Business Boost Hub

Identify the barriers. Find the support. Unlock your potential.

There is more support available to Essex businesses than many realise, and much of it is completely free.

Visit the Business Boost Hub at the Festival of Business for a practical, hands-on opportunity to explore the challenges facing your organisation and discover the support available to help you overcome them.

Whether you’re struggling to recruit skilled staff, looking to improve productivity, exploring new technologies, seeking funding opportunities, developing future talent pipelines, or planning your next phase of growth, the Business Boost Hub brings together experts and organisations that can help.

Drop in for a conversation and connect directly with organisations that provide practical support, including:

• • • • Greater Essex Careers Hub – helping businesses engage with schools, colleges and future talent.
      • University of Essex – access to research, innovation support, graduate recruitment and work placements.
      • Supply Chain Academy – workforce development, skills support and supply chain growth opportunities.
      • SEATS – specialist support for workforce development and sector skills.
      • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) – recruitment support, access to local talent and employment programmes.
      • FEDEC / Essex Provider Network (EPN) – connections to training providers and workforce development solutions.
      • Able Futures – support to improve employee wellbeing, resilience and workplace productivity.
      • Flick Learning – specialist digital learning and professional development solutions.
      • The Bridge – business advice, support programmes and growth guidance.
      • The British-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce – opportunities to develop international connections and trade relationships.
      • The Apprenticeship Hub – expert guidance on apprenticeships, funding and workforce planning.
      • Thames Freeport – region-wide skills, training, and community projects focused on the boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, and Thurrock.
      • Greater Essex Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) – strategic skills brokerage, employer-led solutions and access to skills support programmes.

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Discover what the Business Boost Hub can offer your business

Join our experts in the Orangery at 10.25am or 1.15pm for a panel discussion exploring the support available to help your business move forward. Then visit the Hub throughout the day to continue the conversation, ask questions and connect with the organisations that can help.

By visiting the Hub, your business could benefit from:

✅ Access to free training and workforce development opportunities
✅ Graduate, undergraduate and apprenticeship talent pipelines
✅ Recruitment support and access to local labour markets
✅ AI, digital and productivity improvement advice
✅ Employee wellbeing and retention support
✅ Innovation, research and knowledge transfer opportunities
✅ Skills brokerage and funding guidance
✅ New business connections and collaborative partnerships
✅ Support to address current challenges and unlock future growth

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Whether you want to develop your workforce, improve productivity, embrace new technologies, build talent pipelines or simply understand what support is available, the Business Boost Hub provides a single place to access expertise, advice and practical solutions.

Come with a challenge, a question, or an ambition for your business. Leave with new contacts, fresh ideas and a clearer route to growth.

Whilst we endeavour to ensure the attendance of our advertised speakers, exhibitors, vendors and displays, we cannot be held responsible for any last minute changes.

All timings are approximate and subject to change. We advise arriving as early as possible to avoid queues and missing any speakers or displays.