This Saturday, 10 October 2026, Legacy Centre of Excellence on Potters Lane in Aston hosts the Black Business Arena, a six-hour, in-person event built to discover, support and celebrate Black-owned businesses. It runs from 12:00pm to 6:00pm, and one events listing shows entry as free. If you run a Black-owned business in Birmingham, or you are thinking of starting one, this is a low-cost chance to meet customers, collaborators and fellow founders in a room designed with you in mind.
It is also Black History Month, a good time to put your money where your community is. This guide explains what we know about the event, why community-led marketplaces matter given the funding and visibility gaps Black founders still face, and how to prepare so a single Saturday keeps paying off long after the stalls are packed away.
What We Know About the Black Business Arena
The Black Business Arena is organised by Legacy Centre of Excellence, a Birmingham community venue that describes the event as a place to network with inspiring entrepreneurs and celebrate the strength and innovation of the Black business community. The organiser’s own business programmes page describes it as a networking and support event for Black-owned enterprises with up to 50 stalls. Here are the details we could confirm:
- Date: Saturday 10 October 2026
- Time: 12:00pm to 6:00pm
- Venue: Legacy Centre of Excellence, 144 Potters Lane, Birmingham B6 4UU
- Format: In person, with tickets booked through Eventbrite
- Cost: One events listing shows free entry. Check the Eventbrite page for the latest information before you travel.
- Next date: A further Black Business Arena is listed for Saturday 12 December 2026, same venue and hours.
The Eventbrite page does not publish a speaker line-up, stall list or stallholder booking details, so if you want to trade rather than browse, contact Legacy Centre of Excellence directly on 0121 448 8910 or at info@legacycoe.co.uk. Ask whether stalls are still available and what they cost. If this one is too soon, ask about the December date.
Why Community-Led Business Events Matter for Black Founders
Events like this are not a nice extra. They fill gaps that mainstream systems have left open for years.
The funding gap is still wide
KPMG states that investment into Black founders was less than 1% in 2023. The Black Equity Organisation, which runs the F100 Growth Fund with Sky, cites research that only 0.24% of venture capital went to Black entrepreneurs between 2009 and 2019, and just 0.02% to Black female entrepreneurs. Research quoted by Channel 4 and Lloyds Banking Group for the Black in Business initiative found that 56% of Black-owned businesses receive funding only after proving success, compared with 35% of white business owners.
The British Business Bank and Oliver Wyman’s Alone Together report, published in October 2020, found that Black business owners reported median turnover of £25,000 a year against £35,000 for white business owners, and that 28% of Black business owners made no profit compared with 16% of white business owners. These figures are not new, and we would welcome fresh data, but they remain widely cited. The pattern they describe is consistent: Black founders are asked to prove more before they are backed.
When capital is harder to reach, customers and networks matter more
If outside investment is less likely to arrive early, the fastest route to growth is often direct: paying customers, repeat orders, recommendations and partnerships. A room full of people who are actively looking to support Black-owned businesses shortens that route. A good day at a market-style event can give you sales, but more importantly it gives you contacts, testimonials, product feedback and the confidence that comes from seeing other founders making it work.
Visibility is part of the gap too
Programmes such as Channel 4 and Lloyds’ Black in Business, which awards winners £200,000 in advertising airtime, exist because Black-owned brands often struggle to reach mainstream audiences. Most of us cannot buy television airtime, so community events, word of mouth and social media do the heavy lifting. The Arena puts you in front of a crowd that has chosen to be there for exactly this reason.
How to Prepare If You Are Attending as a Visitor
Showing up is a form of investment. Here is how to make your spending and your time count.
- Bring a shopping list. Think about what your own business or household needs: catering, printing, photography, accountancy, hair, skincare, gifts for Christmas. Buying from Black-owned businesses where you can is the most direct way to keep money circulating in our community.
- Take cash and a card. Some stallholders prefer one or the other, and connection can be patchy in busy halls.
- Collect details as you go. Photograph business cards or follow accounts on the spot so you can find people again.
