Business Leaders’ Dinners in Buckinghamshire do not simply offer fine dining at some of the county’s best locations, they also enable high level networking where connections of real value are made between some of the brightest business minds in the county.
Two such successful entrepreneurs who met at Buckinghamshire Business First’s inaugural Business Leaders’ Dinner at Hartwell House in 2014 were Gary Swanwick of award-winning IT service provider Epoq IT and Tony Laurenson, Founder and Managing Director of fellow multi award-winners Global Infusion Group (GIG), a Global Catering and Logistics company. When the two met they experienced the kind of ‘we can work together’ moment found at the very best networking events.
Bringing business to Buckinghamshire
“GIG had experienced rapid expansion and they required a more advanced IT system that was able to accommodate their global operations more effectively,” Gary explains. “My team and I offered GIG a very different angle from their then-IT supplier, which led to them switching suppliers in order to provide a more advanced service. We now look after their entire IT infrastructure, implementing new cloud services and resilient business continuity solutions for its global operations.”
Gary confirms one further positive to come from this: “We were able to bring business to Buckinghamshire through this partnership.” Tony Laurenson, who is Buckinghamshire born and bred, prides himself on working with some amazing local suppliers who are also committed to giving back to the community.
“One of the best networking events locally by far”
It was no surprise to Gary that he made such a great business connection at a series of events he sums up as having “quality venues and delegates. The Business Leaders’ Dinners are one of the best networking events locally by far. The people you meet at Buckinghamshire Business First’s networking events are fantastic and really keen to share their knowledge and experience.”
Epoq IT constantly evolving
Epoq IT inhabits an ever changing industry – “not just for us, but for our clients too. We are constantly evolving so we can help businesses make the most of their technology,” Gary explains. “Our clients need to be confident that they are compliant, resilient and returning the most from their investment. The next year is very exciting for Epoq IT as we introduce new services to help business owners and managers gain the clarity they need.”
Gary never shies away from a networking opportunity, or the chance to play a wider part in the business community. As an Ambassador for Young Directors for the Institute of Directors (IoD) he jumped at the chance to attend the first ever Buckinghamshire Young Directors’ Meet Up organised by Buckinghamshire Business First in the autumn of 2016. “I’m passionate about creating a community for young entrepreneurs and directors in Buckinghamshire,” Gary confirms. “The Young Directors’ Meet Up plays a part in forging this community and the first in the series was a fantastic event for like-minded people to get together and share knowledge.”
GIG’s award success
The team at GIG are no strangers to excellence and giving back to the community themselves. In 2014 GIG was awarded The Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade and picked up the Company of the Year and International Trader of the Year at the Buckinghamshire Business Awards 2014. The company would also go on to support other local businesses by becoming a sponsor of the Food & Drink Producer of the Year category at the Buckinghamshire Business Awards 2016. Previous to that GIG was awarded a Chesham Mayoral Award in 2015 to recognise its charity and voluntary work in the community – something that is very close to the hearts of all at GIG.
Global Infusion Group
Global Infusion Group (GIG) is an award winning global catering, logistics and brand support company with 32 years experience across the globe. GIG is a live event support specialist, with offices & facilities in Asia, Europe, the Americas & the Middle East in addition to an extensive worldwide network of partners and suppliers.
Epoq IT
Epoq IT provides everything from an outsourced IT department to specific infrastructure, cloud or security projects to businesses in the South East and London. Whether your challenges lie in compliance and risk issues, leveraging technology more effectively to gain a competitive advantage or simply providing better IT support, Epoq IT has a proven track record of delivering first class IT solutions.