PAUL MIRAGE
BITA MANCHESTER KICKING OFF! BITA Manchester were the first chapter to hold a face-to-face networking evening this year, on the 20th May. The event was held at the iconic Atlas Bar, situated in City Centre Manchester, hosted by owners Mark and Elaine Wrigley, who were very pleased to once again to be hosting the region’s business community. As well as offering 540+ brands of gin, the bar featured a fantastic outside area offering safe networking for everyone involved, which in this case limited the guests to 30, all adhering to COVID-19 rules. The evening was sponsored by BITA members GM Business Connect Magazine, represented by co-owners Jon Cheetham and Paul Mirage (who is also a BITA Manchester board member). Paul commented; “It was a great event, and the Atlas Bar did a tremendous job of offering us all a warm and safe welcome. Getting back to face-to-face networking is extremely important for a business like ourselves, and it’s events like these that will help kick-start the economy and ensure a sense of community is re-established - which will ultimately help support well-being within the business sector.” Everyone received a welcome drink on arrival, and a delicious selection of foods were provided by the Atlas Bar throughout the event. Paul Whitnell, President of BITA, attended, and he was speechless when he saw GM Business Connect’s new banner which featured him on a recent cover of the magazine. As President, Paul spoke to members and prospects along with Manchester Chair Tony Goodman MBE, and several board members were also in attendance marking the evening as a great opportunity to catch up with old friends as well as meeting new ones. True to many successful face-to-face networking events it went on well beyond the 8pm finish time, and the feedback from both members and guests was extremely positive, with a number of prospects signing up to BITA membership as a result of the evening. The event was kindly captured by Steve Potter from Steve Potter Photography. A lunch is currently being planned for the Manchester Chapter at the Lowry Hotel in August, as well as many more events throughout 2021 as further lockdown measures are being relaxed. 47
