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Fairtrade Fortnight Business Networking Breakfast

Gaining Contracts Through Good Contacts

Hackney Co-operative Developments in partnership with Co-operatives London are delighted to announce that we are hosting another innovative and high-energy Principle 6 networking breakfast as a part of Fairtrade Fortnight

Principle 6 networking events are a co-operative methodology applied to business networking which delivers real results. The event is a chance to tell people about your business, find new customers, and seek that ‘dream’ contact you have been looking for. Principle 6 networking events attract progressive and ethical businesses looking for growth. Invitees to this event include members of Co-operatives London, clients of HCD’s Pioneering Social Enterprise in Hackney, Hackney’s Fairtrade businesses and Hackney Business Network.

The event will be held on the 9th March 2016 between 9.30-11.30am, at the Dalston CLR James Library meeting room, Dalston Junction, and facilitated by Principle 6 co-operative business adviser Sion Whellens. The events are always popular so please avoid disapointment by signing up through our Eventbrite.

What will the event entail?

Adapted from the standard referral technique developed over many years, the event requires delegates to pitch to the room and request the contacts they would like to make. Delegates are asked to think about their contacts, and provide recommendations and introductions to other delegates based on pitches. Each organisation in the room will be given a chance to pitch, and then feed back contacts later in the morning.

The session will last 2 hours and has three main phases:

Sixty Second Pitches: These should include your name, business name, some information about your business, what makes you and your product ‘special’, and most importantly what referrals your are looking for. 

A Ten Minute Slot: a short presentation from Liberation Foods - the UK's only Fairtrade and farmer-owned nut company and winners of Best Fairtrade Business at this year's Mayor of Hackney's Business Awards. This will give delegates a chance to rest and prepare for the next phase!

Referrals and testimonials: Each delegate will take a turn to stand up and tell the room what referrals they are able to make in response to the Sixty Second Pitches. 

The event is designed to facilitate as many contacts for delegates as possible in a short space of time – it is a high energy format with plenty of opportunities for networking and conversations [over a Fairtrade cup of coffee...]!

Fairtrade fortnight, between 29th February – 13th March, is encouraging campaigners to inspire Big Fairtrade Breakfasts in their community – and wake others up to the challenges facing farmers and workers.

As Martin Luther King famously said, ‘before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world’. Despite our dependence on farmers and workers for the foods, drinks and products that we love, about 795 million people are undernourished globally.

Hackney Co-operative Developments are proud to have been announced by Hackney Council and the Hackney Fairtrade Group as Hackney’s Flagship Fairtrade Employer. Hackney is an officially recognised Fairtrade Borough. Fairtrade is a key achievement of the co-operative movement worldwide and is about ensuring a better deal for producers in developing countries and making sure they get a good price for a good product; enabling them to expand their businesses and provide food for their families..

Is there a charge: The event costs £12, this includes a Fairtrade breakfast and ALL proceeds go to Co-operatives London, a wholly volunteer organisation supporting the co-operative movement across London.

How to sign up: Please sign up through our Eventbrite

We only have 30 spaces available so please sign up asap to secure you space at the event.