This year's Small Business Saturday roadshow will visit 20 UK towns and cities to offer online and in-person support to local entrepreneurs.
The roadshow will set off from the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow on Monday 1 November. For the first time, the Small Business Saturday roadshow will be a zero emissions tour to highlight the important role small businesses play in getting the UK to Net Zero by 2050. It will showcase a fleet of eco vehicles that reflect daily life for small businesses - including an electric van, car and scooter, as well as a delivery-style push bike.
It comes as 97% of small businesses say sustainability is important to their business, according to research by tour supporter BT Skills for Tomorrow and Small Business Britain.
The roadshow will visit 20 British towns and cities to spotlight, support and inspire the six million small businesses across the UK, as part of the countdown to Small Business Saturday. It will offer a hybrid format of online and in-person activity, including virtual workshops, webinars and mentoring on a range of small business topics, as well as on the ground visits and live-streamed interviews with local businesses.
"We are so excited to get back on the road with this new tour and put the spotlight on fantastic small businesses and their communities, as well as opening up skills and networking opportunities to millions of entrepreneurs using a new hybrid format," said Michelle Ovens, director of Small Business Saturday.
Chris Sims, BT's managing director for its SoHo (Single/Small office, Home office) unit, said: "Despite the hugely tough period small businesses have endured across the UK, we have seen many businesses embrace new ways of working and a shift towards digital. The tour is a fantastic initiative to reach out and support small businesses with the digital skills they need as they look to scale up in key areas such as digital marketing and sustainability, and we are delighted to be supporting it again this year."
Starting on 1 November, the tour will be on the road for a month, finishing in London shortly ahead of Small Business Saturday on 4 December. It will visit Glasgow, Edinburgh, Kilmarnock, Belfast, Whitley Bay, Northallerton, Grimsby, Manchester, Colwyn Bay, Derby, Birmingham, Hereford, Cardiff, Plymouth, Southampton, Brighton, Margate, Leighton Buzzard, Cambridge and London.
Now in its ninth year in the UK, Small Business Saturday is a grassroots campaign, which celebrates small business success and encourages consumers to shop local and to support businesses in their communities.
Last year Small Business Saturday saw an estimated £1.1 billion spent with small businesses across the UK on the day, according to research from American Express, the campaign's founder and principal supporter in the UK.
Business owners can get involved in the tour and book one-to-one mentoring sessions on the Small Business Saturday website.
Written by Rachel Miller.