Business hub to open following £1.8m media centre refurbishment

Leeds Media Centre (LMC) in Chapeltown marks the opening of its new hi-tech business hub next week following a £1.8 million refurbishment.

The business hub will open officially next Friday, 17 May, in the presence of the Lord Mayor of Leeds.

Before that it will launch Steps to Business on Monday.  The scheme, a start-up training programme for aspiring entrepreneurs aged 16 to 25,  will provide participants with direct access to investors and business advisers as well as state-of-the-art learning facilities and a podcast booth.

On Wednesday it hosts Enterprise Takeover Day, an informal event run by AD:VENTURE offering a one-stop shop for all business support needs from industry experts across West Yorkshire.  Attendees will also have the opportunity to network with fellow entrepreneurs over lunch and take part in half-hour workshops on topics critical for business success.

Leeds Media Centre is one of three business centres operated by Unity Enterprise, the not for profit subsidiary company of BME housing association Unity Homes and Enterprise. The refurbishment was carried out in partnership with Leeds City Council and the European Regional Development Fund..

Leeds City Council, which owns the building, also provided £80,000 from the Innovation@Leeds capital fund to equip the new business hub with furniture, video conferencing facilities and computer hardware.

Unity Enterprise manager Adrian Green, , said, “We are excited to be hosting such an impressive line-up of activities over the course of five days, each with entrepreneurship at its heart.

“Steps to Business will use non-conventional training methods to help those taking part realise their dreams.  The launch event on Monday is free to attend and we are expecting lots of foot fall from noon until 4pm when it concludes.”

Cedric Boston, Unity Homes and Enterprise chief executive, said, “Leeds Media Centre is already a hive of entrepreneurial activity.  The new business hub will enable it to play an even greater role in empowering local people to succeed in business.”