- Leave a review or a share. A post or Google review within 48 hours is worth more to a small business than most people realise.
How to Prepare If You Are Trading or Networking
1. Decide what a good day looks like
Pick one or two measurable aims: ten email sign-ups, five Instagram follows, three pre-orders, one wholesale conversation. Aims keep you focused when the room gets busy.
2. Prepare a ten-second introduction
One sentence is enough: who you help, and what you do for them. For example, “I make natural hair products for curls and coils, delivered across the West Midlands.” Clear beats clever, and people can repeat it to others.
3. Make it easy to buy and easy to follow up
- Display prices clearly and have a simple way to take card payments.
- Use a QR code that links to your website, booking page or social profile.
- Run a sign-up sheet or QR form so you can email people afterwards, with a clear note about how you will use their details.
- Bring sample sizes or low-priced entry products so new customers can try before they commit.
4. Get your basics in order
Even a small stall is a business activity. Check that you have appropriate insurance for trading in public, that any food, cosmetics or electrical items meet UK labelling and safety rules, and that you are recording your sales for tax. If you need help, the Black Owned Birmingham community often shares recommendations for affordable bookkeepers and advisers.
5. Network by asking first
Ask other stallholders what is working, which events they trade at, and who they use for suppliers. Offer introductions in return. The strongest communities are built on generosity.
Turn One Saturday into Lasting Momentum
The real return on any event arrives afterwards. Block out an hour on Sunday or Monday and work through this follow-up routine:
- Send a short thank-you message to everyone whose details you collected, reminding them what you do.
- Add new contacts to a simple spreadsheet, noting where you met and what you discussed.
- Book a coffee or video call with the two or three people who could genuinely help you grow.
- Post a thank-you and a few photos of your day, tagging people who agreed to be tagged.
- Diarise the next event, whether that is the December Arena or another community market, and decide now whether you will trade there.
More Black Business Events in Birmingham This Autumn
The Arena is one part of a busy season for the community. Legacy Centre of Excellence has also listed the Birmingham Black Business Conference for Saturday 31 October 2026, a full day of networking and professional development at the same venue. Check Eventbrite for current ticket details. Beyond Legacy Centre, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce runs a Black Business Collective, a free subscriber network with a regular bulletin of opportunities, backed by Lloyds Banking Group and law firm Trowers and Hamlins.
Funding programmes aimed at Black founders also run on annual cycles, even though several 2026 windows have already closed. KPMG’s Black Entrepreneurs’ Awards, which offer four £25,000 prizes, ran applications from 1 June to 17 July 2026. The Sky and Black Equity Organisation F100 Growth Fund, offering up to £15,000 in equity-free funding, closed its 2026 applications in June. Channel 4 and Lloyds have announced their 2026 Black in Business winners. If you missed these, now is the time to get your business plan, financial records and pitch ready so you can apply as soon as next year’s rounds open. Events like the Arena are also where you hear about these opportunities first.
Common Questions
Do I need to own a business to attend?
The organiser describes the event as a space to support and celebrate Black-owned businesses, so supporters and aspiring founders are well placed to attend. Confirm any specific criteria with Legacy Centre of Excellence.
Is it really free?
One events listing shows free entry, but the Eventbrite page we reviewed did not display ticket pricing, so check the listing when you book.
Can I book a stall?
The organiser describes the Arena as having up to 50 stalls. Booking details are not shown on the ticket page, so phone 0121 448 8910 or email info@legacycoe.co.uk to ask about availability and costs.
The Bottom Line
No single Saturday closes the gap in funding, visibility and access that Black entrepreneurs still face. But community-led rooms like the Black Business Arena build the customers, contacts and confidence that mainstream systems often fail to provide. If you are in Birmingham this weekend, go, spend, trade and connect, then follow up properly.
Are you going? Tell us in the group, share what you are hoping to sell or find, and find someone to travel with. Join the Black Owned Birmingham Facebook group and let’s build together.
