Bracknell Business Improvement District (BID) held its first annual ‘Know Your Neighbour’ evening event on Thursday 28th April, kindly hosted by Waitrose & Partners, for BID area businesses to network and develop relationships and to encourage growth and prosperity in Bracknell. The event took place at Waitrose Conference Centre on Willoughby Road. The Waitrose Conference Centre is a spacious multi-functional facility comprising of conference rooms of various sizes based in the Southern Business Area.
Over forty attendees from thirty local businesses were in attendance at the event, and helped to facilitate key relationships with one another for inter-trading opportunities. Seven businesses also took up exhibition stands, showcasing their business offerings to other attendees.
Attendees were treated to a complimentary glass of wine, tea or coffee on arrival and time to network with other businesses in attendance, before settling down for presentations from Bracknell BID and Waitrose & Partners.
Maria Sabey, Head of UK and Ireland Property at Fujitsu, and Chair of the Bracknell BID Board welcomed attendees and Sean Griffin, the BID Manager, provided an overview of the BID’s operations, the BID’s vision and the projects the BID has delivered and planned relating to its primary objectives.
Sean outlined the projects such as a new footpath link between Downmill Road and Longshot Lane, brickwork cleansing at Farleymoor Lake, vegetation cutbacks, a new subway mural, a ‘virtual neighbourhood watch’ DISC, tidy days as part of the great British Spring Clean, a 5K Healthy walking/running route with fitness sessions, and publicly accessible defibrillators.
Sean also showcased several exciting projects the BID currently has in progress, such as EV charging, a recruitment fair, wayfinding scheme, improved lighting, CCTV and ANPR coverage, pocket parks, as well as introducing our ‘I Work’ Loyalty Card for Bracknell BID area employees to claim exclusive deals and offers.
Sean also highlighted several future projects the BID is currently scoping out to improve the trading environment, such as broadband infrastructure improvements, an employee shuttle bus, Western Road improvements, appearance and accessibility improvements to Longshot Lane estate, sustainable transport initiatives such as e-bicycles and e-scooters, pedestrian crossing improvements on Downshire Way, as well as an investor event to encourage further inward investment in Bracknell.
Andy Smith, Head of Workplace and Facilities at Waitrose & Partners, welcomed attendees to the Conference Centre and introduced Melanie Dyer, Partner & Facilities Manager, who delivered an engaging presentation on Waitrose’s fifty-year history in Bracknell.
Melanie’s presentation covered the origins of how Waitrose came to be a household name, as well as how the Headquarters underwent a major expansion within the Southern Business Area to accommodate its rapid retail expansion across the country. The presentation touched upon recent milestones the business has been able to achieve, such as the key offices, buildings and operations it has opened in Bracknell. One of the most notable is the Food Innovation Studio that opened in Bracknell in 2019, with Prince Charles visiting to taste test some of Waitrose’s newest products.
Once presentations came to a close, there was a business card draw for two prizes; a bottle of wine kindly provided by Waitrose and a photographic headshot worth £200 from The Headshot Guy, based at 329 Bracknell in the Southern Business Area. A special congratulations to Marc Turner from B-Tech Engineering (Pictured) for winning the draw and prizes.
Attendees then enjoyed an elaborate buffet kindly provided by Waitrose & Partners, with further time to network within the conference style spacing of exhibition stands.
Bracknell BID would like to thank all attendees for attending, Waitrose & Partners for supporting and hosting the event, and the Headshot Guy for providing a prize for the draw.
The ‘Know Your Neighbour’ Event organised by Bracknell BID is part of our series of monthly networking events organised by the BID, with ‘Meet Your Neighbour’ Business Breakfasts hosted every month at a different business, for attendees to network over a complimentary breakfast and to understand the host business’s services and history in Bracknell.
To find out more about future events click here.
