In 436 days, a sporting celebration will take place which will eclipse all those that have gone before it – London 2012.

As a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the importance of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to the fortunes of businesses, for Bradford and the rest of Yorkshire, could be huge.

I know there is much debate surrounding who will benefit economically outside of London, but my mantra is one which was born in the sporting world – ‘You have to be in it to win it’. Lloyds TSB estimated a £21 billion boost to UK businesses as a result of hosting the Games, including infrastructure improvements and additional tourism. It will also provide unique opportunities in promoting our region to new markets, not just for export purposes but in attracting inward investment also.

Yorkshire Forward is supporting firms through the Yorkshire Gold Business Club as it identifies suitable contract opportunities, provide expert support and will hold networking events here in Bradford, including one on July 7.

We are also continuing to encourage companies to sign-up to Compete for, the ‘business dating agency’, which enables companies to bid for direct and supply chain business opportunities arising from London 2012.

So far we have 6,991 regional businesses signed-up to the site.

I’d like to encourage you to take a look at compete for.com and see if there are opportunities for your business to benefit. After all, not registering means you’re not even in the running.