The UK’s only face-to-face conference for community business comes to London this October, organised by Plunkett UK in association with Webmart.
The National Community Business Conference 2024 takes place on Wednesday 23 October 2024 and promises to deliver the very best insights and practical advice for community businesses, no matter their stage of trading.
The day includes key industry figures on expert panels, and inspirational community business voices in every session. There will also be plenty of time given to networking, ideas sharing and peer learning, plus a marketplace featuring a range of community business suppliers
The event is from 9.30am – 4pm at Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre, a community-owned venue on London’s South Bank. Our celebratory Rural Community Business Awards follow on at the same venue that evening.
The conference’s programme is designed with plenary sessions plus expert panels, best practice and interactive workshops on a variety of themes including:
Proud to partner with Plunkett
We couldn’t host the conference without the generous support of our headline sponsor, Webmart, a sustainable marketing agency and certified B Corp, with its HQ in Oxfordshire.
Tom Maskill, Webmart’s Chief Client Officer, says, “We are proud to be partnering with Plunkett UK in hosting their National Community Business Conference 2024. Charitable giving is one of Webmart’s cornerstone motivations, and our values of supporting local communities very much align with those of Plunkett’s.
“We know the good they are doing as a charity in delivering better businesses for people, communities, the economy, and the environment, and are delighted to be supporting them by sponsoring this national conference.”
Other conference workshop sponsors include Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP, Charity Bank, Suma Wholefoods and Utility Aid.
Grateful for Webmart’s kind support
The interest in the community business model continues to grow. During 2023 the number of rural community-owned businesses increased by 4% to nearly 800, including 419 community shops and 176 community pubs. Numbers have doubled in number over the last decade.
James Alcock, Plunkett UK’s CEO, says: “It’s always a joy to bring community businesses together to learn from each other and share experiences, and we’re excited to host our annual conference in London this October to allow that to happen again.
“We’re very grateful to Webmart for their kind support in hosting the conference and appreciate our ongoing partnership with them.”
“We are passionate about supporting our movement of community-owned businesses to have the greatest impact they can in their local areas and to see more and more resilient, thriving and inclusive communities across the UK.
“This conference will allow us to come together to provide valuable advice and expertise, inspire and encourage people, and allow rich conversations and connections to be made.”
