The second Platinum Standard BNI Chapter in Lancashire is set for launch at Pleasington Golf Club in Blackburn.
BNI Vista was originally set up by two of East Lancashire’s leading professional services firms Forbes Solicitors and PM&M Chartered Accountants, with the aim of setting a new standard in Lancashire for the global organisation.
Since it was set up, the core chapter has grown to 22 members and needs just three more before it officially launches as a live chapter.
Established over 30 years ago, BNI has over 200,000 members in over 70 countries worldwide. It works by organising weekly networking meetings for groups of businesses. Groups, known as chapters, use their combined network of contacts to find business opportunities and referrals for one another, to a specific brief that members outline at every meeting.
Each chapter follows proven procedures and processes to ensure businesses are able to generate the maximum amount of business for each other.
Expanding substantially on the established aim for BNI chapters to generate £2 million of business per year, the new Platinum Standard aims to generate £5 million per year for members.
The new standard has been originated by BNI Executive Director Mike Holman, who heads up 27 BNI chapters in Lancashire, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.
He said: “We’re aiming to make BNI Vista in Blackburn into one of the top five BNI chapters in the UK, generating more than £5million per year by building a group of over 50 local business leaders, fully enabled to meet standards that will set a new benchmark in referral marketing.
“When we set-up the chapter, we set ourselves a standard of only officially launching once we have a least 25 members, so as it stands we only need another three members to join before we go live.”
Current chapter members include Forbes Solicitors, PM&M, Blackburn Youth Zone, Limitless PR, +24 Marketing, Media Village, Commercial Road and Mint Business Travel but a variety of seats are still available.
