerful tool that drives decisions and shapes policies affecting our local economy.

Systems & Processes

A free, hands-on workshop for Burnley-based businesses looking to improve efficiency, reduce errors and create smoother workflows by putting the right systems and processes in place.

Know Your Numbers – Pricing, Costs & Margins

Understand your business finances with confidence. This Burnley-based workshop helps local entrepreneurs master margins, breakeven, and cashflow — so you can make smarter decisions and grow sustainably.

Funding & Financial Planning for Your Startup

A hands-on session for early-stage founders in Pendle looking to fund their startup. Learn how to understand your costs, forecast effectively, and explore funding routes with clarity and confidence. Led by business advisor Andy Hall

Converting followers into customers

Find out how to reap the rewards of good social engagement by turning those likes into paying customers. Sign up to the UK Export Academy on Business.gov.uk to access free events.

fhunded X River Capital: Founder X Funder event (Equity Investment)

An event for those Lancashire businesses looking to raise Equity Investment - Founder X Funder event run by fhunded, and River Capital with Informal Networking and VC insights from River Capital.

Marketing & Sales Essentials for Your Start-Up

A free, practical session for West Lancashire-based startups to learn how to define a target audience, build a simple sales funnel, and use low-cost marketing channels effectively.

Accounting Essentials for Business Owners

Get confident with your business finances. This Pendle-based session helps local founders understand key financial documents, accounting tools, and how to forecast with clarity — even if you’re not from a finance background. Led by business advisor Andy Hall.

People Power

A practical workshop for Blackburn with Darwen businesses focused on attracting, motivating, and managing the right team to grow your business.

Amazon Academy - Session Two

Learn from a master how to become an expert seller on Amazon, then sit back and watch your sales rack up as Amazon does the hard bit!

Shaping Preston's Future by Remembering Its Past

Our next Live Work Create event invites local voices to explore how remembering and honouring our shared heritage can guide our city's future. What does it mean to remember a place? And why does it matter for the future of our city?

Unlocking Your Vision & Offer

A hands-on workshop to help West Lancashire-based entrepreneurs define their mission, clarify their offer, and create a strong foundation for business success. Perfect for pre-start and startup founders.

Growing Your Markets

Designed for Pendle-based businesses ready to grow, this workshop offers practical strategies to identify new customer segments and expand your market reach through effective planning.

Preston Tech Connection: Web3 Is Dead. Or Is It?

Preston Tech Connectionis a group centred around an interest in digital technologies. We meet monthly to discuss interesting and topical subjects. Our July topic is 'Web3 Is Dead.

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: July

Preston Freelancer MeetUp and Coworking Day This is a regular meet up for freelancers, home workers, solopreneurs and alike. It is aimed to provide the opportunity to meet and connect with other likeminded people working in a similar way.