The Business Support Provider Forum (BSPF), established in 2021, aims to enhance connections and interactions among Business Support Providers in the Devon region but has since expanded to include member organisations from the Great South West.
The BSPF, founded amidst the pandemic, hosts quarterly virtual gatherings for members to exchange event information, identify funding opportunities, and broaden their knowledge of support across the Southwest. Each session features a business owner who shares feedback on their experiences with accessing support, highlighting both the positives and negatives.
The BSPF’s most valuable aspect is the opportunity it offers Business Support providers to connect with colleagues from various projects and organisations. Attendees have included representatives from the Local Enterprise Partnerships’ (LEP) Growth Hubs, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) projects, National bodies such as Innovation UK Edge, and private business support providers. Thanks to the Forum and the connections it has fostered, SMEs are now more aware of the support available, and support providers are better informed about each other’s offerings. This has led to improved signposting of businesses between providers.
The SETsquared Exeter Business Acceleration Team set up the Forum to create a community that promotes business support services to those who need it most – the business owners and founders. The Forum has not only aided in recognising potential candidates for the SETsquared Exeter Business Accelerator, but it has also empowered the team to refer members to other services. These include sector or market-specific expertise, exploration of grant funding options, or continued engagement with Business Support after their period with SETsquared Exeter has ended.
A steering committee of volunteers guides the Forum, and while the meetings have always been accessible online, it has been hosted from business support venues across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.
