Meet the Buyer puts the fizz in new business pitches

7th Oct 2021

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) is inviting suppliers to register for its annual Meet the Buyer event, which takes place online on Thursday 4 November.

Delivered as part of the Winning Business with Bank of Ireland series, it provides local suppliers with the opportunity to pitch their products and services to organisations with significant procurements needs. Large buyer organisations attending include Coca-Cola HBC, Harland & Wolff, Henderson Group, NIE Networks, Queen’s University Belfast, Sandvik, Randox and Moy Park, among others.

A full list of buyers and their specific requirements can be found on the NI Chamber website and any supplier with the ability to meet these is invited to register their interest in attending. NI Chamber will complete a bespoke matching process, to set-up relevant one-to-one meetings for 4 November. As well as virtual meetings, on the day, attendees will be able to avail of digital networking and learning opportunities.

Inviting suppliers to get involved, Tanya Anderson, Head of International and Business Support at NI Chamber said:

“Meet the Buyer is unique, in that it gives local suppliers unprecedented access to procurement specialists with significant buying power. They come ready to do business and are engaged with us because they want to boost their local supply chain.

“The event is about laying the foundations for fruitful future partnerships and we know it works. 90% of attendees at last year’s event identified new markets. It was also hosted digitally, enabling 86% of people to widen their business network in a single morning.

“We are encouraging businesses with the capacity and appetite for new business to seize this opportunity to get in front of decision makers and register their interest in attending.”

Niall Devlin, Head of Business Banking NI at Bank of Ireland UK added:

“We understand the importance of Winning Business and with supply chain resilience remaining top of mind for many business, building strength and agility to protect against future shocks means many are looking at options. These options include dual sourcing of raw materials, increasing their stocks of critical products and near-shoring or regionalising their supply chains, all of which present an opportunity to win business. That’s why ‘Meet the Buyer’ is an important opportunity for local SME’s, as it provides unique access to procurement specialists in quality and recognised business brands with significant buying power. We would encourage all local businesses to get involved.”

To confirm an interest in attending Meet the Buyer 2021 as a supplier, register on the NI Chamber website before Wednesday 13 October 2021.