BIPC Lewisham Black History Month Business Forum

Event Objectives

• Celebrate the contribution and resilience of Black-led businesses in Lewisham

• Strengthen community connections and collaboration facilitated with council

• Community led discussion

• Showcase local success stories and role models

• Provide practical support through a workshop

• Create a vibrant, culturally rich experience aligned with Black History Month

Agenda

1. Arrival & Cultural Welcome (2:00 – 2:15)

• Registration & networking

• Information table:

• BIPC Lewisham and Library information

• Partner organisations (support programmes and council teams)

2. Opening & Theme Setting (2:15 – 2:40)

• Welcome from BIPC Lewisham (host)

• Lewisham business team update

• Councillor or senior leader remarks

• Theme keynote: “Celebrating Our Community Through Enterprise”

• Focus on legacy, economic empowerment and collective growth

3. Spotlight: Community Business Stories (2:40 – 3:00)

Short spotlight talks from businesses in the room (3–5 mins each):

• “My business journey”

• “Local employability”

• “From local to scalable”

• “Purpose-led enterprise”

4. Omosola Fiberisima - Interactive Workshop (3:00 – 3:50)

• Practical skills session, business growth strategies and interactive participation

5. Francis Solicitors & local legal specialists - Elizabeth Eigbefoh (3:50 – 4:10)

• Business legal services presentation

• Q&A

6. Lewisham Markets Team (3:50 – 4:10)

• Gateway to market opportunities presentation

• Q&A

7. Panel Discussion: “Stronger Together – Building Black Business Ecosystems” (4:10 – 4:50)

Panel of 3 speakers’ topics:

• Collaboration vs competition

• Access to funding and opportunities

• Role of community networks

• Power of community to support local businesses

• Inspiration and role models of your entrepreneurial journey

• Future of Black enterprise in Lewisham

7. Roundtable Networking: Community Solutions (4:50 – 5:30)

Facilitated discussions topics:

• Leadership

• Funding & finance

• Marketing & visibility

• Collaboration and contract opportunities

• Youth & future entrepreneurs

• Black business eco-system

• Future of Lewisham as a place to do business

• Honouring our communities

Peer to peer learning group identifies:

• 1 challenge

• 1 solution

• 1 opportunity for collaboration

8. Networking and close (5:30 – 6:00)

• Celebration moment:

• Recognition of local Black business achievements

• Call to action:

• Join BIPC programmes and upcoming forum/event dates

• Feedback forms and thanks

• Networking

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