Have you signed up for our huge Growing Green event on Wednesday 21 March yet? It takes place at the Bethel Convention Centre in West Bromwich and aims to help the region’s businesses tap into emerging green technologies and new markets.

We want to provide an insight into how West Midlands firms can reduce their carbon footprints, while helping their clients to do the same.

You can read lots more about the event here but - in a nutshell - we're expecting over 70 exhibitors and around 1,000 visitors, and we're laying on some brilliant seminars on green innovations, trends and funding.

Our Learning Zone is sponsored by the University of Wolverhampton (which is running the 'Innovation 1st' project to fund research and development into new technologies): read the full seminar line-up here.

Our Marketplace area has over 70 firms and exhibition stands have been snapped up by well-known local, region and even international brands that include:

AAR Powerdrives

Access Design (Hill & Smith Group)

Accord Housing Group

Amey

Apic UK
Balfour Beatty

Bibby Financial Services

Centre of Refurbishment Excellence - CORE

Centro
Coseley Eco Park
Crown Paints

Eco2 Solar

e-on
Galliford Try

Harrison Clarke
Hill & Smith Group

Hingley Transport Group

Integral
Interserve Construction
Keltruck
Knowaste

Laing O'Rourke

Lammart Renewables

LM Products

Malthouse Engineering Group

Mansells Construction

Manufacturing Advisory Services

Midtherm Engineering
Metsec Plc
Morgan Sindall

N Power

New World Solar

Proten Environmental

Recycled Aggregate Services

Renault

REpc Limited

RESCO

Sandwell College

Sandwell MBC Urban Design

Serbian (City of Belgrade) Council

Serco

Speedy Services

Spellar Metcalfe

Symphony Automation

VINCI

Viridis Sustainable Furniture

UKTI (UK Trade Investment)

University of Wolverhampton
Wardle Armstrong.

Wates Construction

Yale UK (Assa Abloy)

Plus more......

International networking opportunities

Hot off the press! We've just had confirmation from UKTI (the government department for UK Trade & Investment) that buyers and commercial ambassadors from Austria, Cyprus, France and Serbia will be visiting Growing Green, bringing commercial professionals to meet with you in the Hosted Buyers Lounge (sponsored by Bibby Financial Services).

Representing Serbia will be 15 buyers from sectors that include Rail, Heating, Renewables, Automotive, Construction and Waste Management. See the International Buyers: Who's Who guide here.

Find out how to book your one-to-one meetings with high-powered buyers here.

And in the evening ...

We're determined that Growing Green 2012 won't just be a one-off celebration of the region's green industries, but the start of bigger things to come. To get the movers and shakers (including Black Country LEP chiefs, overseas and UK buyers, council chiefs, regeneration partners and high-profile businesspeople) putting their heads together in order to foster international trade, business growth and improved support for the Black Country and City Region, we'll be hosting over 100 people at an evening event at The Village in Dudley where they can network in a prestigious yet relaxed setting.

The evening will be subsidised by our kind sponsors Weatherite Group so the cost for the hottest dinner ticket in town that night (including a three-course dinner) will be just £15 plus VAT per head. This will secure you a place on a table with one of our overseas or UK buyers, so it's well worth signing up.

Alternatively you can book a corporate table for ten people at just £10 plus VAT per head - email stephen_massey@sandwell.gov.uk for advance bookings.

Sign up for Growing Green 2012 - it's free!