Opportunities take off at Meet the Buyers
London Stansted’s popular Meet the Buyers event made a successful return to the Radisson Blu Hotel on Thursday, November 27.
Now in its 24th year, the sold-out event continues to connect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with major buyers in the airport’s supply chain, helping local firms access new opportunities.
Jonathan Fowler, Chief Operating Officer at London Stansted, opened the event alongside Suzanne McCreedy of UMi and Essex County Council Deputy Leader Cllr Louise McKinlay.
Mr Fowler said:
“Meet the Buyers is about creating real opportunities for local businesses to share in Stansted’s success. Together with our transformation programme and ambitions to grow passenger numbers to 51 million a year, we want to ensure that the benefits of our transformation are felt across the region.”
Suzanne McCreedy, Chief Commercial Officer at UMi, organisers of the event, added:
“UMi is delighted to once again partner with London Stansted, building on a successful relationship that has helped thousands of local businesses access new supply chain opportunities.”
This year’s event featured 30 major buyers, including LPL Construction, Kier, Mace, Essex County Council and London Stansted itself.
Local firm LPL Construction (Elsenham) was among the buyers. Director Kieran Fitzgerald said:
“We’ve been proud to be part of Stansted Airport’s Meet the Buyers event for several years now. It’s more than just networking, it’s about creating meaningful partnerships that strengthen our local community. Sustainability remains at the heart of what we do, and this event gives us the chance to collaborate with businesses that share that vision.”
For many local firms, the event was an opportunity to secure contracts and build relationships that could shape future growth.
Paul Anton of Paul Anton Ltd, a critical power protection specialist based in Great Dunmow, said:
“It was great to attend our first Stansted Meet the Buyers event. As a business local to the airport, it was a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase what we do, network with lots of other businesses and potentially generate new business with the companies we engaged with across the day.”
Robert Lee of Marketing Kinetics (Bishop’s Stortford) added:
“Meet the Buyers is a game-changer for small businesses like ours. It opens doors to major airport suppliers and creates opportunities that can transform our growth. With exciting development plans at Stansted, we’re eager to play a part in upcoming projects and continue building strong local connections.”
Vaida Markeviciene of AVM Workwear and Embroidery (Bishop’s Stortford) said:
“A very well-organised event. So much potential for our company and all the attending businesses.”
The event comes as Stansted continues its transformation programme, which once complete, will allow the airport to serve up to 43 million passengers a year and create 5,000 new jobs. The airport has also submitted a planning application to raise its annual passenger cap to 51 million over the next 20 years, without increasing flight numbers or expanding beyond its current boundary.
Since 2011, Meet the Buyers has generated more than £30 million in business, with last year’s event alone helping local companies secure £2.3 million in contracts, reinforcing Stansted’s role as a key driver of regional economic growth.