Member Article

First Ark set to generate trade and employment opportunities at the IFB 2014

Leading Liverpool-based organisation, the First Ark Group is backing the International Festival for Business (IFB) 2014 by supporting six of the festival’s events while aiming to promote the city’s apprenticeship, education and trade opportunities.

The companies within the First Ark Group will each undertake activity at the IFB, including exhibiting career opportunities to young people, the sponsorship of the Liverpool City Region Apprenticeship Awards, helping to run a social business growth conference, taking part in the World Corporate Games and playing a role in the festival’s closing ceremony.

Fifty of First Ark’s employees will compete in the three-day World Corporate Games, facing stiff competition from 6,000 participants representing companies from across the world, such as Coca-Cola and Microsoft. This event is dubbed the ‘Corporate Olympics’ and takes place in a different city annually.

First Ark’s facilities management and social enterprise, Vivark, was the overall sponsor of the Liverpool City Region Apprenticeship Awards, which took place on Friday 20th June. These awards recognised and celebrated the best of the region’s apprentices, as well as the businesses who invest in staff via apprenticeships.

The charitable arm of First Ark, One Ark, will assist partners in managing the Time4PlanC – Doing Business Differently social business growth conference, which focuses on start-ups, inter-trading and the replication of international businesses.

Bob Taylor, chief executive of the First Ark Group, said: “Each event we have decided to support at the festival reflects our unique business model, which aims to use a responsible approach to delivering real social value and investment to local communities.

“All of the activity we’re undertaking at the festival will allow us to utilise our team, services and local supplier network to support both individuals and businesses, be it through the creation of contracts, training or apprenticeship opportunities.

“We’re especially looking forward to helping to co-ordinate the only social business event during IFB, Time4PlanC, which will give First Ark the opportunity to provide delegates with best practice advice on how to achieve and measure social value.”

The other events organised by the festival, which the First Ark Group is supporting, are The Skills Show, which showcases career prospects to the region’s youth, and the Inbound Marketing Conference. These events are part of a calendar of business based activity taking place in Liverpool and across the North of England during June and July 2014.

Each of the events associated with the First Ark Group are open to either businesses or members of the public. The events comprise:

• The World Corporate Games, Thursday 26th June to Sunday 29th June

• Time4PlanC – Doing Business Differently, Thursday 26th June

• Inbound Marketing Conference, Tuesday 8th July

• The IFB Closing Ceremony, Thursday 24th July

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .