More than 50 directors from across the region came together last week to attend a PLUS Markets conference in Manchester.

The conference was designed to highlight the benefits of admission to PLUS, as well as examining the process and the impact that a listing can have on a business. The panel of speakers at the event included Vivienne Cassley from PLUS, as well as John Bridges from Orange Corp Finance, Dominic Prentis from Cobbetts and Richard Evans from Brewin Dolphin. They were joined by Ian Brookes from Winning Pitch and Scott Fletcher from ANS, who have both undertaken the admission process and are actively trading on PLUS.

Vivienne Cassley, senior relationships manager at PLUS, said: “We are implementing a series of conferences around the UK to highlight PLUS and the growth opportunities it can deliver for smaller companies. We were delighted with the turnout in Manchester, which signals just how seriously businesses are viewing PLUS as a growth platform.”

Dominic Prentis, solicitor at Cobbetts, said: “We have seen increasing interest in seeking admission to the PLUS quoted market from SMEs and have already acted on three admissions this year, with several more in the pipeline. We are delighted to support PLUS, which offers young ambitious companies a market on which to grow without a heavy regulatory burden. It also provides a platform for larger companies, such as Mears, through its PLUS listed market.”

Ian Brookes, managing director of Winning Pitch, said: “Being a PLUS listed company has given us a profile in our market which has helped win business and recruit new staff – two of the primary reasons we joined the market last December. We’ve also benefited from having the experience of non-executive directors in the business.”

Picture Caption: Dominic Prentis, Cobbetts