Event brings the big buyers to the small sellers (From Western Telegraph)

Event brings the big buyers to the small sellers

'Pembrokeshire buyers for Pembrokeshire suppliers' was the aim of the recent Meet the Public Sector Buyer event, organised by Pembrokeshire County Council, the Pembrokeshire Business Initiative (PBI) and the Welsh Development Agency (WDA).

It was the first time an event of this kind had been held on a county, as opposed to a regional basis.

"The public sector is one of the biggest spenders in Wales, and particularly west Wales," said PBI's managing director Richard Packman. "The event was designed to allow this sector's needs to be put together with supply on a local basis."

According to Mr Packman, over 90% of Pembrokeshire's 15,000 businesses employ around ten people, which makes finding the time to target new markets difficult.

"Meet the Public Sector Buyer circumvented this problem by allowing representatives of small local businesses to meet the people they need to speak to in the space of just one morning," he said.

"Meeting buyers face-to-face is imperative when it comes to getting your goods or services sold, so the event was a fantastic opportunity," said Linda Wilshaw of, Apex Cleaning Services. "It was also nice to be able to tout for business in my own county," she added.

The success of the day will be measured in actual terms, as PBI are monitoring the amount of business generated by the event.

The three organisers are planning to provide more opportunities for local businesses next year, by holding a private sector 'Meet the Buyer' event.