Champions in Crisis 2022 awarded for resilience and quick thinking in pandemic.
Ely Breakfast Networking for Business are delighted to share some news!
Network Central, the new home of 4Networking, the national business networking organisation, has won the National Champions in Crisis 2022 Award at Canary Wharf’s East Wintergardens on Wednesday 23rd March.
The group was founded by motivational speaker and entrepreneur Brad Burton back in 2006, and now has a fortnightly Breakfast meeting in Ely.
4Networking’s turnover went from £2m to £0 overnight as its 5,000 nationwide meetings each year including 3 in the local area, were immediately cancelled as a result of restrictions and lockdown. Moving fast, meetings were moved online, the first business networking organisation to do so, and a new platform, Network Central, was created, both for business appointments and community support.
Network Central was nominated against brands such as Insignia and Mercedes’ AMG and DPD UK, and was presented with first place by BBC News at Ten presenter Huw Edwards. Ironically, Founder Brad Burton was unable to attend after testing positive for Covid the day before, but Directors Terry Cooper and Jen Hinds accepted the prize.
Ruth Buckley, Group Leader for the Ely Meeting says “Network Central was more crucial than ever for businesses in Ely as the pandemic struck as being able to network online and receive business and moral support was the only way to survive it for many. We’re so pleased that it has come out of the other side and now we’re able to meet face to face again. We meet fortnightly at The High Flyer. Well done to all involved for winning this award.”
“Everything happens for a reason, and it doesn’t always make sense, until it’s in your rear-view mirror” says Founder Brad Burton. “We’ve had to start from scratch in a way, but with the previous experience of building a business against the odds – people said 4Networking would never work when I started the organisation in 2006 whilst delivering pizzas at the weekend to keep it afloat. We were almost driven out of business by Covid and winning this award is testament to everyone who stuck with us and supported us to get through this most difficult period. It’s indicative of a new dawn for UK SMEs in general.” Ironically, two years to the day that Boris Johnson first told us to stay home, we won this award. We really did get through it. Together!
4Networking was started in 2006 by entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker Brad Burton to provide friendly, informal networking for business people around the country. It grew to become the biggest business networking organisation in the UK, with over 5,000 weekly meetings. When these were cancelled overnight by lockdown the network moved online to Network Central and now operates both online and with its trademark face to face events.
The next Ely meeting will be held on 7th April 2022. For more information please contact Ruth Buckley, info@truthhrsolutions.co.uk
Press release from Network Central
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