The Bury Early Lunch Club

The BELC was formed in 2004 and is a networking club based in Bury St Edmunds. We aim to enable local businesses in Suffolk to meet, learn from each other, build trust and develop lasting business relationships in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

It is not intended to be an opportunity to sell you anything - just a comfortable environment in which to make useful contacts and perhaps learn something new.

What's the bottom line?

• Joining is free, and you only pay for the meetings you attend.
• There is no requirement to attend every meeting.
• You can bring guests along at any time (provided you book!)
• There is no obligatory referral scheme, or other similar membership obligations.

Where do meetings take place?

We meet for breakfast (hence the "early lunch" - geddit?), at Nowton Court, Bury St Edmunds. Parking is easy and the breakfast is excellent.

Who attends the meetings?

Likely to be business owners or directors, business development or marketing managers and other key people from a broad cross section of industries.  We do not limit the number of representatives from one industry because we believe that each business is unique, and we welcome all.

What happens?

We meet at 7.45 am, and an excellent breakfast is served from about 8.10 am.  That is usually followed by a speaker - often a local business person or professional - who gives us the benefit of their specialist knowledge.  There is plenty of opportunity to ask questions, and the topics in the past have ranged from how to start a business to how to sell one, and lots of advice for the journey in between.  The speaker will finish by 9.15 am, but you are welcome to stay and network for a little while after that.

Can I bring a guest?

Certainly!  We encourage you to invite guests to attend because increasing the size of the group will ultimately mean that each member of the group should be able to find suppliers, clients and business allies amongst the group.  However, you must book them a place, as we have limited space.

How do I join?

If you book to attend one of our breakfasts you automatically become a member. 

Who runs the BELC?

BELC is run by Menta, the Mid Anglian Enterprise Agency (this is our website).  We are a not for profit organisation, and our aim is to provide the BELC as a service to the business community.

Where can I find out more?

Call us on 0800 085 5090