Hear from interesting speakers, collaborate and problem solve at our monthly business learning and networking event.

Organised by Edward Ryder from Biskit Ltd, these monthly sessions spark new ideas, opportunities for collaboration with other like minded companies, and highlight opportunities for funding support and new business opportunities.

With a key theme every month and guest experts, ranging from Marketing and Sales, through to Managing Team Performance, Strategy, Improving IT, AI, Legal and Finance, we cover the business issues that matter most.

When are they?

2026 - Next Events: monthly - every third Thursday;

☕ Bring your cup. Bring your questions. Leave with inspiration.

20th August - The 10 Habits of Successful Companies

What separates businesses that simply survive from those that grow consistently?

After 30 years supporting organisations across the UK and Europe - from ambitious start-ups to international firms - Edward Ryder (Founder of Biskit Ltd) has observed a clear pattern: top performers don't get lucky. They build very specific habits.

Join us for an interactive morning session as Edward shares The 10 Habits of Successful Companies - the core leadership approaches, team disciplines, and practical behaviours behind resilient, outperforming businesses.

What We’ll Cover:

Leadership that inspires action

Creating exceptional customer experiences

Building a culture of curiosity and continuous improvement

Setting ambitious goals that people believe in

Using data to make better decisions

Aligning teams around a shared vision

Developing resilient, adaptable organisations

Creating momentum for sustainable growth

Past Events

14th November - Welcomes Chris Black, MD of Leeds based Sound Leisure. Chris, who is also President of Leeds Chamber of Commerce, is going to take us on a fascinating journey into the world of music, or more importantly jukeboxes... manufactured in Yorkshire since 1978. Not just a story about UK manufacturing, it's a journey of innovation, resilience, leadership, exporting, expanding into new markets and more.

19th December - Will introduce Paul Cogan, Collaborative CEO, from Bettys & Taylors Group. It's hard to live in Yorkshire... and not be aware of Bettys! Whether it's a Fat Rascal or afternoon tea, it's an institution. But there's a lot more to this company than meets the eye. Hear about their approach to growing and maintaining their brand, how they manage quality, recruiting/training and retaining amazing teams, and their approach to sustainable supply chains. Oh... and why they have 4 CEO's!

On the theme of supply chain & sustainability, we've also got an optional 30 minute session afterwards (11.30am to 12) , welcoming Harvey Radcliffe from Carbonmark, who's going to tell us 'why carbon matters,' and highlight the raft of opportunities available if we manage carbon more effectively!

16th January - SPECIALLY EXTENDED SESSSION. 9.00 for 9.30am start, with a 12.00 finish. our first Connect event in 2025 brings us a special session on Curiosity, Connection, Inspiration, then Growth. Award winner, Valentina Hynes, will be talking us through the power of thinking differently... and the impact it can have on our business, how we see opportunities, and ourselves. Expect a good bit of left-field thinking.

20th February - Although we’ve had a wide range of companies sharing their business journeys at Connect, this will be a first in terms of machinery and transport manufacturing.

Damian Walsh, Chief Commercial officer at WRAITH Defence, will be giving us an overview of the challenges involved with the design, manufacture and assembly of advanced tactical and armoured vehicles for the defence and law enforcement industries.

This kind of manufacturing brings a whole set of challenges, from supply chain management, through to quality systems, exporting, skills recruitment, and the ever changing world of defence, and adapting products to suit different threats.

Damian will talk us through these challenges and more, shedding a light on what it takes to be a quality UK manufacturer on the global stage.

25th February - EXTRA SPECIAL EVENT - LEEDS SITE VISIT - Sound & Leisure. On the back of an excellent session from Chris Black, MD of Leeds based Sound & Leisure in 2024, we've organised an open morning 10am to 12.30 at their amazing Leeds based factory (nr Crossgates). This is a great opportunity to see how their fabulous jukeboxes are made, and hear more about the challenges of being a local manufacturer, with international sales reach. Spaces are limited. You need to provide your own transport.

20th March -Just how do ideas turn into action? Whether it's that amazing innovative product/service idea, a new business start up, or solving a problem... and creating your own charity or social enterprise.

This month, we've got 3 amazing speakers, all with a different story to tell about how they turned their ideas in action, and the lessons they learned along the way. Welcome to Oz Harbott

Description supplied by the event organiser.