A one-day event will give Wiltshire food and drink companies essential information to help them do business with the public sector.
The Food Exchange is an opportunity for firms to meet buyers and tier-one suppliers and learn how to perfect their pitch for contracts in the public sector. 
The event, which takes place between 9.30am and 4pm tomorrow at The Bear Hotel, Devizes, is being staged by Enterprise Nation, the small business network and business support provider with more 70,000 members and sponsored by Swindon & Wiltshire Growth Hub.
Businesses should attend if they want to:
- Find out about the contracts that suit your business
- Understand the public procurement process
- Get tender ready
- Pitch to buyers
- Hear about ongoing support for the food and drink sector in South West
Agenda
09.30am: Arrival and registration
10.00am: Welcome, Emma Jones, Enterprise Nation
10.10am: Find opportunities and get your business tender ready
Denise O’Leary, public sector procurement expert
Denise will offer an introduction to procurement portals relevant for food and drink businesses and deliver a step by step guide to preparing documents that make you tender ready.
11.00am: Introduction to the balanced scorecard
DEFRA and the Great British Food Unit introduced the balanced score card to prepare food and drink businesses for selling to central government departments. Gordon will introduce the scorecard and upcoming developments to introduce suppliers to central government buyers.
11.30am: Coffee
12.00pm: Meet the buyers
A panel of central and local government buyers outline what they’re looking for and how to find out about contract opportunities
12.40pm: Support in the South West
Rob Perks, CEO Inspire: Rob will introduce delegates to ongoing support available to food and drink businesses in Swindon and Wiltshire.
1.00pm: Lunch
2.00pm: Sort your sales strategy!
Sales-pro Alison Edgar will guide you on how to develop a sales pipeline and strategy, whilst understanding behaviours of the people to whom you're pitching.
2.40pm: Meet the buyers
Tier one suppliers offer what they're looking for in sourcing food suppliers
3.30pm: How I made it!
An entrepreneur who has successfully sold into government
4pm: Event close
