Urbano - Connecting Companies Facilitating Opportunities

About Urbano (and Notes for 2024)
I have been using Urbano to bring together company founders, senior directors and other senior professionals from SMEs to PLCs across all sectors to connect, engage, learn, share, and develop mutual opportunities since I started creating business communities in Shoreditch in the early 2000's.

There, I witnessed the transformation that the digital agencies who were my neighbours brought to every industry. But I also saw how important meeting new people was to those growing tech companies, not only from a business development perspective in finding new potential clients, but also the intangible benefits of being part of a wider community of different people.

For me, Urbano primary role is to be a catalyst to connections, bringing together companies and especially those that create and lead SMEs, to meet, share knowledge and develop new business relationships in warm and relaxed surroundings, the highest of which are Top Tables.

Urbano Top Table networking events are exclusively for Urbano Member Companies' founders, owners, and directors.

Urbano Top Tables happen every four to six weeks and are hosted at great restaurants. Previous Top Table host venues have included The Hide Piccadilly, Café Murano, Quo Vadis, Anise at Cinnamon, 110 de Taillevent, Cafe Du Marche, The Social Eating House) and OXO Tower Brasserie. A three-course lunch, complimentary drink and usually between 24 - 36 (depending on space) company directors or equivalents and brilliant conversations and connections await.

Our next Top Table event is on Thursday July 18th. This is a Top Table + Connections networking evening on the terrace of Gatehouse Chambers in Chancery Lane on Thursday July 18th, where members can also (and uniquely) invite non-member guests. Details and booking here: Top Table.

Urbano also has a proud record in championing issues like sustainability, diversity, ESG, wellbeing and opportunities for SMEs in the supply chain way before they became mainstream.

Our speaker events have included four out of the last five RIBA Presidents, George Clarke (twice!), Kevin McCloud and many others. In 2024, we have already investigated AI in construction with AECOM and ESG with Professors from UCL’s new Centre for Sustainable Governance and Law.

All upcoming Urbano events and those of our corporate members can be found here:  https://www.urbanonetwork.co.uk/london-networking-events/list

Tenders
Urbano offers Company Members access to our tenders, service.  We have a proud record of helping our members develop and grow, including supporting them to find opportunities on the supply chains of larger companies and the public sector.

Find the latest live tenders relevant to your services by using CTRL + F to search your keywords here: Tenders @ Urbano

Urbano is owned and run by Talent Lab, a work winning consultancy run by Mark and Caroline. Talent Lab helps companies of all sizes – from PLCs to SMEs - win work from the public sector. Caroline leads on this and she would be happy to discuss if and where she can help you and you company, from training for bid teams to operating as an outsourced bid department helping directors with positioning, engagement and bid writing etc.

Urbano - The Sustainable Business Network
We call Urbano  ‘The Sustainable Business Network’, not just because we have hosted speaker events on ‘sustainability’ stretching back to 2004 and challenged companies and individuals to make active changes on this front, but also because of our experience of bringing together those that create and run companies to help them adapt to the ever-changing challenges of running a successful enterprise. We believe it is the diversity of our member companies, our own experience of running a SME that celebrated its 20^th birthday earlier this year and the mix of people and events that makes Urbano unique.

We continue to press for SMEs to be given a fairer chance at winning public sector work, including as part of project supply chains. Videos and podcasts on our Only Connect channel are available to download on different topics, including procurement, building reg changes, workplace design, menopause in work, sustainability in construction, and networking.

Membership Options and Fees
Urbano has three levels of membership..

Micro: For those with fewer than five employees. Payable by DD monthly.
Company: Includes tenders. Unlimited representatives can book Urbano events. Includes tenders. Payable by monthly DD or annual invoice.
Corporate: As Company, but we promote their own events via links on our mailers – which reach 60,000+ subscribers – and on our website.

For fees and to find out which option would suit you best, click here: Urbano Membership

Most opportunities in business start with a conversation. If you are a company founder, owner, director, partner or equivalent, and you would like to be part of a community of your peers, then please email me with any queries you may have.

You can also add your profile to the Urbano directory using the Booking Link on this page.


Mark Herring
Connector-In-Chief, Urbano Network