Fledgling leisure sector suppliers have the chance to attend a £2,000 business network event for free as part of a competition set up by active-net.

The Start-Up competition winner will be guaranteed 14 one-to-one meeting with public sector buyers, the opportunity to network with 150 sector professionals, entry to active-net directory and social media coverage during the active-net 2017 event.

Next year’s event will take place on 29-30 March at Nottingham’s Eastwood Hall, and will include an educational element themed around workforce, which will include Sport England’s Stephanie Maurel, CIMSPA chief executive Tara Dillon and AoC Sport managing director Marcus Kingwell.

Entrants for the competition must have traded for less than a year on 29 March 2017. The closing date for the draw is 30 November 2016.

David Monkhouse, director of active-net parent company Leisure-net, said: “As well as benefitting from all that the two-day event has to offer, the Start-Up winner will get to sit on the committee to help select the next new business for active-net 2018.”