Music-loving business networking group hits 1,000 members

Photograph: (Left to Right) Dave Jones, Damian Walsh and Simon Palmer

Suits & Vinyl, a business networking group based around people’s love of music, has hit 1,000 members on its LinkedIn Group.

Founders Simon Palmer, partner at Garbutt + Elliott accountants, and Dave Jones, Joint Managing Director of Reward Finance Group, are looking forward to celebrating the milestone with group members at the next networking event being held this Friday at the upstairs bar at Mook in Leeds city centre.

Commenting on how they arrived at the concept, Simon Palmer said,

“Dave and I came up with idea seven years ago when we realised many of our professional friends had consigned their vinyl records to their lofts or garages, ditched the record player, and changed to CD’s and/or digital ways of listening to music”

Dave Jones added,

“We just wanted to give people an opportunity to dig out their old vinyl and bring it along to an event where a DJ with decks would play a wide variety of tunes people hadn’t heard for years.”

“The formation of Suits & Vinyl coincides with a huge increase in the number of turntables and vinyl being sold in the UK. According to figures from the British Phonographic Industry, vinyl sales have hit a 26-year high with 4.1 million LPs sold last year – a rise of 26.8% over a 12-month period and a huge increase from the low point 10 years ago when only 205,000 vinyl LPs were sold.

“While Simon and I aren’t taking any credit for this increase, it is great that we may be still viewed as ‘trendsetters’”.

Damian Walsh of Martin Walsh Architectural has since joined the duo in helping to promote the events.

This Friday’s (21 September 2018) non-ticketed event, which is open to everyone, takes place between 4pm and 9pm with around 100 people passing through the doors throughout the evening.

“Bringing some vinyl along isn’t compulsory but it does act as a brilliant icebreaker at what we believe is the liveliest networking event in Yorkshire,” concluded Dave.

For those who cannot make the Leeds event, the next one will take place in York on Friday 16 November 2018 to close off York Business Week.