Tees Business LIVE: March 2025
EVENTS
PICTURES: CHRIS BOOTH
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Tees Business LIVE: March 2025
RIVERSIDE STADIUM, MIDDLESBROUGH
IN ASSOCIATION WITH SEMBCORP ENERGY UK
In the spotlight – from left: Martin Walker, Zoe Lewis CBE, Frans Caljé OBE, Andy Preston, Dave Allan, Elaine McLaine-Wood and Bill Scott OBE.
Riverside Stadium hosts event marking 10 years of Tees Business‘ Talking up Teesside’
An event to mark 10 years of Tees Business heard how it had“ opened the door to showcase the best of business in our region”.
Around 120 delegates attended the anniversary Tees Business LIVE event, sponsored by Sembcorp Energy UK, at the Riverside Stadium’ s Legends Lounge – an appropriate venue given that founders and directors Dave Allan and Martin Walker first worked together in Boro’ s media department.
In 2015, and with both running their own PR agencies, they took the plunge to launch Tees Business magazine.
Martin explained the name, Tees Business, was deliberately chosen to avoid any controversy over whether the region should be known as Teesside or Tees Valley.
And since that first edition, the event heard, there’ s been remarkable progress, with more than 22 MILLION pages printed in 41 issues –“ 22m pages of talking up Teesside”, emphasised Dave – and a clutch of prestigious awards ceremonies.
Clients, business partners, staff, former staff and freelancers all attended the celebration – including the only business that’ s been a paid client for all 41 editions, Cornerstone Business Solutions.
The calibre of the expert panel to discuss business topics also indicated the importance of Tees Business to the region, with PD Ports CEO Frans Caljé OBE, Middlesbrough College CEO and principal Zoe Lewis CBE, Wilton Group CEO Bill
Scott OBE and managing partner of Punch Robson Solicitors, Elaine McLaine-Wood, all praising its contribution.
Frans said Tees Business had“ put Teesside on the map”, while Elaine said Punch Robson was proud to be part of the“ promotion, publicity and the celebration of excellence the awards bring, especially as a sponsor”.
Zoe praised events such as Tees Business LIVE for opening the networking door to up-and-coming SMEs, compared to the scene 15 years ago, which tended to be dominated by“ traditional industries and personalities”.
And Bill Scott said Dave and Martin had“ opened the doors to showcase the best of business in our region – not only to Teesside but to the rest of the UK and the world”.
He added:“ They have made a massive difference – and the magazine’ s so thick now, it’ s like a bible!
“ It’ s packed with information. To be honest, I can’ t remember a time before Tees Business.”
Event host Andy Preston called the success of Tees Business“ genuinely remarkable”, commenting:“ It hasn’ t happened anywhere else in the UK.
Newspapers, with their staff, money and resources, have launched magazines that usually failed – these guys on their own, took the plunge.
“ They just flipping did it and it’ s got stronger and stronger, and we’ ve all benefitted from that.”
The anniversary event was held in association with Sembcorp as part of a series of Tees Business LIVE meetings backed by the North East Chamber of Commerce.
The anniversary event also featured a special presentation to Sarah Carlton of Kinship, who has designed all 41 issues of Tees Business.
And receiving a prize was Marcus Bennett, whose gastropub, The Bay Horse in Hurworth, topped the annual Tees Business poll to find the region’ s favourite restaurant.
Series associate sponsor for the 2025 Tees Business LIVE programme is North East Chamber of Commerce.
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